Alec Ramsay's life is changed after he spends a terrifying night lost in the Florida Everglades with a deranged Frenchman who is helping him search for the runaway black stallion.

Time has passed since anyone's heard from Dr. Catalyst. Emmet and Calvin have even begun to think that the crazed scientist might be gone for good. But then, on a trip to snorkel off the Florida coast, one of their friends is nearly drowned by an underwater monster, with endless rows of razor-sharp teeth. No one is quite sure what they saw. Was it a moray eel? A giant barracuda? There's only one thing Emmet knows for certain. Dr. Catalyst is back....

Emmet Doyle is not in the best mood when he arrives in Florida City. His father is a wildlife biologist, and has been summoned to the Everglades, dragging Emmet along with him. Though still in mourning from losing his mom a year ago, Emmet's trying hard to keep a good attitude. Upon their arrival, however, things quickly get weird. Dr. Rosalita Geaux, the Park Superintendent, wastes no time in revealing the reason she called Emmet's father to Florida....

When his stepfather moves them to Taper, Florida, in the Everglades, twelve-year-old Charlie discovers a secret world hidden within the sugar cane fields, as well as new family connections and friendships.

Through rhyming text reminiscent of "The House that Jack Built," follows the activities of various animals and birds as they make their way through the swamp where Gator waits to catch his prey. Includes facts about swamps, particularly the Florida Everglades, and the animals that make their home there, as well as teaching tips.

"Uh-oh ... Eliza had been using Debbie's CD player, and now it's missing! In a panic, she asks some South Florida natives--a pelican and an ibis--for help. Then she meets a baby manatee who can't find its mom. Can Eliza help the manatee and still find the CD player before it's too late?"--P. [4] of cover.