Ben M. Baglio (b. 1960 in New York), created the brief for two series of children's books - Dolphin Diaries and Animal Ark. Dolphin Diaries features a girl and her family from Florida, who travel around the world as marine biologists and study dolphins. Animal Ark features two children who work together to help animals and solve animal-related mysteries. The books were written by commissioned writers in the UK under Baglio's instruction using the pseudonym Lucy Daniels. [1] Each author is named with a 'Special Thanks' on the copyright page - see Dolphin in the Deep copyright page for an example [2]
Using his real name he also wrote the book series The Pet Finders Club, featuring a group of three children who search for peoples lost pets.
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In Dolphin Diaries, a girl named Jody McGrath discovers and befriends a friendly Bottlenose Dolphin whom she names Apollo. He is a lone dolphin and Jody united him to his "new" pod, and follows her for a while through the series. As the story proceeds, she meets others along the way. She befriends many new people and dolphins.
Other characters in Dolphin Diaries are Brittany Pierce, Captain Pierce, Cameron Tucker, the tutor Maddie, her twin brothers Sean and Jimmy, her mother Gina who is Italian, and her dad Craig who is Irish.
Summer Specials: Following the Rainbow, Dancing the Seas
In The Pet Finders Club, a girl named Andi Talbot has moved to Aldcliffe, Lancaster, from Texas. She has a Jack Russel Terrier named Buddy, who escapes from the house during a thunderstorm and gets lost. While trying to find him, Andi befriends Tristan Saunders, a red-haired boy who has a long-lost cat named Lucy, and he helps her look. They also manage to discover a lost Black Labrador, which belongs to fashion-conscious Natalie Lewis, and the three of them form The Pet Finders Club after Buddy is found. Together they track down lots of missing pets, and even missing owners. There is even a burglary at their local pet shop, Paws for Thought, which is owned by Tristan's mum's cousin, Christine Wilson. But their cases always turn out alright in the end, finding missing, lost or even stolen animals. In the last book, it is shown that Natalie may have feelings for Tristan.
In Animal Ark, Mandy Hope and her friend James Hunter help helpless and injured animals throughout the series, and sometimes she helps perished animals on a "mission". Her parents, Adam and Emily Hope, are vets in Animal Ark (the veterinary practice that gives the series its name), which comes in handy in helping the animals she comes across. Mandy has three rabbits, Flopsy, Mopsy, and Cottontail. She is definite that she will become a vet and help sick animals in need. Other characters are Simon, a fellow nurse, and Jean Knox, the receptionist. There is also a black lab named "Blackie" that belongs to James who sometimes goes on the adventures. Mandy finds that many people are actually very fond of animals and have a heart of gold. When she isn't working with animals, she is helping her parents with their work.
Baglio has also contributed one title, The First Olympics, to the Choose Your Own Adventure gamebook series. Baglio also wrote the Horseshoe Trilogies.