chapters
teenager in Costa Rica/ main character
makenna
Makenna is 15 years old on a plane heading to San Jose with her dad. Dr. Parker is an ecologist. Her mom died in a car accident when she was 12. She has a sister in college named Alex. She is sad because her friends and her horse, Bender, are back in Michigan. She feels very alone.
chapter 1
The capital city of Costa Rica
san jose
mckenna's dad/estudiar en la universidad
Dr. parker
There are lots of earthquakes, it is peaceful, and there are great jungles. C.R. is known for excellent hospitals, beaches and ecotourism. There is no dictator, it is a democracy and 96% people ("ticos") can read. Cecilio drives them to the ranch. She now lives in a tiny house with one bedroom, small bathroom, and a living room.
chapter 2
property where Margarita lives and where Makenna sometimes eats breakfast.
The big house
He is the ranch security guard. He is also the driver to bring people to the ranch. He lives in a small house with his with Lilia and 4 children.
Cecilio
Makenna is with Ines in the aviary, they talk about how the birds get to the ranch. Either they are taken by MINAE or people can't look after them anymore. They talk about how she misses her friends and horse and she starts to cry. Ines comforts her. Makenna's job becomes to look after a baby bird who has a hurt wing and leg. She names the bird Mimi after her mom. Then Juan Carlos comes (Ines' boyfriend) and is very rude and grabs Ines.
chapter 5
located on the Nicoya Peninsula, where the characters travel to release rehabilitated birds and eventually catch the bad guys.
reserva curú
Margarita's daughter
Inés
Makenna and Ines cut mangos and other fruit for the birds. She did not have tropical fruit in Michigan. Cecilio ate some of the mangos and then Ines was mad, but they were joking. Cecilio said he needed to leave to go to his mom's house for her birthday. Family is really important in Costa Rica. They need a guard because there are bad people. Cecilio's dogs will help guard the birds. The aviary was large and the birds flew had great colors and feathers.
chapter 4
at the Curú refuge where the group stays during the release trip.
cabañas
trabaja para el MINAE y ayudó a Inés a liberarse
Juan carlos
Makenna goes to the big house for breakfast. She talks to Ricardo, who tells her more about the ranch, and how people rob the birds because money is the only important thing to them. They take eggs and babies from the jungle. Families and generations of bad people rob the birds. MINAE guards the birds so people don't steal them. They arrest criminals and then give the birds to the ranch. The birds stay there for 3 months then are released when they are ready to live in the jungle. Ricardo says that Makenna is already a "tica".
chapter 6
restaurant where the group eats traditional food like gallo pinto and casados.
soda