Canyonlands National Park - Books
Maze
 Will Hobbs
 Annotation:
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to Canyonlands National Park in Utah where he meets a bird biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild.
From the Publisher:
Just fourteen, Rick Walder is alone, on the run, and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere. The Maze. In this surreal landscape of stark redrock spires and deep sandstone canyons, Rick stumbles into the remote camp of Lon Perigrino, a bird biologist who is releasing fledgling California condors back into the wild. Intrigued by the endangered condors and the strange bearded man dedicated to saving them, Rick decides to stay on. When two men with a vicious dog drive up in a battered old Humvee, Rick discovers that Lon and his birds are in grave danger. Will he be able to save them? In a heart-stopping adventure infused with the spirit of the Icarus myth and a boy’s dreams of flight, Will Hobbs brings readers a unique tale of identity, personal growth, and friendship. 01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), 01 AZ Young Reader Award Masterlist (Teen Bks cat.), 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist, 00-01 Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Nomination Masterlist (Grds 6-9), 00-01 Lone Star Reading List, 00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 7-12), 01 Washington State Evergreen YA Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), and 01 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee Masterlist
From The Critics:
Children’s Literature - Christopher MoningRick Walker is on the run-from the law, from a series of foster homes, from a pair of gutless gun smugglers, and from the countless knocks that life has handed him ever since his grandmother died four years ago. After a daring escape from a corrupt youth detention center, Rick finds himself lost in the Maze section of Canyonlands National Park. Rick’s luck begins to change when he encounters Lon Peregrino, a rough, grizzled loner who is a bird biologist. The two forge a deep bond as Rick aids Lon on his quest to return the endangered California condor to the wild. In this lightning-paced adventure, Rick begins to understand the power of trust and forgiveness. There are vivid descriptions of the condor and also of the arroyos, spires, and rock formations in Canyonlands. Anyone who has ever had a flying dream will thrill to Rick’s breathless hang gliding experiences. In the rousing climactic scene Rick takes a desperate gamble and, like the fledgling condor, he learns how to fly solo. Children’s Literature - Sue ReichardAuthor Will Hobbs’ books are often on the Best Books for Young Adults list. His new book, The Maze, is also sure to be a winner with young teens. Rick Walker is 14, alone, on the run and desperate. Rick has been in foster homes all over the state of California. He has been in six different schools in four years. He has never known either of his parents, and the grandmother who raised him has just died. Rick steals away in the back of a pickup truck and finds himself in a place called The Maze. Readers will devour this tale as Rick searches for himself and also a way out of his troubles. VOYA - Sarah K. HerzFourteen-year-old Rick Walker runs away from Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas, hides out in the rear of a camper truck, and finds himself "at the end of the world"-Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The truck delivers supplies to an isolated campsite, where bird biologist Lon Peregrino is feeding and observing fledgling condors recently released in the area. Rick is afraid that Lon will notify the authorities, but Lon proves to be the best person Rick could hope to meet. Rick has been in a series of foster homes, and does not trust adults-they have let him down too often. Lon does not pry into Rick’s past; he accepts Rick’s help in tracking and feeding the condors, and teaches Rick hang-gliding. Gradually Rick trusts and respects Lon, and tells Lon about his past. When Rick risks his life to save Lon, he learns what it means to care about another human being. Through his relationship with Lon, Rick is ready to become responsible for his actions and prepare for his future. Hobbs has written an exciting adventure story about a teenager who changes his negative attitude about rules, adults, and authority. Rick is a richly-textured character who reveals his curiosity about the condors, his appreciation of the Canyonlands, his theory about the Icarus myth, and his realization that his anger and self-pity will not help him mature. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being better written, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9). School Library JournalGr 6-9-Fourteen-year-old Rick Walker feels that his life is a maze. He’s been bounced around from one foster family to another and is sent to a detention center for hard-core juvenile offenders after committing a petty offense. After he reports corruption at the facility, the boy is forced to flee for his life and ends up in an isolated part of Utah’s canyon country, near an area called the Maze. Here he forms a friendship with Lon, a biologist who is trying to reintroduce condors into the wild. The two work together, observing and assisting the birds, and Lon teaches Rick to hang glide. When they run afoul of a pair of nasty antigovernment types who are hiding a cache of weapons in the area, their lives are placed in danger. Certain elements of the plot are pretty conventional, appearing in countless young adult novels (troubled teen runs away and finds redemption with wise friend in a remote area). What sets this book apart is the inclusion of fascinating details about the condors and hang gliding, especially the action-packed description of Rick’s first solo flight above the canyons in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. Many young readers will find this an adventure story that they can’t put down.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Horn Book Rick Walker, product of too many foster homes, is sentenced to serve six months in Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas. His crime-throwing rocks at a stop sign-hardly seems to warrant such severe punishment. Aware that Rick is not a hardened criminal and concerned for the environment in which he will serve time, his social worker pleads unsuccessfully with the judge. The facility is worse than imagined. Except for the librarian, Rick has little support in a corrupt organization. When he learns that he is in danger from the other inmates, he escapes, eventually finding refuge with a bird biologist in the canyons of southwestern Colorado. As he learns to work with the giant condors that Lon, the biologist, is attempting to introduce into that area, he learns much about himself-his capacity for growth, endurance, and commitment. Ultimately, he must return to society, face the judge who had sentenced him, and resolve his future-but not before he has helped Lon to bring two dealers in illegal weapons to justice and negotiated the Maze, a harshly beautiful landscape of deep canyons and awesome pinnacles. This time, his social worker is not alone in attesting to his character, for Rick bids fair to extricate himself from the maze in which life has placed him. As in Far North, Hobbs spins an engrossing yarn, blending adventure with a strong theme, advocating the need for developing personal values. Again, as in the earlier book, there is a character who serves as mentor and explicator of those values-but the author’s sure sense of story prevents him from overwhelming his narrative with philosophical commentary. . Read all 6 "From The Critics" andgt;
Our Price: $5.99
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Exploring Canyonlands and Arches National Parks
 Bill Schneider
 From the Publisher:
The only available guidebook to all 62 trails and 22 backcountry roads in both parks.
Our Price: $14.95
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Moon Handbooks: Zion and Bryce: Including Arches, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, Escalante, and Moab
 W. C. McRae
 From the Publisher:
Since its creation in 1973, the award-winning Moon Handbooks series has become a top choice among travelers who want a unique experience, a new perspective — and a few new stories to tell. Want to know about your destination’s history, culture, and social issues? Looking for the lowdown on recreational opportunities, dining and accommodations options, and the most interesting regional sights and entertainment? No problem. Big or small, mainstream or obscure, every worthwhile detail is included in these books. Covering the Americas, Asia, and the Pacific, Moon Handbooks give you the tools to create a travel strategy that’s yours alone. The result? A more personal, entirely uncommon, and ultimately more satisfying travel experience. Moon Handbooks: Zion and Bryce features information on outdoor activities, including hiking, biking, horseback riding, rafting and exploring Native American petroglyphs. This brand new guide also provides affordable and conveniently located lodging and dining options in Utah’s National Parks and nearby cities, such as Moab, Escalante, and Springdale.
Our Price: $14.95
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Rockhounding Utah
 William A. Kappele
 From the Publisher:
Author William A. Kappele shows you the grandeur of Utah’s exposed formations, its canyon walls etched with fossils, and the spires and arches of the Needles District in Canyonlands National Park. Each description includes concise information on the material to be found there, the tools to bring, the best season to visit, the vehicle to drive, or when a remote find suggests it’s time to lace up the hiking boots. Readers will glean new insights into the obsidian of the Black Rock sites, jasper at Hell’s Backbone, petrified wood at Bullfrog Turnoff, and fossils of sea lillies along the Wasatch Range. May your journeys be fruitful and your bag be heavy on the way home. Somewhere in that bag among your rocks, we hope you haven’t forgotten your copy of Rockhounding Utah.
Our Price: $12.95
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Canyonlands National Park: Favorite Jeep Roads and Hiking Trails
 David Day
 Our Price: $14.95
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Hiking, Biking and Exploring Canyonlands National Park and Vicinity
 Michael R. Kelsey
 Our Price: $14.95
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Abbey’s Road: Take the Other
 Edward Abbey
 Annotation:
Abbey’s explorations include the familiar territory of the Rio Grande in Texas, Canyonlands National Park, and Lake Powell in Utah. He also takes readers to such varied places as Scotland, the interior of Australia, the Sierra Madre, and Isla de la Sombra in Mexico.
From the Publisher:
Like DESERT SOLITAIRE and THE JOURNEY HOME, ABBEY’S ROAD is a personal odyssey, an exploration of places Abbey loved--the Rio Grande, Canyonlands National Park and Lake Powell.But it is also more, a journey to new locations--Scotland, the interior of Australia, the Sierra Madre and Isla de la Sombra in Mexico. It all shows Abbey’s concern for the wild places and sparkles with his impolite challenge to establishment thinking."Edward Abbey is one of our foremost Western essayists and novelists, a true maverick, a spirit not imitable, a joyous literary outlaw." (The Denver Post)
Our Price: $15.00
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Moon Handbooks Utah
 W. C. McRae
 From the Publisher:
Moon Handbooks Utah helps you find all the information you need, whether you’re seeking the perfect day hike in Zion National Park, the best biking routes near Moab, or the newest restaurants in Salt Lake City. The updated, easy-to-use format makes it simple to snowboard the Wasatch Front or discover historic Old West Pony Express stations. The full range of activities and accommodations, from campgrounds to luxury resorts, includes great options for every budget. Authors Bill McRae and Judy Jewell provide insight into Utah’s spectacular terrain and unique history, plus coverage of the state’s top recreation and entertainment. Outdoor enthusiasts will find essentials on Zion, Bryce, Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks, plus Utah’s seven national monuments. Complete with accurate, up-to-date contact information and plenty of photographs and helpful maps, Moon Handbooks Utah is the ultimate guide for a satisfying travel experience.
Our Price: $18.95
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River Guide to Canyonlands National Park and Vicinity
 Michael R. Kelsey
 Our Price: $11.95
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Best Easy Day Hikes Canyonlands and Arches
 Bill Schneider
 From the Publisher:
This handy guide to two of Utah’s most geologically unique destinations is designed for visitors who want to explore the backcountry but don’t have the time or physical stamina for a lengthy and difficult hike. After hiking every trail in Canyonlands and Arches National Parks, the author selected 21 day hikes, ranked in the book from easiest to hardest. Each hike is on a well-marked, easy-to-follow trail and takes visitors into some of the most scenic sections of the parks.
Our Price: $6.95
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In Pictures: Arches and Canyonlands, the Continuing Story
 Diane Allen
 Our Price: $9.95
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Cataract Canyon: A Human and Environmental History of the Rivers in Canyonlands
 Robert H. Webb
 From the Publisher:
River runners and armchair naturalists alike will be enthralled by this stunning tour through the natural, environmental, and human history of Cataract Canyon, a spectacular seventeen-mile run of free-flowing river above Lake Powell in the canyonlands of southern Utah.
Our Price: $26.95
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Canyonlands National Park
 Janet Lowe
 Our Price: $6.95
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Ice Age History of Southwestern National Parks
 Scott A. Elias
 From the Publisher:
With its warm, dry climate and abundance of caves and rockshelters, the Southwest is a repository of fossils that provide unparalleled opportunities to study the ancient past. During the last ice age - more than 10,000 years ago - the desert regions of the American Southwest flourished, with conifer woodlands blanketing a landscape where camels, mammoths, dire wolves, short-faced bears, and ground sloths thrived. Recreating the past landscape and life forms of the Southwest, this guidebook examines a pivotal period in the ecological history of five southwestern national parks - Canyonlands, Grand Canyon, Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde, and Big Bend - recounting as well the coming of humans to the region and the ascendance of the ecosystems we see today. Drawing on fossil evidence from cave sediments and packrat middens - collections of plants, insects, and vertebrate bones - Scott A. Elias describes how the increased precipitation and cooler temperatures of the Pleistocene affected the desert environment. He also traces the impact of ancient cultures on the landscape, from the earliest inhabitants to the Anasazi. Surveying the basic types of vertebrate, insect, and plant fossils and outlining dating methods as well as other field techniques, the book covers geology, climate, and paleoecology - the interactions among prehistoric plants and animals. For hikers, tourists, and amateur paleontologists, Elias opens a window onto the natural history of one of America’s most dramatic regions.
Our Price: $17.95
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Canyonlands Country: Geology of Canyonlands and Arches National Parks
 Donald L. Baars
 From The Critics:
BooknewsA fine, lucid and lively description of that which makes southeast Utah the nation’s most captivating region--the rocks. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $12.95
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A Naturalists Guide to the White Rim Trail: Canyonlands National Park
 David B. Williams
 Our Price: $7.95
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Falconguide to California’s Missions and Presidios: A Guide to Exploring California’s Spanish Legacy
 Tracy Salcedo-Chourre
 From the Publisher:
As Spanish authorities colonized Alta California, they established 21 Franciscan missions and four forts, or presidios, to bring the native inhabitants of the region under control and to provide for security and defense. Today, the missions and presidios are among California’s most popular historic landmarks, and enduring reminders of California’s Spanish and Mexican past. For travelers and outdoor enthusiasts who want to experience a taste of all that the area has to offer, this book contains short hikes, biking, and other outdoor recreation opportunities, plus travel information and natural history. It is a fun and fascinating tour of the missions and presidios for vacationers and history buffs alike.Other books in the Exploring series include Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area, Canyonlands and Arches National Park, Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashores, Dinosaur National Monument, Florida’s Atlantic Coast Beaches, Florida’s Gulf Coast Beaches, Glacier National Park, Great Texas Coastal Birding Trail, Gulf Islands National Seashore, Hawaii’s Parklands, Mount Helena, Point Reyes National Seashore and Golden Gate National Recreation Area, and Southern California Beaches.
Our Price: $15.95
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The Maze
 Will Hobbs
 Annotation:
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to Canyonlands National Park in Utah where he meets a bird biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild.
From the Publisher:
Just fourteen, Rick Walder is alone, on the run, and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere. The Maze. In this surreal landscape of stark redrock spires and deep sandstone canyons, Rick stumbles into the remote camp of Lon Perigrino, a bird biologist who is releasing fledgling California condors back into the wild. Intrigued by the endangered condors and the strange bearded man dedicated to saving them, Rick decides to stay on. When two men with a vicious dog drive up in a battered old Humvee, Rick discovers that Lon and his birds are in grave danger. Will he be able to save them? In a heart-stopping adventure infused with the spirit of the Icarus myth and a boy’s dreams of flight, Will Hobbs brings readers a unique tale of identity, personal growth, and friendship. 01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), 01 AZ Young Reader Award Masterlist (Teen Bks cat.), 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist, 00-01 Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Nomination Masterlist (Grds 6-9), 00-01 Lone Star Reading List, 00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 7-12), 01 Washington State Evergreen YA Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), and 01 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee Masterlist
From The Critics:
Children’s Literature - Christopher MoningRick Walker is on the run-from the law, from a series of foster homes, from a pair of gutless gun smugglers, and from the countless knocks that life has handed him ever since his grandmother died four years ago. After a daring escape from a corrupt youth detention center, Rick finds himself lost in the Maze section of Canyonlands National Park. Rick’s luck begins to change when he encounters Lon Peregrino, a rough, grizzled loner who is a bird biologist. The two forge a deep bond as Rick aids Lon on his quest to return the endangered California condor to the wild. In this lightning-paced adventure, Rick begins to understand the power of trust and forgiveness. There are vivid descriptions of the condor and also of the arroyos, spires, and rock formations in Canyonlands. Anyone who has ever had a flying dream will thrill to Rick’s breathless hang gliding experiences. In the rousing climactic scene Rick takes a desperate gamble and, like the fledgling condor, he learns how to fly solo. Children’s Literature - Sue ReichardAuthor Will Hobbs’ books are often on the Best Books for Young Adults list. His new book, The Maze, is also sure to be a winner with young teens. Rick Walker is 14, alone, on the run and desperate. Rick has been in foster homes all over the state of California. He has been in six different schools in four years. He has never known either of his parents, and the grandmother who raised him has just died. Rick steals away in the back of a pickup truck and finds himself in a place called The Maze. Readers will devour this tale as Rick searches for himself and also a way out of his troubles. VOYA - Sarah K. HerzFourteen-year-old Rick Walker runs away from Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas, hides out in the rear of a camper truck, and finds himself "at the end of the world"-Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The truck delivers supplies to an isolated campsite, where bird biologist Lon Peregrino is feeding and observing fledgling condors recently released in the area. Rick is afraid that Lon will notify the authorities, but Lon proves to be the best person Rick could hope to meet. Rick has been in a series of foster homes, and does not trust adults-they have let him down too often. Lon does not pry into Rick’s past; he accepts Rick’s help in tracking and feeding the condors, and teaches Rick hang-gliding. Gradually Rick trusts and respects Lon, and tells Lon about his past. When Rick risks his life to save Lon, he learns what it means to care about another human being. Through his relationship with Lon, Rick is ready to become responsible for his actions and prepare for his future. Hobbs has written an exciting adventure story about a teenager who changes his negative attitude about rules, adults, and authority. Rick is a richly-textured character who reveals his curiosity about the condors, his appreciation of the Canyonlands, his theory about the Icarus myth, and his realization that his anger and self-pity will not help him mature. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being better written, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9). School Library JournalGr 6-9-Fourteen-year-old Rick Walker feels that his life is a maze. He’s been bounced around from one foster family to another and is sent to a detention center for hard-core juvenile offenders after committing a petty offense. After he reports corruption at the facility, the boy is forced to flee for his life and ends up in an isolated part of Utah’s canyon country, near an area called the Maze. Here he forms a friendship with Lon, a biologist who is trying to reintroduce condors into the wild. The two work together, observing and assisting the birds, and Lon teaches Rick to hang glide. When they run afoul of a pair of nasty antigovernment types who are hiding a cache of weapons in the area, their lives are placed in danger. Certain elements of the plot are pretty conventional, appearing in countless young adult novels (troubled teen runs away and finds redemption with wise friend in a remote area). What sets this book apart is the inclusion of fascinating details about the condors and hang gliding, especially the action-packed description of Rick’s first solo flight above the canyons in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. Many young readers will find this an adventure story that they can’t put down.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Horn Book Rick Walker, product of too many foster homes, is sentenced to serve six months in Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas. His crime-throwing rocks at a stop sign-hardly seems to warrant such severe punishment. Aware that Rick is not a hardened criminal and concerned for the environment in which he will serve time, his social worker pleads unsuccessfully with the judge. The facility is worse than imagined. Except for the librarian, Rick has little support in a corrupt organization. When he learns that he is in danger from the other inmates, he escapes, eventually finding refuge with a bird biologist in the canyons of southwestern Colorado. As he learns to work with the giant condors that Lon, the biologist, is attempting to introduce into that area, he learns much about himself-his capacity for growth, endurance, and commitment. Ultimately, he must return to society, face the judge who had sentenced him, and resolve his future-but not before he has helped Lon to bring two dealers in illegal weapons to justice and negotiated the Maze, a harshly beautiful landscape of deep canyons and awesome pinnacles. This time, his social worker is not alone in attesting to his character, for Rick bids fair to extricate himself from the maze in which life has placed him. As in Far North, Hobbs spins an engrossing yarn, blending adventure with a strong theme, advocating the need for developing personal values. Again, as in the earlier book, there is a character who serves as mentor and explicator of those values-but the author’s sure sense of story prevents him from overwhelming his narrative with philosophical commentary. . Read all 6 "From The Critics" andgt;
Our Price: $15.99
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Singing Stone: A Natural History of the Escalante Canyons
 Thomas Lowe Lowe Fleischner
 From the Publisher:
Like a bright blue seam incised deep in solid rock, the Escalante River binds the fir forests of Utah’s High Plateau with the barren deserts of the canyonlands region in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. To this wild landscape, naturalist Thomas Fleischner brings both emotional engagement and a wealth of knowledge. With unabashed passion and patient and learned observations Fleischner presents what he calls a "guide to understanding" this relatively unknown landscape. Integrating personal narrative and natural history, Singing Stone is ideal for curious visitors to the national monument as well as students of environmental studies. Illustrative photographs accompany an invaluable textual survey of the unique geology, flora and fauna, and human history of the region. The recent impacts of grazing and wilderness recreation and the resultant shifts in cultural values and public policy are also explored, offering a lens through which these changes, now the topic of examination and controversy throughout the New West, can be clearly seen and, it is hoped, re-evaluated.
From The Critics:
BooknewsFleischner, a conservation biologist and former park ranger, introduces the Escalante River region between the fir forests of Utah’s High Plateau and the barren deserts of the canyonlands region in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. With unabashed passion and learned observations he presents a guide to understanding this relatively unknown landscape, integrating personal narrative and natural history. For visitors to the region and for those in environmental studies. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $17.95
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Grand Canyon: Intimate Views
 Robert C. Euler (Editor)
 From the Publisher:
"In concise and lively essays, five Canyon experts introduce visitors to the history, peoples, and natural wonders that inspire awe and contribute to the grandeur of the canyonlands. Euler’s spectacular color and black-and-white photographs capture a tantalizing fraction of the beauty that greets newcomers and seasoned river rats alike. In a lyrical foreword, naturalist Ann Zwinger pronounces this a book that is "more than the sum of its parts". Readers will heartily agree. Like a savory appetizer, it stimulates the palate and leaves us hungry for more."--Journal of Arizona History
From The Critics:
BooknewsA revised edition showing the Press’s good sense in dropping the vile TV inspired subtitle Up close and personal. Covers geology, biology, Indians, explorers, and provides details of rafting and hiking. Many excellent color plates. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $13.95
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Let’s Discover Capitol Reef, Arches, and Canyonlands National Parks: A Children’s Activity Book, Ages 6-11
 Lynnell Diamond
 Our Price: $4.95
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Maze
 Will Hobbs
 Annotation:
Rick, a fourteen-year-old foster child, escapes from a juvenile detention facility near Las Vegas and travels to Canyonlands National Park in Utah where he meets a bird biologist working on a project to reintroduce condors to the wild.
From the Publisher:
Just fourteen, Rick Walder is alone, on the run, and desperate. Stowing away in the back of a truck, he suddenly finds himself at a dead end, out in the middle of nowhere. The Maze. In this surreal landscape of stark redrock spires and deep sandstone canyons, Rick stumbles into the remote camp of Lon Perigrino, a bird biologist who is releasing fledgling California condors back into the wild. Intrigued by the endangered condors and the strange bearded man dedicated to saving them, Rick decides to stay on. When two men with a vicious dog drive up in a battered old Humvee, Rick discovers that Lon and his birds are in grave danger. Will he be able to save them? In a heart-stopping adventure infused with the spirit of the Icarus myth and a boy’s dreams of flight, Will Hobbs brings readers a unique tale of identity, personal growth, and friendship. 01 Blue Spruce Award Masterlist (YA Cat.), 01 AZ Young Reader Award Masterlist (Teen Bks cat.), 00-01 Sunshine State Young Reader’s Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), 00-01 Black-Eyed Susan Award Masterlist, 00-01 Minnesota’s Maud Hart Lovelace Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 South Carolina Book Award Nomination Masterlist (Grds 6-9), 00-01 Lone Star Reading List, 00-01 Utah Book Award (Gr. 7-12), 01 Washington State Evergreen YA Book Award Masterlist, 00-01 Young Hoosier Book Award Masterlist (Gr. 6-8), and 01 Rebecca Caudill Young Readers’ Book Award Nominee Masterlist
From The Critics:
Children’s Literature - Christopher MoningRick Walker is on the run-from the law, from a series of foster homes, from a pair of gutless gun smugglers, and from the countless knocks that life has handed him ever since his grandmother died four years ago. After a daring escape from a corrupt youth detention center, Rick finds himself lost in the Maze section of Canyonlands National Park. Rick’s luck begins to change when he encounters Lon Peregrino, a rough, grizzled loner who is a bird biologist. The two forge a deep bond as Rick aids Lon on his quest to return the endangered California condor to the wild. In this lightning-paced adventure, Rick begins to understand the power of trust and forgiveness. There are vivid descriptions of the condor and also of the arroyos, spires, and rock formations in Canyonlands. Anyone who has ever had a flying dream will thrill to Rick’s breathless hang gliding experiences. In the rousing climactic scene Rick takes a desperate gamble and, like the fledgling condor, he learns how to fly solo. Children’s Literature - Sue ReichardAuthor Will Hobbs’ books are often on the Best Books for Young Adults list. His new book, The Maze, is also sure to be a winner with young teens. Rick Walker is 14, alone, on the run and desperate. Rick has been in foster homes all over the state of California. He has been in six different schools in four years. He has never known either of his parents, and the grandmother who raised him has just died. Rick steals away in the back of a pickup truck and finds himself in a place called The Maze. Readers will devour this tale as Rick searches for himself and also a way out of his troubles. VOYA - Sarah K. HerzFourteen-year-old Rick Walker runs away from Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas, hides out in the rear of a camper truck, and finds himself "at the end of the world"-Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The truck delivers supplies to an isolated campsite, where bird biologist Lon Peregrino is feeding and observing fledgling condors recently released in the area. Rick is afraid that Lon will notify the authorities, but Lon proves to be the best person Rick could hope to meet. Rick has been in a series of foster homes, and does not trust adults-they have let him down too often. Lon does not pry into Rick’s past; he accepts Rick’s help in tracking and feeding the condors, and teaches Rick hang-gliding. Gradually Rick trusts and respects Lon, and tells Lon about his past. When Rick risks his life to save Lon, he learns what it means to care about another human being. Through his relationship with Lon, Rick is ready to become responsible for his actions and prepare for his future. Hobbs has written an exciting adventure story about a teenager who changes his negative attitude about rules, adults, and authority. Rick is a richly-textured character who reveals his curiosity about the condors, his appreciation of the Canyonlands, his theory about the Icarus myth, and his realization that his anger and self-pity will not help him mature. VOYA Codes: 5Q 4P M J (Hard to imagine it being better written, Broad general YA appeal, Middle School-defined as grades 6 to 8 and Junior High-defined as grades 7 to 9). School Library JournalGr 6-9-Fourteen-year-old Rick Walker feels that his life is a maze. He’s been bounced around from one foster family to another and is sent to a detention center for hard-core juvenile offenders after committing a petty offense. After he reports corruption at the facility, the boy is forced to flee for his life and ends up in an isolated part of Utah’s canyon country, near an area called the Maze. Here he forms a friendship with Lon, a biologist who is trying to reintroduce condors into the wild. The two work together, observing and assisting the birds, and Lon teaches Rick to hang glide. When they run afoul of a pair of nasty antigovernment types who are hiding a cache of weapons in the area, their lives are placed in danger. Certain elements of the plot are pretty conventional, appearing in countless young adult novels (troubled teen runs away and finds redemption with wise friend in a remote area). What sets this book apart is the inclusion of fascinating details about the condors and hang gliding, especially the action-packed description of Rick’s first solo flight above the canyons in the face of an approaching thunderstorm. Many young readers will find this an adventure story that they can’t put down.-Todd Morning, Schaumburg Township Public Library, IL Horn Book Rick Walker, product of too many foster homes, is sentenced to serve six months in Blue Canyon Youth Detention Center near Las Vegas. His crime-throwing rocks at a stop sign-hardly seems to warrant such severe punishment. Aware that Rick is not a hardened criminal and concerned for the environment in which he will serve time, his social worker pleads unsuccessfully with the judge. The facility is worse than imagined. Except for the librarian, Rick has little support in a corrupt organization. When he learns that he is in danger from the other inmates, he escapes, eventually finding refuge with a bird biologist in the canyons of southwestern Colorado. As he learns to work with the giant condors that Lon, the biologist, is attempting to introduce into that area, he learns much about himself-his capacity for growth, endurance, and commitment. Ultimately, he must return to society, face the judge who had sentenced him, and resolve his future-but not before he has helped Lon to bring two dealers in illegal weapons to justice and negotiated the Maze, a harshly beautiful landscape of deep canyons and awesome pinnacles. This time, his social worker is not alone in attesting to his character, for Rick bids fair to extricate himself from the maze in which life has placed him. As in Far North, Hobbs spins an engrossing yarn, blending adventure with a strong theme, advocating the need for developing personal values. Again, as in the earlier book, there is a character who serves as mentor and explicator of those values-but the author’s sure sense of story prevents him from overwhelming his narrative with philosophical commentary. . Read all 6 "From The Critics" andgt;
Our Price: $14.15
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Singing Stone: A Natural History of the Escalante Canyons
 Thomas Lowe Fleischner
 From the Publisher:
Like a bright blue seam incised deep in solid rock, the Escalante River binds the fir forests of Utah’s High Plateau with the barren deserts of the canyonlands region in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. To this wild landscape, naturalist Thomas Fleischner brings both emotional engagement and a wealth of knowledge. With unabashed passion and patient and learned observations Fleischner presents what he calls a "guide to understanding" this relatively unknown landscape. Integrating personal narrative and natural history, Singing Stone is ideal for curious visitors to the national monument as well as students of environmental studies. Illustrative photographs accompany an invaluable textual survey of the unique geology, flora and fauna, and human history of the region. The recent impacts of grazing and wilderness recreation and the resultant shifts in cultural values and public policy are also explored, offering a lens through which these changes, now the topic of examination and controversy throughout the New West, can be clearly seen and, it is hoped, re-evaluated.
From The Critics:
BooknewsFleischner, a conservation biologist and former park ranger, introduces the Escalante River region between the fir forests of Utah’s High Plateau and the barren deserts of the canyonlands region in the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. With unabashed passion and learned observations he presents a guide to understanding this relatively unknown landscape, integrating personal narrative and natural history. For visitors to the region and for those in environmental studies. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
Our Price: $45.00
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