Original oral accounts from the unique people who live in the Great Smoky Mountains. They embody their distinct ideals, beliefs, values and life patterns. There is wit, surprise, and, in some cases, wisdom. You will meet real moonshiners, people who have encountered unexplained events in their everyday lives, and tales of true love. The wild isolation of the Smokies nurtured independence, and a caring spirit.

A woman finally convinces her wealthy husband that they should take a vacation. He is not an outdoorsman and works long hours, so she is surprised when he chooses a chalet in the Smoky Mountains outside of Gatlinburg, Tennessee. All is fine the first few days of their vacation, and then she receives a phone call telling her that someone is trying to kill her. Then her husband disappears. Notes are left on the chalet's doorstep. She receives text messages that are threatening. She is told where to go and when. It is obvious that more than one person is involved and they are not working together. She keeps seeing the same strangers over and over, but none of them threaten her in person. She has no one to turn to, and she is not sure who to trust and who not to trust. She is not even sure of those who work in law enforcement. She attempts to continue to try to enjoy her vacation, wondering if her husband will return, while all the time she is looking over her shoulder.

Some of the most visited national parks in the country have a dark side. Aside from crowds of hikers, campers, and general tourists, there's a dark side to these three locations in California; the famous Yosemite, Joshua Tree and Mount Shasta. From strange disappearances, grisly murders and bone-chilling paranormal hauntings and ghost sightings; these pristine locales have a lot more to offer than just serene hiking trails or camping. In this second installment of National Park Mysteries & Disappearances, Steve Stockton, along with Bill Melder, presents the reader with a side to these locations you've never heard before. So, put aside your nature guidebooks, forget about the pretty leaves, and the relaxing streams as well as the miniature golf, the funnel cakes and all the other "tourist traps" and prepare for a wild ride on the dark side of these major national parks.

This thrilling series roars back to life with the release of Mystery #13, Night of the Black Bear. Something very strange is going on in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. A teenage girl is the latest victim in a growing number of bear attacks. Officials must figure out what's causing the bizarre bear behavior or close the park. Can the Landons help? Soon Jack and Ashley are searching for answers with their new friends Yonah Firekiller, a 16-year-old Cherokee boy, and 14-year-old Merle Chapman, whose family once lived on park land. But a heated argument over ancestral land rights puts the Landon kids in the middle of a clash of cultures. Tensions mount when Merle is caught in a lie—a lie that leads straight to the heart-pounding solution. This breathtaking new adventure features an afterword by a park naturalist on black bear behavior and the problems caused by tourists feeding wildlife. Night of the Black Bear is a fast-paced narrative treat filled with vivid descriptions of the natural, scientific, and cultural phenomena of Great Smoky Mountains National Park; a page-turner that will put this popular National Park high on the vacation wish-list of all young readers. National Geographic supports K-12 educators with ELA Common Core Resources. Visit www.natgeoed.org/commoncore for more information.

One very Blue Ridge! One crazy quilt! One fearless fiddler! One hoot in a holler! And a Smoky secret! Christina, Grant, Mimi and Papa head to the Great Smoky Mountains and end up in an A+ Appalachian mystery complete with an eerie mountain haze, spectacular scenery, a boisterous bear, confounding clues, and mystifying folklore! LOOK what's inside this mystery - people, places, history and more! PLACES: Smoky Mountains Š Skyline Drive Š Blue Ridge Parkway Š Great Smoky Mountains National Park Š Penland School for Crafts, Asheville, NC Š Cherokee Indian Museum and Sequoyah Statue, Cherokee, NC Š Mumble Peg Bookstore, Bryson City, NC Š Cades Cove Š The picnic area near the Abrams Falls hiking trails Š Laurel Falls Š Clingman's Dome Observation Tower. SMOKY MOUNTAIN FACTS: Location Š Ecosystem: Plants, trees, bushes, animals, biodiversity Š Geography: hills, waterfalls, bald mountains Š Nicknames: Great Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Š Foods: Western North Carolina barbeque, sweet tea. HISTORY: Cherokee Tribe: History, legends Š Laurel Falls Š Clingman's Dome Observation Tower. SMOKY MOUNTAIN FACTS: Location Š Ecosystem: Plants, trees, bushes, animals, biodiversity Š Geography: hills, waterfalls, bald mountains Š Nicknames: Great Smokies, Great Smoky Mountains Š Foole.? ARTS AND CRAFTS OF THE REGION: Glassblowing Š Painting Š Quiltmaking. Like all of Carole Marsh Mysteries, this mystery incorporates history, geography, culture and cliffhanger chapters that will keep kids begging for more! This mystery includes SAT words, educational facts, fun and humor, built-in book club and activities. Below is the Reading Levels Guide for this book: Grade Levels: 3-6 Accelerated Reader Reading Level: 5.3 Accelerated Reader Points: 2 Accelerated Reader Quiz Number: 140440 Lexile Measure: 820 Fountas & Pinnell Guided Reading Level: Q Developmental Assessment Level: 40

A creative non-fiction work built on stories about actual feuds, murder of individuals and disasters that occurred throughout Great Smoky Mountains prior to the area becoming a national park. The stories read like excerpts from a novel, but are based on true stories, some information taken from court documents and intervews. Reading these stories helps give the reader an image and a voice to those who used to live in the mountain areas of East Tennessee and Western North Carolina. "As usual, Dr. Palmer spins a good yarn in the style, and often in the vernacular, of her beloved Appalachian kin folks. Some of the accounts were familiar but others were new to me. All were captivating and entertaining. As the old adage goes, history is a compilation of rumor. However, via scholarly interpretations of the clues she had to go on, she skillfully breathed life into these tales." Allen R. Coggins, author and Smoky Mountain tour guide