Books in D.J. Dillon Adventure series

Adventure, mystery, and excitement repeatedly thrust 13-year-old D. J. Dillon into the kind of trouble young readers love. A favorite of beginning readers, families, and teachers, this popular series follows D. J.'s adventures with bears and other wild animals in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. The chapter books are fun to read and reinforce traditional family values. Each story has a subtle evengelical tone as well. A glossary is included in the back of each book that helps build vocabulary. This set is the first five books in the series.

D.J. is surprised one night to hear a mysterious hound with a rare bugle voice baying on a trail. The hound dog men of Stoney Ridge would give almost anything to own such a dog. Many try to catch the newcomer; but it always runs alone at night and is never seen. D.J. and friend Alfred would like to catch the bugler to replace the skinny stray that recently adopted Alfred's family. This new dog won't even bay on trail, so it's important that D.J. and Alfred find the bugler before some other hunters do. In chasing after the ghost dog, the boys tumble upon a mystery. Someone is polluting the mountain lakes. A stranger threatens the boys, but they continue looking for the bugler. In a final dramatic encounter, the boys not only solve the mystery of who's poisoning the lake, but discover the secret of the ghostly bugler. This fourth book teaches that things are not always what they seem.

Adventure, mystery and excitement repeatedly thrust 13-year-old D. J. Dillon into the kind of trouble young readers love. A favorite of beginning readers, families, and teachers, this popular series follows D. J.'s adventures with bears and other wild animals in California's Sierra Nevada Mountains. The chapter books are fun to read and reinforce traditional family values. Each story has a subtle evangelistic tone as well. A glossary is included in the back of each book that helps build vocabulary. This set is the last five books in the series.

D.J. Dillon's life is suddenly turned upside down when an outlaw bear attacks the family's small farm and kills their livestock. His father has forbidden the lonely boy to have a beautiful collie dog as a companion, but now decides that D.J. should have a hound to trail the bear. Against his will, D.J. is forced to accept an ugly mutt that is supposedly experienced at hunting bears. But at the first encounter with a bear, the dog is afraid and runs away. Instead of the father allowing D.J. to get rid of the dog, he has to keep and train him. This sets up suspenseful situations that plunge boy and dog into life-threatening experiences in the 10 novels in this series. In this first D.J. Dillon book, the mutt proves his courage in a final catastrophic encounter, and D.J. learns a life-lesson about judging people.

D.J. Dillon rescues a motherless bear cub which seems like a fun pet at first, but as the bear grows his love of city life constantly gets him into trouble that impacts D.J. The local bully, Nails Abst, claims the cub is his, and adds to D.J.'s troubles in trying to keep the bear. Through a series of hilarious misadventures, the cub helps himself to children's ice cream cones and grocery store items, causing damages for which D.J. is blamed. At the annual Labor Day picnic, the cub becomes such a nuisance that angry townspeople make D.J. aware that he must find a new home for the bear. But D.J. won't let the hard-hearted Nails have him. In this second book, an unusual situation helps resolve the bear and boy's problem while he learns that letting go of something you love is the hardest part of caring.

One night D.J. and best friend Alfred are exploring the mountain wilderness when a new boy appears with the amazing news that he had just seen a white raccoon. D.J. and Alfred had often heard the legend of the highly-unusual animal, but didn't believe it was real. The boy, Cletus, and his father are determined to hunt down and kill the animal. To prevent that, D.J. and Alfred decide to investigate. If the 'coon is real, the boys plan to capture it and transport it far away where it will be safe. The boys' search lands them in trouble when they stumble upon a dangerous secret about Cletus. In a night chase, D.J. and Alfred flee for their lives along a river when Alfred tumbles into the water and is swept away. D.J. only finds his friend's eyeglasses. Did Alfred survive? This sixth book teaches the importance of giving thanks to God at all times.

D.J. rescues an abandoned hound pup from a mountain road and with his best friend, the boys set out to train the dog they named Dooger. But he shows no sign of being a trail hound. About all Dooger chases are grasshoppers, which causes a neighbor to call him a grasshopper hound. The insult hurts D.J. and Alfred, who are determined to prove that Dooger is really good for something-but what? Everything they try ends in failure. When D.J.'s little brother runs away just as a forest fire threatens the area, the friends suddenly find themselves racing the fire and the clock to find the little brother. With only a single clue and Dooger's dubious record of trailing, the dog proves that he is really good for something. In the third book, D.J. learns that everything and everyone have gifts which can be used to help others.

In exploring the mountains around Stoney Ridge, D.J. Dillon and friend Alfred accidentally discover a long-abandoned gold mine. D.J. picks up two gold nuggets which he believes came from the mine. He believes that there may be more of them inside the mine which is dangerous to enter. A mysterious man threatens the boys and warns them to stay away from the area. Instead of being frightened off, D.J. is convinced that the man is trying to jump the claim to keep the gold for himself. D.J. develops gold fever, and determines to explore the mine in spite of the dangers. He knows that the old mine is unstable and likely to collapse, and that deadly undetected methane gas in the mine can kill a person. D.J. also risks angering the claim jumper, but D.J. enters the shaft alone. That forces him into a horrible situation. In this seventh book, D.J. learns a hard lesson about selfishness and greed.

D.J. is furious when a pack of dogs attack his helpless dog, Hero, which D.J. had tied to a post while he was in a store. Fearful that Hero will die at the veterinarian's, D.J. considers how to take revenge against the dogs he learns are owned by Beau Krockner and his brutal son. At the same time, D.J. hears that Zeke Zeering, an old hermit, has been arrested on charges of planning to dynamite a new irrigation dam. D.J. is confident that Zeke wouldn't do that, and sets out to prove it while hoping for Hero's recovery. D.J.'s investigation turns up various suspects with possible motives, but there is no proof. A number of unexpected turns make matters worse for D.J. until a series of hard rains creates a massive mud slide. This suddenly changes everything and helps reveal the identity of the person who really stole the dynamite. This ninth book shows how D.J. learns a hard lesson about seeking revenge.

D.J. didn't see any harm in unfastening the leash from his little dog, Hero, for a run in the mountains, but that simple act caused the boy a world of fear and pain. D.J. was surprised when his hound didn't return. D.J. learned that a rabid dog answering Hero's description had bitten a little diabetic boy. Like Hero, the strange dog and the little boy had disappeared into the mountains. The boy's father sets out to find his son and destroy the dog, but mistakes Hero for the rabid one. In a race against time to find and save his dog, D.J. discovers the little boy unconscious and in desperate need of medical aid. But there is no way to call for help and the mad dog prevents D.J. from going himself. In this fifth book, D.J. learns that even little irresponsible acts may cause big trouble.

D.J. and friend Alfred face a life-threatening situation in the mountains when D.J. is bitten by a flea that might have carried the deadly bubonic plague. To save D.J.'s life, the boys have only a few days to reach a doctor. A raging wildfire prevents seeking help on land. The only alternative is to become rookie rafters on a highly dangerous white water river. The experienced rafters include two brothers who mistakenly think D.J. and Alfred saw them deliberately burn a cabin. To keep the friends from testifying against them, one of the brothers plans that D.J. will accidentally fall overboard in the turbulent currents. A series of close calls delays the rafters, but D.J. is still hopeful when one of the brothers disappears. The necessary search starts as time runs out for D.J. This tenth book helps D.J. learn the truth that 'The Lord is with you, while you are with Him.'

D.J. and friend Alfred know there are no such things as ghosts until Grandpa disappears while helping a local school teacher restore an old mansion. It supposedly is occupied by the ghost of a Chinese man from California's Gold Rush Days. The boys set out to find Grandpa and discover the truth about the ghost, but so many mysterious events occur that the boys begin to wonder if they are wrong about there not being any ghosts. Several suspicious characters add mystery to D.J. and Alfred's search, but what really surprises them is when they both see what appears to be an old Chinese railroad worker rise up directly in front of the boys. What is even stranger is when D.J. hears sandals coming down the hall one night in the old mansion, but the footsteps go on to where it's humanly impossible. Will the boys unravel the mystery and find out what happened to Grandpa? This eighth book teaches that the spirit of fear is not from God.