This book deftly combines science and history. It takes us step by step through the discovery of an ancient forest, from the initial mapping of the site to the complications of exploring to what the scientists learned from the exploration. The text is clear and easy to understand, well supported by plenty of photos and charts. This could have been a dry topic but Swanson makes it interesting.

A cypress forest, submerged in the Gulf of Mexico is accidentally discovered by fishermen and gives scientists a peek into the ancient past. Swanson excels at modeling scientific inquiry, providing windows into real-world science practice and giving readers information to understand how discoveries are made. Unlike books where results unfold smoothly, here bad weather, limited funding and other real-world pressures affect the outcome. Likewise the inherently murky nature of underwater photographs and the snapshot quality of others diminishes their visual impact, but provides an accurate, intimate glimpse of an onboard expedition. Page Plus codes link to videos of the scientists at work. An excellent resource for showcasing scientific practice and some surprising results. Best suited for 6th - 8th grades. Thanks to Millbrook and NetGalley for an Advance Readers Copy in return for an unbiased review.

The Lost Forest: An Unexpected Discovery beneath the Waves by Jennifer Swanson is a nonfiction book for children. After local fishers noticed a large swarm of fish in an unlikely area in the Gulf of Mexico, a team of divers found the remains of a forest deep beneath the waves. The ancient trees had been undisturbed for more than fifty thousand years before finally being uncovered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004. Acclaimed science writer Jennifer Swanson brings readers along with a group of scientists as they work to explore and map the site, collect samples of cypress wood, and learn about the marine creatures that live here—namely, shipworms. Page Plus links lead to videos of the scientists at work.

The Lost Forest is an intriguing read and it was very informative. I like that the book detailed the scientific process, as well as the human experience and curiosity, which gives readers a solid understanding of why people are driving to take part in these expeditions and this kind of research. I learned a great deal about the processes involved, as well as things I never knew existed like the shipworms that can help scientists uncover information and questions that I never would have thought to ask. I also liked that the book included QR codes so that interested readers could more closely explore what it might have been like to be there on the expedition. I think this will appeal to many readers and could be a great start on a school project or setting up the fascination on some aspect of the science for someone's future course of study and career.

Fascinating book on a little know fairly recent discovery. I did not know that this underwater forest existed so it was interesting to read this book and learn about this unique site. The book is packed full of information on the topic but it is present in a way that never leaves the reading feeling overwhelmed. The information is accompanied by truly stunning photos.

The Lost Forest is a great example of how this type of science narrative book can work well for middle grade readers. The science is novel, timely, connected to real-world issues and will appeal to its intended readers.

The account of the scientific expedition is well-told. Swamson's portrayal of the team members as regular folks doing tangible work is the real treasure here, and will give readers that sense of "I could do that" we're always looking for but rarely find.

The graphic layout is also utilized to highlight content organization effectively. The use of the same type of illustration to present the scientists' work as to suggest kid experiments feels empowering.

Fantastic book with amazing photos showing how real science and research work. Scientists go to a secret location to get samples of an old forest. The sediment is moving around so much it's hard to see for much of that first trip, but the scientists get a lot of samples to bring back and study. Weather also hampers their efforts.
The second trip gives them a much better view of this hidden forest. The whole idea that there are all these remains underwater is so amazing and scientists can learn a lot by studying these remains.
Before you start reading, download a QR reader . There are several codes you can scan to see live exploration and hear the parties talking.
I highly recommend this as a source for middle and high school so kids can learn what scientists can do.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me read this