One unforgettable story. One thousand unforgettable SAT vocabulary words.

Alexa McCurry leads an ordinary teenager's life in upstate New York—until she embarks on a summer adventure in Central America. While working at a potentially boring internship in a marine DNA lab, she befriends a local boy, José, and a remarkable dolphin, Pecas. Together, Alexa and José uncover an ominous secret: Pecas' missing baby may be a captive at a marine biology facility. In a riveting tale of intrigue, Alexa and José work to unravel the mystery—and lead the reader on a vocabulary-expanding adventure.

The Marino Mission is a fun and painless way to master 1,000 tough SAT vocabulary words. Why spend all day looking at lists of words and definitions when you can read a gripping page-turner that incorporates SAT vocabulary words right into the text? Even better, words are defined at the bottom of each page so you don't have to flip to the back of the book to find definitions. Plus, self-tests at the end of the novel help you retain what you learn and prepare for test day. Once you open up The Marino Mission, you'll hardly know you're studying at all!

Karen B. Chapman, Ph.D., grew up in upstate New York and graduated from Cornell University with a B.S. in Biology. She received a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology and Genetics from John Hopkins University School of Medicine and went on to complete postdoctoral fellowships at both the Pasteur Institute in Paris and at Harvard Medical School. Currently, she resides in Northern California with her husband and four young children.

"The Marino Mission...a better read than prior attempts at this concept, which tried too hard to cram in large words." (Miami Herald, February 26, 2005)

Grade 9 Up -Alexa is not happy about having to go to Central America for the summer with her marine biologist mother, who will be working there. The teen meets a local boy and makes friends with the lab's dolphin. When the animal's baby is taken by members of a rival lab, the teens set out to find out why and what they plan to do with it. The author incorporates 1000 SAT vocabulary words into the novel. Each one is footnoted at the bottom of the page with its definition. This is a great idea. Not only can students read a fast-paced and fun story, but they can also learn potentially unfamiliar words without a great deal of effort. The writing and character development are actually good and the DNA-lab setting is believable, as is the story line. The Marino Mission may not be a literary standout, but as a study tool it is unbeatable.-Marianne Fitzgerald, Severna Park High School, MD
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One unforgettable story.1,000 unforgettable SAT vocabulary words.

Alexa McCurry leads an ordinary teenager's life in upstate New York—until she embarks on a summer adventure in Central America. While working at a potentially boring internship in a marine DNA lab, she befriends a local boy, José, and a remarkable dolphin, Pecas. Together, Alexa and José uncover an ominous secret: Pecas' missing baby may be a captive at a marine biology facility. In a riveting tale of intrigue, Alexa and José work to unravel the mystery—and lead the reader on a vocabulary-expanding adventure.

The Marino Mission is a fun and painless way to master 1,000 tough SAT vocabulary words. Why spend all day looking at lists of words and definitions when you can read a gripping page-turner that incorporates SAT vocabulary words right into the text? Even better, words are defined at the bottom of each page so you don't have to flip to the back of the book to find definitions. Plus, self-tests at the end of the novel help you retain what you learn and prepare for test day. Once you open up The Marino Mission, you'll hardly know you're studying at all!