Books with author Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson

This latest thriller takes the Landons to Alaska, where wildlife biologist Olivia and her photographer husband, Steven, have been asked to study the impact of snowmobiles on the wolverine population of Denali National Park. With the family is 13-year-old Nicky Milano. When a man in a Park Service uniform offers to take Jack, Ashley, and Nicky on a dogsled ride, the kids eagerly accept. They mush off across the snow, riding deeper and deeper into the frozen wilderness. But during a rest stop, the man suddenly rushes off, leaving the young people stranded. As they huddle to keep warm and try to figure out what to do, they hear a deafening roar. Avalanche! Now the kids must fight for their lives. Can they somehow escape the thundering mass of snow? Or will they be buried alive?

Jack can’t believe what he’s hearing. His sister is being held hostage. Whoever snatched Ashley must have been following the Landons as they explored Death Valley National Park. But what do they want with Leesa? When Jack discovers why Leesa is on the run, he is determined to protect her. But how can he do that and save Ashley, too? One thing he knows for sure, failure is not an option.From the Trade Paperback edition.

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.National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources.Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

Grizzly cubs are missing from Montana?s Glacier National Park, and the Landon family is there to help figure out why. But for 12-year-old Jack, the real mystery is his sister Ashley?s strange behavior. What was she doing in the woods alone so early in the morning? And why did she lie to their parents? Challenging Ashley, Jack discovers she has been sneaking food to a 10-year-old runaway from Mexico. After listening to Miguel?s story, Jack decides to help too. The compelling plot builds to a spine-chilling climax as the kids run for their lives, desperately trying to escape an enraged mother grizzly who holds the key to the park?s present mystery. Includes a detailed park map.

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!