Buried Alive

by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson

Published 1 February 2003
The Landons are in Alaska's Denali National Park and are joined by 13-year-old Nicky Milano. Jack, Ashley, and Nicky accept a dogsled ride from a man in a Park Service uniform. Deep in the frozen wilderness, the kids are stranded and are caught in an avalanche. Includes a park map.

Valley of Death

by Gloria Skurzynski

Published 1 May 2002

Out of the Deep

by Gloria Skurzynski

Published 1 September 2002
Wildlife veterinarian Olivia Landon and her family are in Maine, investigating the mysterious strandings of marine mammals on the rocky beaches of Acadia National Park. With the family is 14-year-old Bindy Callister, a temporary ward who has been bullied by her older brother. Jack, Ashley, and Bindy come upon a baby humpback whale stranded in a rocky tidal pool and barely alive. During the complex rescue operation that follows, no one notices when Bindy wanders off. By the time Jack and Ashley find her, Bindy is acting very strange. She knows who’s causing the strandings but is afraid to tell. Jack and Ashley must get her to talk before more lives are endangered!

This thrilling series roars back to life with the release of Mystery #13, Night of the Black Bear. Something very strange is going on in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A teenage girl is the latest victim in a growing number of bear attacks. Officials must figure out what's causing the bizarre bear behavior or close the park. Can the Landons help?

Soon Jack and Ashley are searching for answers with their new friends Yonah Firekiller, a 16-year-old Cherokee boy, and 14-year-old Merle Chapman, whose family once lived on park land. But a heated argument over ancestral land rights puts the Landon kids in the middle of a clash of cultures. Tensions mount when Merle is caught in a lie—a lie that leads straight to the heart-pounding solution.

This breathtaking new adventure features an afterword by a park naturalist on black bear behavior and the problems caused by tourists feeding wildlife. Night of the Black Bear is a fast-paced narrative treat filled with vivid descriptions of the natural, scientific, and cultural phenomena of Great Smoky Mountains National Park; a page-turner that will put this popular National Park high on the vacation wish-list of all young readers.

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