Valley of Death

Mysteries in Our National Parks #8

by Alane Ferguson

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.


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Genres: Mystery, Childrens, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Middle Grade

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Alane Ferguson was born in Cumberland, Maryland, in 1957. She attended the University of Utah and Westminster College where she studied journalism. Later, Alane became interested in writing for children, mostly, she says, to follow the example of her mother, successful author Gloria Skurzynski. Her mother has written over fifty-seven books for children, while Alane is currently completing her thirty-second. Alane and her mother co-authored a series for National Geographic. Their novel, WOLF STALKER, was the first work of fiction National Geographic had published in its as of then 109 year history. WOLF STALKER was nominated for the 1998 Mystery Writer's of America's Edgar Allan Poe Award and the newest and 13th book in the series, NIGHT OF THE BLACK BEAR, was launched in spring of 2007. A recipient of the 1990 Edgar Allan Poe Award as well as the Belgium's Children's Choice Award for her young adult novel SHOW ME THE EVIDENCE, Alane was also a nominee for her third young-adult mystery, POISON. She received a 2007 Edgar nomination for her young adult novel, THE CHRISTOPHER KILLER, the first in the Sleuth Forensic Mystery series. Alane won the Children's Crown Classic Award for CRICKET ANDTHE CRACKERBOX KID, the American Bookseller's Association's "Pick of the List" for her picture book entitled THAT NEW PET, and has been on numerous ALA Recommended Books for Reluctant Young Readers and Young Adult's Choice list.

Reviews

[Worms_and_Words]

They are getting darker and darker but I really enjoyed it, I am liking the direction the series is going. Plus everything is more action packed with these higher stakes.

[Robyn Rosencutter]

I thought this was a really well done juvenile fiction book! I think I would have really liked this series if it had been around when I was a child.

[John Vonhof]

Valley of Death was a short but fun read. My guess is the book series is written for young teens, but I found it enjoyable. I know Death Valley having been there many times so the places in the story ring true. Young Jack, his sister Ashley, and a mystery girl, Leesa, get caught up in a kidnapping in the park. A young college-age reporter comes to the rescue and helps Jack and Leesa lead the cops to the bad guys and they get Ashley. It one of the books in a series of mysteries set in 11 National Parks.

[Jen]

I've read several of these books now and they are just okay. The only reason I continue to read them is the National Park angle. I would've absolutely loved them as a kid, though. I think one thing that bugs me is that Jack is supposed to be 13 but he feels like he's the same age as Ashley, who's 9.

I like the foster kid angle too, but, as a former foster parent, I am a little dubious about how quickly these kids fly off on trips. I had to get written permission from the birth parent and the social worker to take a foster kid out of state.

[Sara]

When visiting Death Valley for my birthday, I saw a display of a series of mystery books for kids about the National Parks. I HAD to grab one, and so selected the Death Valley one (obvi). This was a fantastic book for kids and should be read before you visit the park. The story was basic, but you could tell it was written by people who understood science and understood the park. I learned things!

[Nancy Lewis]

Wow. All of this happened in less than 24 hours.

Jack had heard it before, that wolves, coyotes, bobcats, and mountain lions were useless predators that harmed cattle and sheep and sometimes carried off little children - that part of it certainly wasn't true. "Our mom and dad teach us," he told Leesa, "that every living creature has its own value, its own reason for being on Earth."

[Evan Schneider]

I think this is a great book series I have read two of the books and I just can't stop reading them.

[Tam]

I hoped this would be a fun mystery/thriller to recommend to YA. Unfortunately it wasn’t written very well.

[Justin Sturgis]

My grandson gave this to me as a gift because he knows I love books :)

[Becky]

The more time I spend in national parks, the more I see this series in the ranger stations. And since I have some of my own stories to tell about national parks, I was intrigued, so I got this one about Death Valley (as you can probably guess) from the library.

It was fine. If I were ten years old and on a national parks road trip with my parents I would be super into these books. But as an adult they weren't particularly exceptional. They're written by a mother/daughter team, one of whom is a science writer and one of whom is a mystery writer. So you get some deep science into the national parks, in a way that is supposed to be entertaining but is mostly heavyhanded educational, with a soft enough touch to kind of get away with it. And the tone varied between lighthearted kids' book and really deep serious problems that they went harder on than most kids' books would. Which I found confusing, especially since I read this book a few pages at a time before bed every night.

I may pick up another one of these next time I'm at a national park. But I'm not going to drop everything to find the next one.

[Julian Melton]

Valley of Death was sub-par. Gloria Skurzynski's book was boring and didn't have enough action, towards the end it did have a gunfight but you didn't very information on the surroundings or the fight it's self. It didn't give us too many details leaving us to predict on what was happening at that moment. The book surrounds around three kids whose parents are scientist and photographers they go to monuments and land features all around America and take pictures of the landscape. The mom helps solves the natural problems usually involving animals in the environment. This time around there in Death Valley the sister gets kidnapped and the mom has to solve a problem with burros destroying the natural environment and Bighorn Sheep are dying with a unknown cause.I wouldn't recommended this book to anyone.Unless they are into realistic fiction and really, really, really, into environmental problems because they solve the problem in 4 pages and the way they solved it was unrealistic.But other those people no one should read this ever book.

[Valarie]

I was so excited to discover that the National Parks had their own series of youth literature. It's everything I could ever dream! The authors weave educational facts in with their plot to keep kids interested and, hopefully, get them excited about visiting a National Park. My only concern was that the "foster kid" character was the catalyst for their problems in this story, but since it sounds like this family is featured in every book, I will reserve my judgment and hope that other foster children show up and are portrayed more positively.

[Elizabeth Heuston]

By: Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson

Genre: Chapter Book, Fiction, Mystery

Audience: Third to sixth grade

Topic and theme: Protecting and standing up for friends. Staying strong

Curricular Uses: Read Aloud and Independent reading

Reading Level Fluent

Literary Elements. Dialogue and symbolism

Thoughts: Very adventerous book has a kidnapping that the characters need to figure out.

[Sp101*]

The Landon family make a trip to Death Valley National Park accompanied by a mysterios new foster child, forteen year old Leesa Sherman. Jack calls her the mystery girl because she never talks and he doesn't know much about her. Then, Ashley gets kidnapped and the kidnappers said "We have Ashley Landon. And we'll keep her until Leesa Sherman is returned to us." What should Jack do?

[Edna Little Fish In Running Waters Spring]

Death Valley! WOW! HOT, to HOT for me, and I like heat!

[Adam Goodman]

This is a good little series of books for children based in National Parks. Not a page turner for me, but my kids like them.

[Jody Kyburz]

I read this before, during, and after our recent visit to Death Valley National Park. The research and factoids are "dead" on! :)

[Junessa]

A hate group kidnapping is what drives this one. Full of danger and tough decisions.

[Jen]

My 10 year old daughter loved this book. I’ve just finished reading it now as well.

The book is good for her age group. I enjoyed reading it as well.

Stars are based on her opinion.