Books published by publisher Mountaindale Press

Don’t wait for a trip to the thermal pools of Iceland or the black beaches of Hawaii to discover what’s so hot about volcanoes. Warm up with a copy of What’s So Hot About Volcanoes. Lively discussions introduce readers of all ages to the creative power of volcanoes, explaining the reasons behind where they form, what they look like, and when they explode. Think of a volcano as the safety valve on a pressure cooker, author Wendell Duffield tells readers. The inside of Earth reaches a blistering 9,000 to 11,000 degrees Fahrenheit, and volcanoes simply release some of that pent-up heat from time to time. Some volcanoes erupt so gently that observers can stand nearby while others erupt so violently that they destroy themselves, as well as everything within reach of their hot gases, lava, and ash. Sections explore the challenges of predicting eruptions, what happens when magma mixes with water, and how people are using volcanic heat for energy. An appendix lists all the volcanoes in the United States that are still young enough to look like volcanoes.

Bold Women in Colorado History shares the stories of ten Centennial State women, among them Clara Brown, a former slave who ventured west and remade herself into a respected entrepreneur; Chipeta, a Kiowa Apache woman adopted into the Ute tribe, who helped negotiate for peace between her people and the white outsiders; and Dr. Justina Ford, who overcame both racial and gender prejudice to become the first black female physician in the state.Perfect for school or home, these collections of short but informative biographies are both a valuable resource and an entertaining read. For readers young and old, the Bold Women series proves what women can accomplish when they dare to be bold.

"Many nights we lay in our tent, or under the wagons, we heard either the loud barking of the gray wolf, or sharp querulous tones of the coyote, snapping and snarling [near] our head."Most people know that traveling the Emigrant Trail in the mid-nineteenth century was hard. They know the pioneers faced danger, disease, and even death. What they may not consider, however, is the endurance and strength of pioneer children. In Stories of Young Pioneers, Violet Kimball has collected memoirs, letters, and journal entries of children who were ages six to nineteen when they made the overland journey. Readers ages ten and older will discover in these pages a window into the lives of emigrant children on the trail.The book is organized by topic--including animals; fun and recreation; and adventures and ordeals--and peppered with detailed profiles of the individual youngsters. Feel the mixed emotions of thirteen-year-old Kate Scott as she leaves the comfort of her home and friends in Illinois for the untamed Oregon Territory. Sit in the driver's seat with thirteen-year-old John Stoughton as he drives his oxen across rocks, water, sand, and icy mountain passes. unwind after a long day by joining in a hand of cards or, better yet, a night of music and dancing. Young historians will find Stories of Young Pioneers exciting reading and a well-researched tool for learning about life on the Oregon, California, and Mormon Trails.

Unfathomable evil grips the ancient homeland of the Children of Israel. For forty years, Yahweh, Most High God, has been preparing his people in the wilderness. At last they are ready to confront the darkness and claim their Promised Land. But before they can cross the Jordan River, the surrounding kingdoms of Moab and Midian summon the evil prophet Balaam from Babylonia. Joining forces with the ruthlessly ambitious Princess Cozbi, he gathers a coalition of five Midianite kings who will stop at nothing to defeat Israel and prevent a crossing that will change the world. Familiar biblical characters--Moses, Caleb, and Joshua--stride through the mutiny, plague, and war unleashed by Balaam's plot, but this is the coming of age story of the next generation. Six real, but minor biblical characters nurtured in a simple wilderness life suddenly find themselves caught in a life-changing vortex of violence and upheaval beyond anything they could have imagined.

Even if they don't know much about rocks, most folks can name at least one place they have encountered granite; but ask them about the rocks graywacke, gneiss, or rhyolite, and they may give you a funny look. That's because speckled, sparkly, and beautiful granite is common and easy to identify. In everyday life you'll find countertops, headstones, flooring--even whole buildings made of granite. In the natural world it forms random boulders in fields and many of the planet's loftiest peaks. Commonness aside, no two granites are alike; it is a mysterious rock that crystallizes from magma miles and miles below the surface, far beyond the reach of human observation. The first title in the What's So Cool About Geology Series, What's So Great About Granite? brings this enigmatic rock to the light, exploring some of its mysteries with lively and lucid prose. Learn why some granite is pinkish while some is gray; why some granite crumbles in your hands while other granite can't be crushed by a tank; and why some granite is solid and unbroken for miles while some is riddled with cracks. Illustrated with crisp, stunning photographs and informative figures, What's So Great About Granite?is a must-have for anyone interested in one of the world's most fascinating rocks.

Whoo . . . has catlike yellow eyes and white feathered feet, lives alongside polar bears and caribou way up north, loves to eat lemmings for lunch, and is Harry Potter’s faithful friend? The Snowy Owl, that’s whoo! This striking bird is the heaviest of the North American owls. Unlike most owls, it hunts mainly during the day, so if you’re in the right place you might actually get to see one catch its prey.Snowy Owls: Whoo Are They? has everything for readers young and old on the life cycle of the Snowy Owl, from hunting to courtship, nesting, raising chicks, and yearly migration. The informative text is accompanied by charmingly detailed watercolor illustrations. Suggested games and activities provide ways to learn more about how a Snowy Owl hunts, raises chicks, and hides from predators. A list of Web resources let’s you go online to see more photographs, listen to a Snowy Owl call, or see how scientists track Snowy Owls and other migratory animals by satellite.

From Marie Bailly, the first settler in northwest Indiana, to the high-flying Margaret Ray Ringenberg, and from Mother Th�odore Gu�rin, a Catholic nun who was later canonized as a saint, to Vivian Carter, founder of a popular Gary record label, the women portrayed in Bold Women in Indiana History broke down barriers of sexism, racism, and political opposition to emerge as heroines of their time. Perfect for school or home, this collection of short but informative biographies is both a valuable resource and an entertaining read. The fifth title in Mountain Press�s state-by-state Bold Women series for teen readers, this engaging book shows what Hoosier women can do when they dare to be bold!

The Wild West has a whole new brand of outlaw�noxious weeds. They steal space from native plants, poison livestock, and blatantly trespass where they�re not wanted. Author Karen Sackett informs readers of all ages of the wily ways of weeds, including the creepy trickster Dalmatian toadflax, which looks like a garden snapdragon but spreads long distances underground, and the hitchhiking outlaw houndstongue, whose Velcro-like burrs cling to fur and clothes. You�ll learn how �special agents� in weed control�insects and goats�are reining in these outlaws, and you�ll find out what you can do to help. Aliases, mug shots, and hangouts of the West�s ten worst outlaw weeds are described in the Most Not Wanted section of the book. Hilarious cartoons, detailed botanical drawings, and colorful photographs will help budding weed vigilantes track down their quarry.

Being a teenager is hard enough without someone else using your body to commit murder!Andy is like a lot of guys, struggling to finish high school and save enough funds for college. But unlike most, he has a special talent. With the help of his "ghost pimp," Andy earns extra cash renting his body to spirits hungry for a taste of the corporeal world.But when the temptation of easy money makes him accept a client behind Chaz's back, his body is returned battered and bruised, and he finds himself accused of a murder he doesn't remember committing. With the police on his trail and time running out, Andy must embark on a dangerous quest to catch the spectral killer, unaware he's a pawn in a larger conflict between supernatural forces.Will he exonerate himself in time to study for his crucial Latin final and graduate? Will his girlfriend Cat get the Anjelika Christie concert tickets he promised, before she decides to dump him? What does the mysterious, amnesiac girl he meets in Limbo have to do with his own troubled past? And how will Andy come to terms with the fact that everything he discovers suggests he may, in fact, have blood on his hands?Featuring high-tech angels, skinjacking demons, a ghostly Roman centurion, and a dead janitor tasked with cleaning up the afterlife, The Inhabitable Boy is a funny, fast-paced fantasy thriller with more twists and turns than a tornado chasing a jackrabbit.Fans of Stranger Things, Jonathan Stroud, Garth Nix, Herbie Brennan, Philip Reeve, Eoin Colfer, and James Patterson will love this riotous, action-packed, coming-of-age mystery from the author of Maidenwood.

Return to the turbulence of ancient Canaan in Book Three of The Stones of Gilgal. Even the raging floods of the Jordan could not stop the Israelites from crossing the river and setting up camp near Jericho. Canaanite kings and kingdoms--even the Anakim giants--are in turmoil. Former enemies jostle for power in new alliances, united only in their determination to destroy the Israelite invaders.When the massive fortifications of Jericho collapse, Salmon rushes into the ruins to save Rahab, the beautiful harlot who had rescued him and his fellow spy from certain death. But saving her from her own city is not so easy. And that is only the beginning of the trouble, treachery and devastating ruins they and their friends face as they settle into their new life in the Promised Land.

By the time he was in his early 30s, native Chihuahuan Federico Villalba had achieved success as a merchant and rancher in the village of San Carlos, near Lajitas crossing, in the late 1880s. Looking to expand his operations, he moved into the Big Bend, establishing a ranch in the Burro Mesa area. Contracted by the U.S. Army, Federico's Rancho Barras supplied horses to the 8th Cavalry at Fort. Davis. It was in Fort Davis that Federico met his young bride, María Cortez. Prosperity came to the Big Bend when the demand for mercury increased dramatically with the onset of World War I. Mercury, used in detonation of munitions, was extracted from cinnabar ore, plentiful in the lower Big Bend. Mine workers from the silver mines in Mexico crossed the Rio Grande into Texas for better pay in the mercury mines. Civil unrest in Mexico and increasing numbers of Mexican immigrants induced fear among the Anglo populace. Mexican outlaw Cuco Torres, who often raided ranches on the U.S. side, Pancho Villa's raid of Columbus, New Mexico, in 1916, and the massacre by Texas Rangers of fifteen innocent Mexican men and boys in Porvenir, Texas, in 1917, brought great tension to the border towns of the Big Bend. Federico taught his children to be vigilant. His sons and daughter all packed .45s and knew how to use them. His son Jacobo had a quick temper and a fast gun, which would, in time, make him a marked man. After WWI, the demand for mercury weakened, and many mines were forced to close. When Edgar Gleimes, part owner of the Texas Almaden Mine, faced closure of his mine, he approached Federico about merging the Almaden company store with Villalba's Study Butte store. Angered by their termination as storekeepers and guards at the Texas Almaden Mine and store, Jack and Winslow Coffman sought retribution from Jorge Villalba who had been appointed to oversee the merger. The ensuing feud would result in an unfortunate and tragic chapter to Coffman and Villalba family history. Federico Villalba, who died in 1933 and rests in the Terlingua Cemetery, met the challenges of land and man. His legacy, and that of other prominent Mexican families, is woven into the fabric of Big Bend history. The time has come to share his story.

There once was a cat with a question mark tail, curvy and twisted and hooked like a crook...This delightful rhyming picture book follows the escapades of a sweet little feline with an exceptionally long tail and a nose for adventure.With a charming rhythmic writing style and beautiful illustrations, The Cat with a Question Mark Tail! is a fun, easy to read story that promotes positive messages about friendship, sharing, and curiosity. Purrrrfect for bedtime reading, learning new words, and for introducing kids to the joy of books, this is one tale (and tail) that is sure to entertain children and parents alike!Be sure to look for more in the "Adventures of a Funny Tailed Feline" series soon.