Monsters Don't Scuba Dive

The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids #14

by Marcia Thornton Jones, Marcia Thornton Jones, John Steven Gurney (Illustrator)

The hugely popular early chapter book series re-emerges with a new look! Brand-new eye-catching cover art brings a modern feel to this classic monster series for young readers.
The new swimming instructor at Camp Lone Wolf, Nessie McFarland, is anything but normal. And when she's in her scuba gear, Nessie's skinny black body, long neck, and little head remind the kids of the great legend of Lock Ness. But Nessie can't really be a monster, could she?

Genres: Childrens, Fantasy, Fiction, Middle Grade, Chapter Books, Mystery, Paranormal

80 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 1995

About the author

Marcia Thornton Jones has published 131 books for children with sales totaling more than 43 million copies world-wide. Her works include CHAMP (mid-grade novel), RATFINK (mid-grade novel), GODZILLA ATE MY HOMEWORK (chapter book), THE TALE OF JACK FROST (picture book) and LEPRECHAUN ON THE LOOSE (picture book). She is the co-author of seven popular series including The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids, Keyholders, Ghostville Elementary, The Bailey School Kids Jr. Chapter Books, Triplet Trouble, Bailey City Monsters, and The Barkley School for Dogs.

Marcia has been listed as a top 100 author by the Educational Paperback Association and selected for the Children’s Top 100 Books list by the National Education Association, International Reading Associations Children’s Choice Award. Marcia's books have received many honors and have appeared on on the Publisher's Weekly Bestsellers lists,

Marcia, a full time writer living in Lexington, Kentucky enjoys presenting at schools and conferences. As a veteran teacher with more than 20 years of experience, she easily relates the importance of writing to students of all ages.

Reviews

[Amy the book-bat]

Cute and funny. I think my 9-year-old niece will enjoy it.

[Hope Anderson (HopelessBookAddict)]

Super cute!

[paige turner ♡]

It just seems like these kids get an idea that someone is some sort of monster, they want to stop it before it hurts anyone...then they realize that that person/monster isn't so bad so they leave it be. Which is what happened again in this one.

Howie decides that Miss McFarland is pretty much the Loch Ness monster, especially since her name is Nessie, they want to expose her...she saves their lives, and Eddie's life not once, but twice and they decide she should live in peace if she is a monster.

She wasn't hurting anyone to begin with, she was just sharing her love and knowledge of the waters with these people.

I do hope she stays at the camp though. And it would be pretty awesome if the Loch Ness Monster could turn into a human.

[H.R.]

Found this gem at work and it takes me back. Way back. I loved reading these as a kid and I forgot how much I missed the characters. The stories are quick, short, and easy to dive through. They can also be read in any order and you don't lose anything. A series like this is great, especially for kids or busy parents (or adults who have read so many things that they may have forgotten more than they care to admit). Definitely recommend.

[Avani]

Monsters don't scuba dive was a really great Bailey School Kids book. I love how the monster saved Liza, Melody, Howie and Eddie's lives when the kids thought that the monster was dangerous. I got goosebumps when I read a few parts of it like when the kids try to hunt the monsters but I loved the ending when the kids defend the monster.

[J.B. Mathias]

I remember being confused by the cover of this one as a kid. It says it's about monsters but the picture is just of a woman scuba diving so I wasn't sure what about her was...monster like. Turns out its a lock ness monster story and the idea is the kids believe she turns into the monster when underneath the water. Decent little story.

[Therearenobadbooks]

This was a fun Summer Camp short adventure, focused on Nessie the Lochness Monster. Not all children are into Summer Camp but this year there is something there worth protecting. Themes of Friendship, community, and doing the right thing. Fun to hear and short.
I've heard a copy provided by Libro.FM and loved the narrator.

[Michelle]

The cover was slightly different than the story itself - they are learning to scuba dive with wet suits not just their swim suits. The cover makes it feel more like a summer camp book than it read.

This is the third book set at Camp Lone Wolf. And I love that there wasn't any mention of the pirate guy that worked there...

[Roxanne]

This is a chapter book about a mysterious monster lurking the lake of a campground. The story is exciting and engaging following a group of pre-teen kids through their time at camp. I would recommend this for 3rd or 4th grade readers.

[Nicole]

I loved this series as a kid, so it was so much fun to read it with my niece. It held up well, especially how the books always leave a little bit of unconfirmed mystery at the end. There's never a moment where the kids are proven irrefutably correct, even to themselves, and I really like that.

[Dana]

Thank you Libro FM and Tantor Media for the ALC of Monsters Don't Scuba Dive! All opinions in this review are my own.

Monsters Don't Scuba Dive was easily my favorite Bailey School Kids book so far! I loved that they brought Nessie into the series and how she was able to tie into their story.

[Alex]

I think I just don't like the books that take place at the summer camp for some reason. They've all been pretty lackluster for me.

[Shilo]

I loved this series so much as a young kid. Still a fun time. Adding it to my little free library in hopes some other young kid who is into monsters can find it.

[Kendra McIntyre]

Cute middle grade series and a quick read

[Savani]

A cute twist on the loch ness monster.

[Josh Epp]

Fun read! Love that they call her Ness.

[Nicole Thompson]

soooo good and nostalgic

[Nicole]

Re read

[Jerome Otte]

Another interesting, adventurous tale. The kids are back at Camp Lone Wolf. As usual, the camp has a new instructor with some monster-like qualities that meet the camp’s hiring requirements. The instructor in question is teaching the campers how to scuba dive. Due to her unusual behavior and Scottish background, the kids suspect her of being the Loch Ness monster.

This book can get a little confusing. The mystery at times is whether or not the camp’s lake is home to a Loch Ness-type monster, and at other times it is whether the instructor herself is this monster. This ends up being more confusing than mysterious.

[Dolly]

This is the fourteenth book in the The Adventures of the Bailey School Kids series. We've only read a couple of them so far, but our oldest really likes them. It's in the middle, so we get the feeling that we're missing out on some of the background history of the kids. But it's a fun story and we are looking forward to reading more books in this series.

[Bubacar Ndoye]

The summary of this book is The Baliey school kids are on their vacation and they go to Camp Lne Wolf,where they think their swmiming coach is a monster,and they want to catch it and tell it to the world,but in the end they learned monster should not be bothered so they left it a lone and told the reportes their are no monsters.Iwould recomened this book if you like funny exciting and and mysteirous books

[BookeryBliss]

The collection of "The adventures of the Bailey School Kids" stories are among my all-time favorite children's books. Witty, mischievous and fun, these short and silly books continue to bring giggles to the young and old. Just as I have enjoyed them as a kid, my own children also love them today. I even catch myself re-reading them (alone) from time to time. What can I say? I guess I'll always be a BSK kid at heart.

[Catherine Woodman]

The Bailey School Kids is a best-selling children's book series by Marcia Thornton Jones and Debbie Dadey. Its main characters are a group of four children (Eddie, Howie, Liza, Melody) who suspect some persons in the stories are popular folk lore or fairy tale characters. They are appealing because they mix a familiar story in with this group of kids. Mid-grammar school

[Mari Anne]

2.5 stars. Cute but kind of simplistic with barely a plot. Aidan picked it because of the sea monster angle. He liked it but I don't know that it inspired him to pick up anymore in Bailey School Kids series. A quick read with nice short, fast chapters. Okay, probably best for early readers in grades 1 - 3.

[Molly]

A silly series that creates more questions than it answers. It's great for formulating theories as well as predictions. The class dynamics should be very familiar to those of the Magic School Bus generation.

[Sanjana]

3rd fav!

[Adrian]

crazy book..been a long time since i read it so i would have to read it again.

[Laura]

great when ur little

[Twyla]

There was someone that was like a monster.It wasn't a monster because she rescued someone.Auryn 8yo

[Tamara]

Okay. Simple plot. Ambiguous ending as always in this series.