Mysteries in Our National Parks

 

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: As young as second grade if your kids are gutsy. If not, maybe fourth grade.  A few of the books (especially Valley of Death and Over the Edge) are pretty scary.  I still have an irrational fear of flash floods from Over the Edge ha ha. But the good news is that there is no sexual content or foul language (as far as I remember).

Plot:   Jack and Ashley Landon travel to various national parks with their veterinarian mother and wildlife photographer father. Each book features a new national park and Jack and Ashley learn about the park while solving some mystery the adults can't seem to figure out. The Landons are also a foster family and each book features a new temporary foster child whose rough past adds to the drama of the plot.

What makes them great?

These books are both entertaining and educational.  When we read them as kids, my siblings and I learned all sorts of things about the national parks, wildlife conservation, and political controversy, all while hanging on the edge of our seats ( . . . or the side of the bunk bed in this case) to see how the mystery would be solved.  I also liked how each new foster child brought in the perspectives of a different lifestyle or culture into the Landon family.  It's a pretty good idea.  These books are a great series to read aloud to kids, especially in preparation for trips to various national parks.

Where to find them?

We got them through a National Geographic subscription, which I imagine wouldn't work anymore.  However, I have seen them at libraries and in national park bookstores and I am sure they are on Amazon somewhere.

Here is a list of all the titles and where they take place:

#1 Woolf Stalker (Yellowstone National Park)
#2 Rage of Fire (Hawaii Volcanoes National Park)
#3 Cliff Hanger (Mesa Verde National Park)
#4 Deadly Waters  (Everglades National Park)
#5 The Hunted (Glacier National Park)
#6 Ghost Horses (Zion National Park)
#7 Over the Edge (Grand Canyon National Park)
#8 Valley of Death (Death Valley)
#9 Escape from Fear (Virgin Islands National Park)
#10 Out of the Deep (Acadia National Park)
#11 Running Scared (Carlsbad Caverns National Park)
# 12 Buried Alive (Denali National Park)
#13 Night of the Black Bear (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)

Savvy by Ingrid Law

  

Rating: Cleanest

Audience: Third grade is the beginning of the target audience, but I don't remember any red flags that would make this inappropriate for younger children (especially if read aloud).

Plot: I'm just going to quote the book jacket for the summary here because why try to rewrite what someone's already worked to perfection?

"Mibs Beaumont is about to Become a teenager. As if that prospect weren't scary enough, thirteen is when a Beaumont's savvy strikes--and with one brother who causes hurricanes and another who creates electricity, it promises to be outrageous...and positively thrilling.  But just before her big day, Poppa is in a terrible accident.  Suddenly, Mibs's dreams of X-ray vision disappear like a flash of her brother's lightning:  All she wants now is a savvy that will save Poppa.  In fact, Mibs is so sure she'll get that powerful savvy that she sneaks a ride to the hospital on a rickety bus, with her siblings and the preacher's kids in tow.  But when the bus starts heading in the wrong direction only one thing is certain: After this extraordinary adventure, not a soul on board will ever be the same.  Reading the fantastical tale of the Beaumont family will leave you as changed as if you'd just discovered your own savvy--and who's to say you won't, once you've learned how to look?" 

What makes it great?

I was hooked from the very first page by both the voice of the narrator, Mibs, and by the premise of an ordinary family with extraordinary powers which they must try to both control and accept as important parts of themselves.

This is not a superhero story.  In fact, take out the powers and the heart of the book would still be intact.   It is like a mix between the supernatural of the Charlie Bone books (a lot of the family powers are very similar to those of the Children of the Red King--read about them here: Charlie Bone--Children of the Red King) and the bittersweet, coming-of-age books of Sharon Creech (if you like this book, I highly recommend The Wanderer).

I love what the jacket says about finding your savvy. Everyone really does have a bit of "know-how" that is unique to each of us, and I love that Mibs is able to use her unusual savvy to discover the hidden savvys in others.  

(Apparently, there is a companion book called "Scumble" about Mibs' cousin, so I'll have to check it out.  Happy Reading!)