The Mystery of Tarantula Trap — Carole Marsh

Tarantulas can be terrifying â€" or are they really that bad?! Join Avery, Ella, Evan and Roo as they embark on an unexpected arachnid adventure! The size of a dinner plate? Seriously?? When tarantula traps keep appearing (and disappearing!), the kids are drawn into a mystery they'll need all eight of their legs to solve!

Baffling clues abound â€" and launch the kids into a spider web of mystery that requires-tech skills and high-gear to solve! "Once you get tangled up in this mystery, you won't want it to end!" Mystery books have always been a great higher-order, critical â€"thinking genre, and the "real kid characters" in this series eagerly get into using high-demand Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) skills to solve each mystery!

In this mystery, there are additional pages filled with STEM materials you can use to learn about and solve problems such as:
1. Labeled diagram of a Mexican Red-Kneed tarantula
2. Impression your friends with your tarantula facts
3. Learn about the differences between insects and arachnids
4. Discover the etymology of tarantulas
5. Learn how to make a pitfall tarantula trap
6. Explore the average growth of Saguaro Cacti
7. Expand your knowledge of the amazing spider silk
8. Memorize the words and definitions in the glossary

This mystery is geared for boys and girls ages 7-14 and features bother and sister, Avery and Evan, who help their mystery book writer grandmother solve wildlife related mysteries. The Wildlife Mystery series has a strong focus on STEM.

Like all of Carole Marsh's Mysteries, this mystery incorporates history, geography, culture and cliffhanger chapters that will keep kids begging for more! This mystery includes SAT words, educational facts, fun and humor, built-in book club and activities.

Below is the Reading Levels Guide for this book:
Grade Levels: 3-6
Accelerated Reader Reading Level: 4.5
Accelerated Reader Points: 2
Accelerated Reader Quiz Number: 167205
Lexile Measure: 710
Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level: Q
Developmental Assessment Level: 40

Get your FREE Resources!



1. Download the Carole Marsh Mysteries Wildlife Mysteries Common Core State Standards Teacher Resource HERE.







2. Download the Where Have You Been map HERE.








3. Want a sneak peak? Read the first three chapters HERE.













Christina talks about the Wildlife Mysteries in the video: