Books with author Jamie Young

In this sequel to Jan Young's coming-of-age story, The Orange Slipknot, 12-year-old Ben Lucas strives to balance his desire to gain his father's approval with his need to identify and follow his own convictions.Is he tough enough to please his hot-tempered dad? On the Nevada ranch where his dad cowboys, it's a man's world. His dad wants him to "buck out" some colts, but Ben secretly fears getting bucked off. His former enemy, Fred, the old crusty cowboss, teaches him another way to "start" colts, and it looks like magic! Not only is Fred a mind-reader, but his horse is too, and when Ben rides him, he feels like riding a cloud. That's how Ben wants his colts to feel.Ben fights fire, wrecks his ATV, and punches out his best friend, which gets them both kicked out of school. When Ben and his dad break down out in the middle of nowhere, injuring one horse, there are hard choices to be made as Ben rides for help. Will Ben obey his dad? Will he lie again?In trying to balance loyalty to his dad with admiration for Fred, Ben learns what it means to be tough, that daydreaming and lying are not wise choices, and that he is man enough to stand up to his dad and form his own values.The buckaroo traditions, passed down from the vaqueros, still survive in Great Basin ranch culture, expanded on in the glossary of ranching terms and cowboy slang. Horsey readers will appreciate how "bucking 'em out" is giving way to a better approach to starting colts in today's West. The author's engaging style will keep you turning the pages as you find yourself drawn right into the story.

Starting the Colt, the sequel to The Orange Slipknot, continues 12-year-old Ben Lucas s quest to prove he s tough enough to please his hot-tempered dad. The Nevada ranch where his dad cowboys is a man s world. His dad wants him to buck out some colts, but Fred, the old crusty cowboss, teaches him another way to start colts, and it looks like magic! Ben fights fire, wrecks on his ATV, and gets kicked out of school for fighting. When Ben and his dad break down in the boonies, Ben rides for help on Fred s colt, Soapsuds, the colt Ben once owned and still thinks of as his. Ben is on his own and has to make some tough choices.

A certain mixture of whimsy and derring-do is required to shove off down (or up) the New or Gauley River with scant protection aside from a helmet, life vest and one's compatriots. It's a choice that could be so easily avoided, but that wouldn't make sense to the proud and colorful characters who have long been shooting these rapids, some of the most popular and treacherous in the country. Here, Jay Young, a raft guide turned writer, leads readers through the local lore and history of the rivers, where--much to the delight of those brave enough to face these rapids--the ordinary almost never occurs.

A totally new kind of reference book, The Amazing Magic Fact Machine: Science answers popular questions that have intrigued us for centuries. Inquisitive young scientists will have loads of fun pointing the "magic finger" at a question on the left-hand page, then finding the answer on the right. Complete with full-color photos and explanations, this fun-filled reference book contains literally hundreds of facts about topics ranging from dinosaurs to the solar system.