Mysteries in Our National Parks: Night of the Black Bear: A Mystery in Great Smoky Mountains National Park

My son liked this book because he has visited here. Helps with the imagination . Really to easy reading for him at 10. But he was a really reader.

This is the first book I have read in this series. I bought it for my 13 year old son because he'd like to visit the Great Smoky Mountains this summer. I felt that the age range suggested might be a little young as it says for readers 9-13. Most of the characters are older than that, they youngest is 12. The reading level is mid fifth grade, but the subject matter seemed a little above a 13 year old. Bears are attacking people, a boy's mother had a car accident and the boy feels pressure to earn money to help her, there are discussions of possible illegal drug use (mushrooms), and that seems a bit advanced for younger readers. My point of view may be skewed here, as my son has autism and some anxieties that other children in this age range might not have. Reading it as a parent and a teacher of 8-9 year olds, I didn't feel that I would use it, even though I always look for realistic stories that reinforce learning in the sciences and social studies. Part of the plot had a 12 year old girl going off alone with a 16 year old boy that she had just met, which as a parent scares me. The facts seem to be well researched and believable and I wanted to like the story more than I did.Not a bad book, just not what I was looking for.

With all the books in the National Parks Mystery series, the authors capture the atmosphere of the park, the plight of the animals and the changing dynamics of the Landon family. We've recently used BLACK BEAR in a literature circle, in a science class, along with 4 other titles in the series. Each one I read becomes my new favorite! All are very well researched and written. Students love them and go on to read others.

Bought for my 12-year-old daughter to read on a long road trip. She loves mysteries, but would rather do nothing than read. This kept her captivated. She even wanted to tell us about all the drama and bits of history she learned.

Good book

Easy to read. Tells you a lot about the National Park where the story takes place. I like to read these books when we visit the park with our grandchildren.

It's just as I expected. I'm happy.

I got this book for my daughter because she loves to read and has been to the Great Smoky Mountains several times. She loved this book, practically read it in 1 day. I am planning to get her more of the Mysteries in Our National Parks books.