Looper's Companion

This guide is big, but it's very useful. We especially used it in the river system when our refueling and pump-out options were very limited.

This is a great book to get for planning, for dreaming, and while you're on the Loop.

Battleship Marine

This one is great to read when visiting Norfolk, Virginia.

Battleship Marine recounts the decisive role the USS Wisconsin, a World War Two-era battleship, played during Desert Shield and Desert Storm. This firsthand account by the executive officer of the Marine Detachment in Wisconsin provides an eyewitness account of the ship's deployment from Norfolk, Virginia.

Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks

This one is great to read when visiting Deltaville, Virginia. Also, take the time to visit the Deltaville Maritime Museum and the Skipjack Virginia (built-in 1973) to see one of these vessels in person!

The book Chesapeake Bay Skipjacks documents the skipjack and its role in the oyster dredging industry, describing the natural and manmade disasters that affected the trade, including the August storm of 1933 that swept vessels into pastures; ice-locked harbors that led to the idea of dredging through the ice with sleighs, cars, and trucks; and the Great Depression that crushed the oyster market overnight and forced many to abandon their vessels and way of life.

The Waterman's Widow

You'll find this murder mystery an intriguing read as you approach Solomons' Island in Maryland. One reader suggested reading The Waterman's Widow, "on a cold, rainy day with a couple of fingers of bourbon at your side" and we couldn't agree more!

Who killed Captain Littleton Condiff? The wife who slept by his side? A robber seeking a small fortune under his mattress? Is a son desperate to escape the drudgery of his father's life as an oysterman? His harmless mother-in-law? Perhaps a conspiracy of his wife, her mother, and their son?

Into this tale of murder at the turn of the 20th century is woven the story of the imprisonment and trial of Littleton's wife, Bessie; the history of his Chesapeake Bay fishing village, Solomons Island; the harsh life of a waterman; and the texture of daily life in turn-of-the-century Maryland.

My Side of the Mountain

This Newbery Honor Book is an adventurous read that is wonderful for elementary-aged readers during boatschool. Let your imagination run wild as you cruise along the Hudson River (escaping the hustle and bustle of New York City), only a short distance away from the Catskill Mountains.

Sam Gribley is terribly unhappy living in New York City with his family, so he runs away to the Catskill Mountains to live in the woods—all by himself. With only a penknife, a ball of cord, forty dollars, and some flint and steel, he intends to survive on his own. During his year in the wilderness, Sam learns about courage, danger, and independence, a year that changes his life forever.

Jacob Have I Loved

This coming-of-age Newbery Medal story takes place in the early 1940s on the small, fictional island of Rass in the Chesapeake Bay.

This book is a strong choice for independent reading during boatschooling and has been lauded as a cornerstone young adult novel.

Growing up on a tiny Chesapeake Bay island, angry Louise reveals how her sister has robbed her of everything. While everyone pampers her sister, Louise begins to learn the ways of the watermen and the secrets of the island, especially of old Captain Wallace, who has mysteriously returned after fifty years.

The Oyster Wars of Chesapeake Bay

In the decades following the Civil War, Chesapeake Bay became the scene of a life and death struggle to harvest the oyster, one of the most valuable commodities on the Atlantic coast. In this book, noted historian and author John Wennersten tells the stories of watermen, law enforcement officers, government officials, Bay scientists, immigrants, and oyster shuckers involved in the oyster trade.

What Is the Statue of Liberty?

While formatted for young readers, this informative book will fill you in on much of the history and facts behind the Statue of Liberty. Pick up this book as you approach New York City!

A fantastic companion book to grab is What Was Ellis Island? from the same series.

In 1876, France decided to give the United States a very big and very special present--the Statue of Liberty. The gift was to commemorate the 100th birthday of the United States, and just packing it was no small feat--350 pieces in 214 crates shipped across the ocean. The story of how the 111-foot-tall lady took her place in the New York Harbor will fascinate all readers.

Liberty Falling

This is Book 7 of 19 in the Anna Pigeon Mystery Series, where stories are set in National Parks & Monuments. This story takes place at the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island.

Rooming with a friend and fellow park ranger in close quarters on Liberty Island---the small strip of land that is home to Lady Liberty---Anna spends her free time exploring the grand monument and the crumbling, overgrown, and eerie ruins in the unrestored sections of nearby Ellis Island.

But the peace she seeks here is shattered when she finds herself among a crowd gathered at the Lady's base, staring at the broken body of a teenager who fell---or was pushed---to her death. The reason behind the youthful girl's fatal plunge is not the only mystery alive on these historic sites---nor will hers be the only death.

An Island Out of Time: A Memoir of Smith Island in the Chesapeake

A classic of Chesapeake Bay literature, Tom Horton's An Island Out of Time chronicles the three years Horton and his family spent on Smith Island, a marshy archipelago in the middle of Maryland's famous estuary. The result is an intimate portrait of a deeply traditional community that lived much as their ancestors did three hundred years before, attuned to the habits of blue crab, oyster, and waterfowl. In a new afterword for this edition, Horton brings the story of Smith Island and its people up to the present.

Science Comics: Bridges

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

Follow Bea, Archie, Trudy, and Spencer as they crisscross the globe using every type of bridge: beam, arch, truss, and suspension. From ancient low-slung rope bridges to modern high-tech towers of steel, they’ll traverse them all. Their journey will take them through history and connect them with new ideas and different cultures. Along the way, they'll identify the dangerous forces trying to bring bridges crashing down and how to defeat them…through engineering!

Erie Trail West

Erie Trail West is a wonderful book for elementary kids and up. It helps paint a picture of what life was like while traveling along the Erie Canal in its early days.

An eleven-year-old New York farm girl travels with her parents to the Michigan Territory in 1836 by way of the Erie Canal, encountering unknown dangers and incredible hardships.

The Amazing Impossible Erie Canal

When De Witt Clinton, a young politician, first dreamed of building a canal to connect the Hudson River with the Great Lakes, folks didn't believe such a thing could be done. But eight long years after the first shovelful of earth was dug, Clinton finally realized his vision. The longest uninterrupted canal in history has been built, and it is now possible to travel by water from the American prairie all the way to Europe!

With wonderful artwork, this book is great for young readers between the ages of 6 and 9 but enjoyed by all ages.

Hatchet

While not on the Great Loop, strictly speaking, Hatchet takes place in the Canadian wilderness.

This Newbery Honor Book is a coming-of-age story for young, adventurous readers. Traveling through the Georgian Bay and North Channel may spark your imagination as you read about Brian's challenges and growth.

Mark of the Bear Claw

This book is good to start as you pass by Detroit (the story begins at Fort Detroit) between Lake Erie and Lake Huron. The story continues at Fort Michilimackniac in Mackinaw City.

Caught in the furor of Pontiac's rebellion on Fort Detroit in 1763, Makow, a young Odawa, reluctantly escapes with his grandfather, who wants the boy to make his vision quest along the distant shores of Lake Michigan. But the journey leads Makow to more violence as he joins an attack on the English at Fort Michilimackinac and to the stunning revelation that he must find a twin brother who was separated from his family as an infant.

A Beginner's Guide to Ship Watching

As we worked our way through the Great Lakes, this little book was a fantastic guide to help us identify the ships we were seeing and learn more about them.

With this beginner’s guide by Brett Ortler, you’ll discover:

• helpful tips on where to go to view ships and what to look for
• how to spot a “laker” vs. a “saltie”
• a longtime mariner’s take on life aboard a ship
• which ships have succumbed to storms
• information about the U.S. Coast Guard, tall ships, Canadian ships and more

A Death in Door County

This is the first installment of a new mystery series by USA Today bestselling author Annelise Ryan.

Morgan Carter, owner of the Odds and Ends bookstore in Door County, Wisconsin, has a hobby. When she’s not tending the store, she’s hunting cryptids—creatures whose existence is rumored, but never proven to be real. It’s a hobby that cost her parents their lives, but one she’ll never give up on.

So when a number of bodies turn up on the shores of Lake Michigan with injuries that look like bites from a giant unknown animal, police chief Jon Flanders turns to Morgan for help. A skeptic at heart, Morgan can’t turn down the opportunity to find proof of an entity whose existence she can’t definitively rule out. She and her beloved rescue dog, Newt, journey to the the strait known as Death’s Door to hunt for a homicidal monster in the lake—but if they’re not careful, she just might be its next victim.

Lighthouse Adventures: Heroes, Haunts & Havoc on the Great Lakes

This book contains short stories, long stories, technical descriptions, shipwrecks, acts of courage, fascinating drawings, details on how things worked, maps of where things are and where they were, photos, and generally, something for everyone.

Each of these stories is completely factual and the result of detailed research. No fiction here! These adventures actually happened, the people named actually existed, and their trials and tribulations really took place!

The Adventures of Tom Sawyer

This book is fun to read while cruising along the Mississippi River, near where Tom's adventures take place.

Driven by imagination, an insatiable desire for freedom, and his knack for getting into trouble, Tom Sawyer, a mischievous twelve-year-old orphan, finds himself entangled in a series of thrilling escapades in this coming-of-age tale set in a quiet, rural Mississippi River town. Joined by his loyal friend, Huckleberry Finn, a vagabond who relishes the thrill of independence, Tom runs away from home one day, embarking on unforgettable adventures that get him in more trouble than he can handle.

Science Comics: Birds of Prey

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

Get up close and personal with some of the world’s most skilled hunters, from the majestic eagle to the oft-maligned scavenger vulture! Armed with razor-sharp claws, keen eyesight, mighty wings, and killer instincts, these stealthy predators can make a meal of rodents, fish, snakes, lizards, monkeys, and even kangaroos! Discover how these amazing birds, often at the top of the food chain, play an integral role in many different ecosystems worldwide.

Flashback

This book is excellent while you are anchored next to Fort Jefferson at the Dry Tortugas. The sounds of the wildlife (the sooty terns are noisy) and the eerie surroundings of the fort will give you just a hint of creepy vibes as you read this historical fiction thriller in the National Park.

When a mysterious boat explosion-and the discovery of unidentifiable body parts-keeps her anchored to the present, Anna finds crimes of past and present closing in on her. A tangled web that was woven before she arrived begins to threaten her sanity and her life. Cut off from the mainland by miles of water, poor phone service, and sketchy radio contact, and aided by one law-enforcement ranger, Anna must find answers or weather a storm to rival the hurricanes for which the islands are famous.

Wrecker

This Hiaasen book is aimed at young adults (we'd recommend middle school and up) and takes place right in the heart of Key West. Read it while you're visiting, and you will recognize a few locations mentioned in the book!

Wrecker would be happy to forget the speedboat he saw run hard aground, but he keeps seeing these men all over Key West—at the marina, in the cemetery, even right outside his door. And now they want more than his silence—they want a lookout.

Bad Monkey

Another story for the Keys!

Andrew Yancy—late of the Miami Police and soon-to-be-late of the Monroe County sheriff’s office—has a human arm in his freezer. There’s a logical (Hiaasenian) explanation, but not how and why it parted from its shadowy owner. Yancy thinks the boating accident/shark-luncheon explanation is full of holes, and if he can prove murder, the sheriff might rescue him from his grisly Health Inspector gig (it’s not called the roach patrol for nothing).

Science Comics: Coral Reefs

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

In Coral Reefs, we learn all about these tiny, adorable sea animals! This absorbing ocean science perspective covers coral reefs' biology and ecological importance. Nonfiction comics genius Maris Wicks brings her signature combination of hardcore cuteness and in-depth science to bear.

Science Comics: Sharks

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

For over 400 million years, sharks have been the ocean's top predator! They're vital to our ecosystem, but their importance is often overshadowed by our own fear―even though they hardly ever threaten humans.

Science Comics: Frogs

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

With their signature sounds, athletic tongues, and bulging eyes, there’s a lot to love about frogs! But did you know that they soak up air and even liquid through their skin? Or do they use their eyes to swallow food? From tiny tadpoles in water to boisterous bullfrogs on land, the life cycle of these amphibious acrobats is one of the most remarkable examples of metamorphosis.

Science Comics: Whales

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

An enthusiastic beaked whale is eager to share everything he can about whale pods by broadcasting his very own undersea podcast! He will travel across the global ocean, interviewing a diverse assortment of whales and dolphins about their amazing behaviors and habitats and their interactions with the human world. Can this one small whale tell the story of the whole ocean and the interconnectivity that affects us all?

Science Comics: Wild Weather

Science Comics are a fun way to learn about science topics!

As “snowpocalypse” descends once again, one temperamental weatherman is determined to set the record straight on the myths and misconceptions surrounding the elements. What is the difference between weather and climate? How do weather satellites predict the future? Can someone outrun a tornado? Does the rotation of the Earth affect wind currents? And does meteorology have anything to do with meteors? Stormin’ Norman Weatherby is gearing up to answer all your wildest questions!

The Sea Around Us

The Sea Around Us is one of the most influential books ever written about the natural world. In it, Rachel Carson tells the history of our oceans, combining scientific insight and poetic prose as only she can, to take us from the creation of the oceans, through their role in shaping life on Earth, to what the future holds. It was prophetic when it was written, alerting the world to a crisis in the climate, and it speaks to the fragility and centrality of the oceans and the life that abounds within them.