Danger in Zion National Park: A Mystery Adventure (National Park Mystery Series)

This book is part of a series (National Park Mystery series) and is book #4. If you haven't read the previous books, I highly recommend starting at the beginning, since this is a continuing scavenger/treasure hunt and there are clues that are discovered in previous books. The series revolves around 3 friends, Jake, Amber, and Wes, as they and their parents travel from national park to national park on their vacation. Jake's deceased grandfather left Jake clues leading to other clues located in various national parks. At first this seems like a fun scavenger hunt, but then things take a darker turn as the friends learn that a mysterious organization is also after the hidden clues/items.I'm an older adult, and I've read all of the previous books and have enjoyed every one of them. After reading each story, I find myself inspired to visit the national park highlighted so I can experience the places described in the book. This story involves Zion National Park, a place I haven't visited, and it really makes me want to go there. We're actually making plans for a trip next year, and after reading this book, I'm hoping to add Zion to our itinerary!One of the things I liked best about this book is the sheer excitement and adventure that takes place in the story. The author is really descriptive about the things that Jake and his friends see and experience. In some cases, it felt like I was there, and I was the one hiking the trails. I actually felt my heart race and I was sweating over some of the things the kids experienced, to the point where I wondered if I would have the guts to climb some of the trails. I don't want to give any of the plot away, but let's just say that the story is very realistic!There are also some chapters that involve the kids experiencing bullying and discrimination, but these are handled in a very sensitive manner and discussed ways for the kids to manage their emotions and learn to de-escalate things in such situations. I really liked how the author was willing to include such topics.I was so fascinated with the story that I read this book from beginning to end in one sitting, and now I can't wait for the next one! There's a lot of good information in each of these books, so along with reading a really exciting story, you also learn a lot about the national parks. I definitely recommend this book, especially if you have children that love mystery and adventure books.

This is book four of what is planned to be a ten-part series, and as of December 2023 is the most recent book of the series that has been published. While there is background on the plot from the previous three books at the start of this book, it really is best read and understood as part of the series. So, I recommend starting at the beginning with Mystery in Rocky Mountain National Park.The book tells two stories set 140 years apart but both in Zion National Park (or what becomes Zion National Park) and both involving members of the Evans family. In 1880, Abe Evans searches for something, while in present-day his descendant Jake Evans is on his own quest with his friends in Zion National Park. The bulk of the book follows the present-day story line with Jake, who is following clues left by his grandfather before his death. His friends Wes and Amber are helping him solve the puzzles that his grandfather left and find ways to outsmart the other people searching to find and exploit the natural treasures of the National Parks. As the series has progressed, the danger continues to grow.My 10-year-old son and I have enjoyed reading this series together, and Danger in Zion National Park was no exception. The plot is exciting and several times we ended up reading longer than we planned because we couldn’t wait to see what would happen next. There is also a lot of educational parts that “sneak” their way into the book – e.g. information about climbing Angel’s Landing and getting permits, the symptoms and effects of heat stroke, the effects of flow rates on hiking in The Narrows, and the history of the Zion National Park area – which I not only enjoyed learning about myself, but appreciated my son hearing, too. In this book, he said he especially liked how he could see the connections between the 1880 story and the present-day story and try to guess from one or the other what might come next.Besides being an engaging and exciting read, the themes of the book are excellent. The characters are well-grounded. They are polite, obedient, and caring. Well … most of the time. Like everybody, they make mistakes and bad decisions sometimes, and then they have to come to grips with the consequences of those decisions and usually learn something valuable in the process. The book is filled with strong messages of appreciating the wonderful natural world around us and protecting it from people that want to exploit it. The book also paints good pictures of what it means for kids to be brave, to stand up for what is right, and to care for those around them even when those around them aren’t kind.I highly recommend this book and the series for anyone – but especially kids – who love outdoors, adventure, history, or solving puzzles. It is appropriate for younger readers (nothing too scary that would likely cause nightmares) but may be challenging for them to read on their own. Fluent readers (staring at age 7-10 depending on the kid) can read this easily on their own. And as a parent you can feel good about what they are learning from the book.

My daughter fell in love with the National Park Mystery Series. We were looking for a good, educational book or series that was appropriate for 9-13, without a hidden agenda where I needed to be concerned about what my children were reading. This book has piqued an interest in national parks and adventure within those places. We are planning trips already to see in real life where the stories take place. We cannot wait for books 5-10 to come out!!Plus, we emailed the author, and he emailed back!!! HUGE WIN!!!

This was my son’s favorite of the series but he loved all of them. I’m excited about these parks now based on his enthusiasm! Here are his words:This is an awesome series! It kept me captivated the whole time. It felt like I was right there inside the book. It kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time!Book 1- included a great start to a mystery and it was so cool and all the places were real!Book 2- was awesome it was so realistic I learned a lot about the dunes from this bookBook 3- in this book the 1880 section got so cool!Book 4- I 24/7 was thinking about Zion it sounded so cool I now want to go there soooooooo bad! I can’t wait for the rest of the series!5 star I highly recommend 😊😊

Loved this book. I bought it for my granddaughter but had to read it first. I deliberately read this book before Book #3 and was not lost at all. There was enough background information in this book to made sure that the reader enjoyed the story but without giving away too much (for when they went back to read book #3). While you do not need to read all the books in the series, I still suggest you do - you'll love them all. Can not wait for the next book in the series!!