Charlotte and the Mysterious Vanishing Place: The Kare Kids Adventures #2 by Charles A Salter

Charlotte used to be afraid to go in the woods.  Now she easily goes through the woods to get to her vantage point where she can see around the countryside.  She loves surveying the land and the trees and feeling like one with nature.  When she notices something strange, she decides to check it out...

PR by the Book and the author provided me with a copy of this book to read for review (thank you).  It has been published, so you can grab a copy now.  You might want to read The Secret of Bald Rock first.  This one can stand alone, though.

Charlotte finds that the ground is sinking and the trees are going with it.  She also finds a puppy stuck in the brambles and she frees him.  She takes him home and asks to keep him.  He looks purebred, so her parents warn her it probably belongs to someone who will be looking for him.  Sure enough.  A breeder down the street lost him.  When her parents ask him to let her have the dog, they negotiate.  To get the dog, she will have to give up the fancy birthday party planned.  She says she will.

They tell a geologist about the sinkhole and he agrees to come and look at the next day.  Charlotte sees it's getting much further down, and decides to check to see if more dogs have escaped from the breeder's yard.  The land under the fence is dropping a bit.  Sure enough, another dog is out.  Can she save that puppy?  When her puppy goes to see the other dog, they both end up in the sinkhole.  Can she save them?  Can she save herself?

Charlotte is resourceful and determined but some things are dangerous.  It's a good thing she left a message about where she was because help comes in time.  Being independent is good but you have to be careful to stay safe.  Charlotte did her best and saved both dogs with a little help from the adults.  We all want happy endings like that.