From the author of the acclaimed bestseller Holes, winner of the Newbery Award and the National Book Award, comes a new middle-grade novel with universal appeal. Combining horror-movie suspense with the issues of friendship, bullying, and the possibility of ecological disaster, this novel will intrigue, surprise, and inspire readers and compel them to think twice about how they treat others as well as their environment.   Be careful. Your next step may be your last. Fifth grader Tamaya Dhilwaddi and seventh grader Marshall Walsh have been walking to and from Woodridge Academy together since elementary school. But their routine is disrupted when bully Chad Hilligas challenges Marshall to a fight. To avoid the conflict, Marshall takes a shortcut home through the off-limits woods. Tamaya, unaware of the reason for the detour, reluctantly follows. They soon get lost. And then they find trouble. Bigger trouble than anyone could ever have imagined.   In the days and weeks that follow, the authorities and the U.S. Senate become involved, and what they uncover might affect the future of the world. Cast List: Jonathan Fitzman, read by Jesse Bernstein Senator Haltings, read by Mark Bramhall  Senator Foote, read by Robertson Dean   Senator March, read by Kimberly Farr Dr. Peter Smythe, read by Stephen Hoye Senator Wright, read by John H. Mayer Tamaya Dhilwaddi, read by Kathleen McInerney Donna Jones, esq., read by Adenrele Ojo  Dr. June Lee, read by Samantha Quan  Professor Alice Mayfair, read by Allyson Ryan Dr. Marc Humbard, read by Bruce Turk   "Can Virtue Be Taught," read by Louis Sacher