Whale Done, page 21
“You know, Teddy,” she said. “Life is always interesting when you’re around.”
“Is that a compliment?” I asked.
“You bet it is.” Summer beamed at me in a way that made me feel like the luckiest person alive.
I grabbed her hand, and we looked toward the horizon as our boat sped across the waves, racing toward the largest creatures that had ever lived.
OUR OCEANS ARE IN DANGER!
When I first started researching this book, I thought it might be difficult to come up with a way that humans could kill a whale. But it wasn’t long before I realized that there were a startling number of ways that could happen. The sad fact is that we aren’t treating our oceans very well—and thus, all their inhabitants are endangered as well.
However, there are things you can do to help. So let’s take a look at a few of the problems.
Plastic
As I indicated in this book, the amount of plastic that we are creating—and then dumping into the oceans—is staggering. The best way to fight this is to simply try to reduce the amount of plastic that you use. I know that might not sound so easy, because plastic is everywhere. But you can take steps: Make sure that your family brings reusable bags to the grocery store instead of getting new plastic bags each time. Carry a reusable water bottle instead of buying water in plastic bottles. If you do buy water—or soda or other drinks—buy them in aluminum cans, rather than plastic bottles. (Aluminum can be more easily recycled, over and over again, which is not the case with plastic.) Tell restaurants that you don’t need a straw. (Or, if you’re getting takeout food for home, tell them you don’t need the plastic utensils.). And if you do use plastic… recycle it.
Another thing you can do to help with plastic—and all litter—is to participate in a beach cleanup. These are generally run by local organizations (assuming you live near a beach), so you might have to do a little research to figure out who hosts them in your area. (In Southern California, where I am, they are organized by Heal the Bay.) A beach cleanup is good hands-on work—and it can actually make for a rather enjoyable family day at the beach.
Overfishing
There are fisheries that are well managed—and fisheries that aren’t. In some places, fish stocks are being wiped out; in others, poorly managed fish farms are polluting the local waters. The Monterey Bay Aquarium has a very helpful guide to sustainable seafood that shows what is good to eat and what isn’t. You can find it here: montereybayaquarium.org (as well as some other helpful tips for reducing plastic use).
Climate Change
As our planet heats up due to human behavior, our oceans are changing in ways that we are only just beginning to understand. Coral reefs are bleaching. Food chains are being disrupted. This is a big problem, in part because there are plenty of people who claim that it doesn’t exist. (In fact, I can promise you I’m going to get plenty of angry letters and bad online reviews even for mentioning it. It’s happened before.) On one hand, this needs to be tackled on a global level, which means making your voice heard: pressuring your legislators to support alternative fuels like solar and wind energy, or to build more public transportation. You might think that such people don’t care about what someone your age thinks, but I think they might be more likely to listen to you—and your friends and classmates—than they are to listen to someone my age.
And there are steps you can take at home: Conserve energy whenever possible. Buy much of your food locally and try to cut down on food waste as well. Donate old clothes and other items rather than throwing them away—and maybe try to buy secondhand clothes yourself. Ask your family to drive hybrid or electric vehicles. Every little bit helps.
* * *
Finally, there are still some direct threats to whales and dolphins as well. While most countries in the world have banned the hunting of these amazing creatures, a few countries still have not. To that end, there are many organizations that do important work to protect these species. I’d recommend supporting Sea Shepherd, a group of incredibly devoted conservationists who fight for the safety of these animals in international waters. Check out seashepherdglobal.org to see how you can help.
The good news is that there is already evidence that human action can make a difference. A century ago, many of our whales had been hunted almost to extinction. Now, many populations (but not all of them) have bounced back. But things like that don’t happen without the commitment of people like you. So do your part to make the world a better place for whales, dolphins, and all marine life.
Acknowledgments
It is very common for readers to suggest possible storylines for my books, and I have to give most of them the sad news that I can’t really accept ideas from other people. But every once in a while, when I spot a trend in the requests, I have to take notice.
That was the case with this book. A lot of young readers asked me to write a FunJungle mystery involving marine life. Many specifically asked about whales, but others simply thought I should write about a crime happening to a sea creature. And since there’s an awful lot of marine life, I figured I would consider it.
That involved research. And so I am indebted to Paola Camacho, who did a great amount of that for me, as well as tracking down some specialists for me to talk to. One of those was James Stewart, the whale expert and boat programs coordinator at the Aquarium of the Pacific in Long Beach, California, whose advice and knowledge were invaluable. (Also, thanks to Marilyn Padilla and everyone else at the aquarium for their help). Then there’s Dave Bader, chief operations officer at the Marine Mammal Care Center, Los Angeles, who was kind enough to let me (and my daughter) visit his facility and answer all my questions. Without the help of these people, this book would never have existed.
This is also the first book I’ve ever written that takes place in the city where I live. So I suppose that thanks are long overdue to the people who originally supported me in my film career (which was what kept me busy out here until I started writing middle-grade fiction): Warren Zide, Craig Perry, Sheila Hanahan-Taylor, Craig Titley, David Prybil, Ash Shah, Alan Bursteen, and Tracey Trench. Thanks are also due to my close friends (and support group) from the newer chapter of my writing career, my fellow authors (and other book people): Rose Brock, James Ponti, Julie Buxbaum, Max Brallier, Sarah Mlynowski, Melissa Posten, Gordon Korman, Christina Soontornvat, Karina Yan Glaser, Julia Devillers, Jennifer E. Smith, Adele Griffin, Anna Carey, Leslie Margolis, and Morgan Matson. Particular thanks must be given to Indy Flore for coming up with the title of this book—although several of the other people on this list generated great options (such as “Twist and Spout” and “License to Krill”).
On the professional front, there are many wonderful people to thank at my publisher, Simon & Schuster, as well: Krista Vitola, Justin Chanda, Lucy Ruth Cummins, Erin Toller, Beth Parker, Roberta Stout, Kendra Levin, Alyza Liu, Anne Zafian, Lisa Moraleda, Jenica Nasworthy, Chava Wolin, Chrissy Noh, Ashley Mitchell, Brendon MacDonald, Nadia Almahdi, Christina Pecorale, Victor Iannone, Emily Hutton, Emily Ritter, Theresa Pang, Dainese Santos, and Michelle Leo.
Also, thanks to my intern, Lilian Liu, and to RJ Bernocco and Mingo Reynolds at the Kelly Writers House at the University of Pennsylvania for continuing this great program. And finally, I couldn’t get any of this done without my amazing assistant, Emma Chanen.
On the home front, thanks (and much love) to Ronald and Jane Gibbs; Suzanne, Darragh, and Ciara Howard—and finally, Dashiell and Violet, the best kids any parent could ever ask for.
More from this Series
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Tyrannosaurus Wrecks
Lion Down
Panda-monium
More from the Author
The Sea of Terror
The Labyrinth of Doom
About the Author
STUART GIBBS is the author of the New York Times bestselling Charlie Thorne, Fun-Jungle, Moon Base Alpha, Once Upon a Tim, and Spy School series. He has also written screenplays for movies, worked on a whole bunch of animated films, developed TV shows, and researched capybaras (the world’s largest rodents). Stuart lives with his family in Los Angeles. You can learn more about what he’s up to at stuartgibbs.com.
Visit us at simonandschuster.com/kids
www.SimonandSchuster.com/Authors/Stuart-Gibbs
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
Simon & Schuster, New York
Also by Stuart Gibbs
The Spy School series
Spy School
Spy Camp
Evil Spy School
Spy Ski School
Spy School Secret Service
Spy School Goes South
Spy School British Invasion
Spy School Revolution
Spy School at Sea
Spy School Project X
With Anjan Sarkar
Spy School the Graphic Novel
Spy Camp the Graphic Novel
The FunJungle series
Belly Up
Poached
Big Game
Panda-monium
Lion Down
Tyrannosaurus Wrecks
Bear Bottom
The Moon Base Alpha series
Space Case
Spaced Out
Waste of Space
The Charlie Thorne series
Charlie Thorne and the Last Equation
Charlie Thorne and the Lost City
Charlie Thorne and the Curse of Cleopatra
The Once Upon a Tim series
Once Upon a Tim
The Labyrinth of Doom
The Last Musketeer
SIMON & SCHUSTER BOOKS FOR YOUNG READERS
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This book is a work of fiction. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, places, and events are products of the author’s imagination, and any resemblance to actual events or places or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
Text © 2023 by Stuart Gibbs
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Gibbs, Stuart, 1969– author.
Title: Whale done : a FunJungle novel / Stuart Gibbs.
Description: First edition. | New York : Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, [2023] | Audience: Ages 8–12. | Audience: Grades 4–6. | Summary: While visiting his girlfriend Summer in Malibu, Teddy stumbles upon two mysteries involving a blown up whale explosion and a string of beach sand thefts, but his investigation is sidetracked by a rumor that his girlfriend is dating a celebrity, leading him to question their relationship.
Identifiers: LCCN 2022023911 (print) | LCCN 2022023912 (ebook) | ISBN 9781534499317 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781534499331 (ebook)
Subjects: CYAC: Mystery and detective stories. | Stealing—Fiction. | Beaches—Fiction. | Dating—Fiction. | LCGFT: Detective and mystery fiction. | Novels.
Classification: LCC PZ7.G339236 Wh 2023 (print) | LCC PZ7.G339236 (ebook) | DDC [Foc]—dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022023911
LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022023912
Stuart Gibbs, Whale Done
