National Parks Mysteries #10 Out of the Deep and #11 Running Scared

In National Parks Mysteries #10, Out of the Deep, the Landons and their foster child, Bindy, arrive in Acadia National Park.  Olivia's latest task is to discover why the whales are beaching themselves along the shore of Maine.

Bindy is a troubled girl known to be a pathological liar.  Unfortunately, no one believes her when she learns key evidence as to why the whales are becoming beached.  Bindy takes matters into her own hands, endangering the lives of all three children.

The obligatory plug for National Geographic occurs on page 70.

On page 78, Bindy has disappeared for the second time.  Jack thinks of the legal ramifications.  His family might be sued, and they might not ever be able to take care of foster children again.  I found it refreshing for a series book to mention possible consequences of the family's misadventure.  Series books don't usually mention that sort of thing.

This is an excellent story.

In National Parks Mysteries #11, Running Scared, the Landon family vacations at Carlsbad Caverns National Park with their current foster child, Sam.  Sam is a troubled young boy who stutters.  Sam has his heart set on exploring Left Hand Tunnel, mainly because he is left-handed.

Olivia and Steven aren't able to accompany the children, so a park employee takes them to join a tour in progress.  An emergency situation causes Sam to become frightened, and he runs off into the caverns.  Jack and Ashley try to find him, becoming hopelessly lost.

For once, Olivia does not have a task at the park. The adventure is centered around the many hours that the children are lost in the tunnels.

This book is outstanding.

Merivale Mall #9 Never Say Goodbye and #10 Sweet Success

In Merivale Mall #9, Never Say Goodbye, Don is forced to move back in with his parents.  Don's parents are difficult.  They worry about money and fight all the time.  They expect Don to stay home every evening, which puts a strain on Don's relationship with Danielle.  Don must make a change in his life, but his decision could cause Danielle to lose him forever.

Meanwhile, Lori has her eye on a bag lady who frequents the mall.  Lori is determined to help the woman, but she is rebuffed at every turn.

I have already mentioned that Danielle and Don are my favorite part of the series, so not suprisingly, I really enjoyed this book.




In Merivale Mall #10, Sweet Success, Lori's talent at creating fashion has been discovered. Lori now has a wealthy backer who gets her started in business.  Lori quickly learns that the schedule is exhausting, leaving her no time for her friends or for studying.  Lori must examine her priorities and decide what is most important to her.

Meanwhile, Danielle's family has money problems, and Danielle is forced to get a job. Danielle tries several jobs, with each one ending in disaster.

I enjoyed this book.

I didn't realize it as I read these books, but the series is winding down during books nine through twelve.  Each plot and subplot is part of a greater story arc that leads Lori and Danielle to where they are at the end of the final book.

National Parks Mysteries #8 Valley of Death and #9 Escape from Fear

In National Parks Mysteries #8, Valley of Death, the Landons and their latest foster child, Leesa, arrive in Death Valley National Park so that Olivia can investigate why bighorn sheep are dying.  Jack is puzzled that his parents have told him nothing about Leesa's background, and he senses a great mystery.  Ashley is abducted mistakenly, and it turns out that the culprits wanted Leesa instead.  Leesa decides to turn herself over to the men, but Jack goes with her.

Near the end of the story, Ashley is traumatized by her experience.  This is much more realistic than what is usually seen in series books where the protagonist is unfazed by grave danger.  I enjoyed the realism.

This is a very good book.

In National Parks Mysteries #9, Escape from Fear, the Landons visit Virgin Islands National Park so that Olivia can help the park protect the dying coral reefs.  When the family arrives, they discover that Forrest, the son of a diplomat, has arrived in St. John without an adult.  Mr. and Mrs. Landon insist that Forrest stay with them. Jack and Ashley soon learn that Forrest has a mystery and that he has come to St. John to meet his mother for the first time.

This is a very interesting book.  Forrest's story is compelling.  This is an excellent book.

Merivale Mall #7 Hometown Hero and #8 Slave for a Day

In Merivale Mall #7, Hometown Hero, Don James saves a toddler from certain death when he catches the boy after a fall from the upper level of the mall.  Suddenly, Danielle's relationship with Don can become public.  She doesn't have to be embarrassed about seeing a hero, even if he is a mechanic.  But then Don is accused of theft, turning Danielle's world upside down.  Danielle dumps Don while he struggles to prove his innocence.

I like Danielle the best when she is involved with Don.  The relationship between Danielle and Don is the best part of this series.

This book is excellent.  I read it fast.

In Merivale Mall #8, Slave for a Day, Nick's old girlfriend, Vicki, has moved back to Merivale. Word on the street is that Vicki wants Nick back and will stop at nothing to get him.

Lori learns about Atwood's Slave for a Day fundraiser and is devastated to learn that Vicki plans to bid top dollar to get Nick to be her slave. Can Lori save her relationship with Nick?

Meanwhile, Danielle comes up with a crazy scheme to make Don jealous.  Danielle's scheme is so stupid.

It was during this book that I decided that I had grown tired of Lori and Nick's relationship.  I like them fine as a couple during the early books, but by this point in the series, it is apparent that their relationship is on shaky ground.  Nick is not very considerate of Lori's feelings, and I kept wishing that she would dump him instead of continuing to cling to the relationship.

I only somewhat enjoyed this book since I found both the main plot and the subplot to be annoying.

National Parks Mysteries #5 The Hunted, #6 Ghost Horses, and #7 Over the Edge

In National Parks Mysteries #5, The Hunted, grizzly cubs are disappearing from Glacier National Park, and Olivia's task is to find out why.  Olivia and Steven leave their children alone at the camp, admonishing them to stay close to the trailer.  Ashley discovers a runaway boy from Mexico, Miguel, hiding in the bushes, and then the three children witness some men steal grizzlies from the park.  The three children end up in grave danger with nowhere to turn.

These books keep getting better and better. This book is excellent and is quite suspenseful.

In National Parks Mysteries #6, Ghost Horses, two sibling Shoshone children, Ethan and Summer, are placed with the Landons.  Ethan dislikes the Anglos and doesn't get along with Jack.

The Landons and their foster children travel to Zion National Park so that Olivia can investigate the deaths of wild mustangs.  Ethan's resentment grows, and Jack believes that Ethan is trying to put a curse on his family.

This is a very good book.

With the publication of volume 7, the series was rebranded as the Mysteries in Our National Parks series, and the cover art changed design.

Additionally, the hardcover books began to be printed on slightly lower quality paper that is still good quality paper.  The first six books were printed on excellent quality paper that is quite thick.

The first six hardcover books feature a set of color photos from each national park inserted in the middle of the book.  The photos were discontinued beginning with volume 7.

In National Parks Mysteries #7, Over the Edge, Olivia comes up with a plan to save the condors of Grand Canyon National Park.  After Olivia announces her plan, she receives an anonymous threatening email.  Ashley feels certain that the Landons' latest foster child, computer genius Morgan, is responsible for the threat.

In each book, the Landons have faced danger. The danger is greater in this book and each subsequent title.  Not only did the book design and series name change, but the stories were made even more exciting.

The obligatory National Geographic mention is made on page 108.

This is an excellent book.

Merivale Mall #5 Better Than the Truth and #6 Junior Weekend

In Merivale Mall #5, Better Than the Truth, Lori agrees to travel into the mountains with her lab partner, Frank, to collect algae samples.  A snowstorm shuts down all travel, and the two teenagers are forced to spend the night together in Frank's family's mountain cabin.  Soon, everyone in Merivale knows that Lori and Frank spent the night together.  Nobody believes Lori's story that nothing happened, and Lori may lose Nick as a result.

On page 107, Lori's mother gives her some wise advice.  "Stop defending yourself.  When people defend themselves, other people just assume something's wrong.  But if you project confidence instead, and ignore the silly lies being spread about you, eventually you'll win everyone over. And if some of them don't come around?  Forget them.  Your true friends will be there for you, Lori. Even Nick."

This is true.  Sometimes a person has to defend oneself, but in many cases, getting defensive makes everything worse.

I greatly enjoyed this book, even though at the beginning I was annoyed about Lori making such a stupid decision to travel into the mountains with Frank.

In Merivale Mall #6, Junior Weekend, Danielle gets her sister, Christine, to invite her to Junior Weekend at the college.  Danielle's mission is to get Christine's friend, Jack, to fall in love with her. Unfortunately, Christine also invites Lori to go on the trip, and Danielle fears that Lori will cramp her style.  Danielle's problems grow when Jack is too busy studying to pay any attention to her.

Danielle is so stupid in this book.  She interrupts Jack at the library and acts flirty while he studies. He's not interested, girl.  Get a clue!

I enjoyed this book even though Danielle's behavior is so annoying.

National Parks Mysteries #3 Cliff-Hanger and #4 Deadly Waters

In National Parks Mysteries #3, Cliff-Hanger, the Landons visit Mesa Verde National Park so that Olivia can investigate why a cougar attacked a hiker.  A girl called Lucky is the Landons' latest foster child.  She and Jack grow close while Ashley insists that Lucky cannot be trusted. Ashley believes that Lucky has taken an artifact from the park, which is illegal.  Jack insists that Lucky is telling the truth about not taking the artifact.

The reader can guess what Lucky's mystery is and can see that Ashley is quite insightful while Jack is clueless.

In this book, both Olivia and Lucky have pagers, which are obsolete nowadays.  Even some books from the last 20 years are already quite dated.

I enjoyed the interplay between Jack and Lucky.  Jack has to decide between right and wrong.  Lucky's story is interesting.

I greatly enjoyed this story, and it is my favorite in the series so far.

In National Parks Mysteries #4, Deadly Waters, the Landon family travels to Everglades National Park so that Olivia can investigate why the manatees are dying.  Foster child Bridger, who is set in his western ways, comes along on the trip. When Jack's camera is stolen, the children have no idea that the theft is a clue to what is happening to the manatees.

On page 110, the author gets in a sly reference to National Geographic by having Jack mention that his photos are not quite good enough for the magazine.

I really enjoyed this story.

Merivale Mall #3 Playing Games and #4 Never Stop Smiling

In Merivale Mall #3, Playing Games, Merivale High and Atwood Academy's football rivalry has reached an all-time high.  Lori's boyfriend, Nick, plays for Atwood Academy, and Lori must decide which school to support.  At first, Lori plans to root for Atwood, but a mean cheerleader at Merivale High insists that Lori prove her loyalty to Merivale High.  Will the rivalry destroy Lori and Nick's relationship?

The main plot of this story is a bit annoying.  I find the subplot to be much more interesting.  Danielle has to volunteer at a daycare for extra credit for one of her classes.  It's fun to see Danielle interact with the children while she tries to keep her extracurricular activity a secret from her snobbish friends.

Danielle also has a secret boyfriend, Don, who is a poor boy who plans to become a mechanic. Don and Danielle's secret relationship is the best part of this series.  I love it.

I enjoyed this book.

In Merivale Mall #4, Never Stop Smiling, several of the girls compete for the title of Miss Merivale Mall.  Both Danielle and her friend, Teresa, plan to win the title and lord it over the other.  Danielle is jealous that Teresa's family has hired a coach, and Danielle schemes to find a way to beat Teresa—even if it means cheating!

On page 73, Danielle thinks, "If the contest were fair, all she'd have to do was show up and accept the crown.  So why did she have to go through this other stuff?"  Right, they should give the crown to Danielle, just because!

I enjoyed this book.