Books with author Kevin M. McCarthy

Another year has flown away since Minerva Wicks had discovered the legendary Witch Tree deep in the Twisted Cloak Woods. She’d stopped the most powerful tree in the world from falling into the hands of the Banisters. Although Demelza Banister is the new Prankathlon Champion and Minerva had rescued her from a hanging tree, she is still a bully, and meaner than ever.The witch’s moon had disappeared for another year. The half moon took its rightful place in the sky, but something felt different. Minerva no longer had aviophobia—she had lost the fear of flying. Emberglint, the ruby-red sea dragon had joined the family in Cottage Number Thirteen, much to Twitch’s displeasure. And so, with the school year in full swing, she had little time for detective work. Nevertheless, when everything fell back to normal, at least as normal as a witchy village like Witch Tree Falls would allow, things took a turn for the worse. Strange things were happening at the Banister mansion. Minerva watched each night as witches flew to Grackle’s Nest Hill. They disappeared inside the stone fortress that towered over Witch Tree Falls.Now, a new witch’s moon was less than three days away and so was her eleventh witchy birthday. It wouldn’t take long before a mystery was in full swing. Why are the witches in Witch Tree Falls suddenly disappearing? And, why are strange and horrible creatures, straight out their worst nightmares, suddenly appearing? Etched in The Legend of the Witch Tree is the truth of what happened so long ago and only Minerva can discover it. To save her village she must uncover the clues and journey into the Twisted Cloak Woods to destroy The Book of Transformation Spells before it’s too late, and before the witch’s moon vanishes for another year.

Long before the first European explorers set foot on Florida soil, numerous Native American tribes hunted, honored their gods, built burial mounds, and coexisted with one another in pockets of settlements across the state. This book explores the importance of archaeology in preserving the past for future generations, how archaeologists do their work, and even how young people can gain hands-on experience on a real dig. The different types of Indian mounds burial mounds, shell middens, and platform mounds and their uses are explained, as well as Indian languages and reservations. The authors provide detailed descriptions of 185 sites on the Native American Heritage Trail that mark important historical events, as well as a calendar of important dates that highlights the history, culture, setbacks, and successes of Florida's Native Americans.