Ghost Horses (Mysteries in Our National Park) [Hardcover]

Gloria Skurzynski (Author), Alane Ferguson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1, 2000 | Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up | Series: Mysteries in Our National Park (Book 6)

Visiting Zion National Park with his family, twelve-year-old Jack encounters two mysteries, the strange behavior of a band of wild mustangs and the possibly sinister actions of his new foster brother, a Shoshone boy.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-7-This story finds 12-year-old Jack and his younger sister Ashley exploring Zion National Park with their parents and two Shoshone foster kids. Ethan, who is Jack's age, is not happy to be with a white family and complains bitterly. His quiet sister, Summer, knows something about the mysterious white mustangs that are running wild in the park. Rocks fall, horses charge. Is Ethan trying to hurt or possibly kill Jack's family? The novel really picks up speed when Jack, his dad, and Ethan go on a treacherous hike through the Narrows. There is a lot going on in this mystery, yet it stays on target with only a minimal amount of preaching about the environment, race relations, and other social issues. Splendid photos accompany the sometimes pedestrian text, but unfortunately are bound together in the middle of the book and there are not enough of them. In spite of these drawbacks, Ghost Horses is an exciting and (don't tell anybody) educational read.
Ann Cook, formerly at Winter Park Public Library, FL
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

Gr. 4-6. The sixth book in the National Parks Mystery series is set in Utah's Zion National Park. Jack and Ashley Landon are accompanying their parents to Zion, where their mother, a wildlife veterinarian, is to give a talk. On their way, they pick up two Shoshone children in need of foster care. Jack dislikes uncommunicative Ethan, but Ashley happily befriends Ethan's sister. After arriving at the camp, the travelers are invited to a roundup at a nearby ranch, where the horses act strangely (several seem to have deliberately killed themselves). Meanwhile, Jack and Ethan barely tolerate each other, until a flash flood forces them to work together. Eventually, everything ends happily; even the mystery of the mustangs is solved. The danger in the story seems forced, as does much of the interaction between Jack and Ethan. But this still works as light adventure, with the advantage of some interesting information about mustangs and the park. There's a color photo insert at the center of the book. Denise Wilms
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: National Geographic Children's Books; 1ST edition (October 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 079227055X
• ISBN-13: 978-0792270553
• Product Dimensions: 5.3 x 0.7 x 8.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,195,559 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A mysterious adventure, October 1, 2003

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Ghost Horses (Mysteries in Our National Parks, Book 6) (Paperback)

Ghost Horses, by Gloria Skurzynski, is a great series about a wonderfully adventurous family. I like this book because it never stops being exciting. In every one of these books, the most exciting part is in about 3/4 of the book. These books are thrilling, mysterious, and funny too.
#6, Ghost Horses, was funny because Ethan, the Landon family's new foster kid, and Jack Landon, were always fighting and never getting along. While Ashley Landon, Jack/s younger sister, and Summer, Ethan's younger sister, were getting along fine. Did I mention that in each book, the Landon family get a different foster kid.
#6, Ghost Horses, is about the Landon family, and their foster kids taking a trip to Zion National Park. This park is home to wild horses who run through the canyons, and all around the park. Ethan and Summer showed Jack and Ashley the ghost dance. Summer and Ethan are indians from a tribe called the Shoshone. Anyway, the Ghost Dance is supposed to make the White people go away, so Jack and Ashley were making fun of thereselves without knowing it. Later in the book, Steven, Jacks father, takes Jack and Ethan on a hard core hike through the Narrows, but something's wrong. Jack hears things in the canyon walls while they're hiking.
I like this series. I've read #1 Wolf Stalker, #2 Cliff Hanger, #4 Rage of fire, and now #6 Ghost Horses. This isn't a series that you must have to read in order, as you can see, I'm not either. But sometimes, the Landons will mention something that happend in one of the past books. These books range from about 150-190 pages long. So, if you'd like to get into the adventure that I just talked about, and a lot more, read Ghost Horses, and all the other " Mysteries in our National Parks".

2.0 out of 5 stars Avid Reader says Not Worth It, January 5, 2008

By 

CuriousG "CuriousG" (Ashburn, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ghost Horses (Mysteries in Our National Park) (Hardcover)

My son is an avid reader, a fifth grader who LOVES to read. He picked this book to do a genre book report on mysteries. He found this book pretty boring and confusing. He has not read any other of the books in the series, so that could be part of the issue. However, he has never reported not liking a book before.

4.0 out of 5 stars average for the series, January 29, 2007

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Ghost Horses (Mysteries in Our National Parks, Book 6) (Paperback)

I am 5, and my dad read's the books to me. We've read 9 of 12 of the series, and plan to finish them all.

It's not scary. Normally, one chapter a night is perfect. But, warning, near the end of the book, you won't be able to stop until you finish.

This one is not one of the best - too predictable.

Also, father stupidly puts his kids in danger on Zion hike.

Would recommend starting the series of books with "Cliff Hanger", it's our favorite.

Don't have to read books in order if your library doesn't have them all - we read in no particular order and still enjoyed them.