The Mutant Mushroom Takeover

By Summer Rachel Short

Book #1 in the Maggie and Nate Mysteries series

A mutant fungus threatens a town. Can two friends solve the mystery?

4.3/5 Goodreads · 171 ratings

250 pages

$17.99Save 6%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Maggie, an aspiring naturalist, and her YouTuber friend Nate discover a strange fungus in Shady Pines. As animals mutate and her brother falls ill, Maggie must unravel the mystery to save her town. With her scientific skills and Nate's spooky insights, they face a growing threat. Can they stop the glowing mushrooms before it's too late?

From the publisher

“Packed to the gills with fun.” –Kirkus Reviews Stranger Things meets The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl in this lightly spooky debut about Maggie, an aspiring young naturalist, and her YouTuber best friend, Nate, who use their smarts and science to solve the mystery behind a mutant fungus that’s threatening the town. Ever since Magnolia Stone’s scientist dad left Shady Pines to find a new job, Maggie’s been stuck in her gramma’s mobile home with her grumpy older brother, Ezra. Now she’s on a mission to put her family back together by winning the Vitaccino Junior Naturalist Merit Award. When Maggie and her best friend, Nate, a wannabe YouTube star and alien conspiracy theorist, scout out a rare bioluminescent fungus, Maggie is certain she’s a shoo-in to win. But after animals around town start sprouting unusual growths and Ezra develops a bluish glow and hacking cough, Maggie wonders what they’ve really stumbled onto. As things in Shady Pines become stranger and more dangerous, and conversations with her dad get complicated, Maggie must use her scientific smarts and Nate’s impressive knowledge of all things spooky to put things back in order and prevent these peculiar glowing mushrooms from taking over their home.

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