Nature Mysteries

Sea monsters have a long history in lore and literature. Homer first wrote of them in 700 BCE. What Do We Know About the Kraken? lets curious young listeners explore what we actually know about this mysterious sea monster's long history. Dive into the facts behind this massive squid-like creature that was first described using the word "Kraken" in the beginning of the eighteenth century.

Five women reluctantly leave the city for a challenging hike across the rugged Giralang Ranges as part of a corporate retreat. Only four come out the other side. Federal Police Agent Aaron Falk has a particularly keen interest in the whereabouts of the missing bushwalker. Alice Russell is the whistleblower in his latest case - and Alice knew secrets.

There must be something in the water. The small lumberjacking town of Manchineel, nestled along Michigan’s northeastern shoreline, was destined to fail. With a curse hanging over it since its foundation, the town is in its final days in the spring of 1975. Among the townsfolk struggling to find new jobs and new homes, the Whitaker family is experiencing the greatest hardship. Crushed by mounting debt following their daughter’s horrific accident, they face an uncertain future with bleak prospects. An innocent discovery, however, brings fresh water to their table and new hope into their ...

A historical fiction book set in Ridgewood, The Carolinas, during the late 19th century. Join Tom Cooke, Sam Thackeray, and Henry Black on a captivating adventure as they navigate the perils and delights of summer in a small coastal town grappling with a yellow fever outbreak. Stranded at Tom's uncle's remote coastal home, the boys find themselves on an unexpected journey of friendship, discovery, and resilience as they explore the untamed beauty of the shores of Ridgewood. After arriving to stay with Uncle Harrison and Aunt Helen, who are away on a long trip, Tom and his friends seek ...

Natalia is not the kind of girl who takes risks. Six years ago, she barely survived the house fire that killed her baby brother. Now she is cautious and always plays it safe. For months, her coworker Wyatt has begged her to come hiking with him, and Natalia finally agrees. But when a wildfire breaks out, blocking the trail back, a perfect sunny day quickly morphs into a nightmare. With no cell service, few supplies, and no clear way out of the burning forest, a group of strangers will have to become allies if they're going to survive.

This audiobook is one of the best guides ever made on how to achieve mental well-being by understanding and mastering this mysterious and powerful force. The mechanics of how it works are detailed here, as well as methods of gathering, conserving, and using its power. The exercises outlined are simple and easy, and they work.

Kristen Stevenson, owner of the Nature Station, is excited to welcome her first guests to the Nature Station’s newest addition—the recently renovated Corncrib. The new living quarters are shipshape, but once guests arrive for a weekend retreat, things begin to go awry—and in a big way when a body is found after dinner the first night. When Kristen and her friends start showering retreat guests with questions to determine if one of them is the culprit, they discover more than they bargain for. Is the murderer one of the guests or someone much closer to home? As Kristen tiptoes through ...

Every shadow hides a secret, and every whisper is a potential threat. I’m an enchantress, who’s stuck with an insufferable wolf shifter. An unsettling dark power threatens to consume the town of Ravensgate. We're plunged into a web of deceit, rituals, and rogue magic practitioners. Working together isn't a choice—it's a necessity. But as our battles force us together, I'm torn between our burning animosity and our burning passions. To save Ravensgate, we must combat our enemies and our own desires, but if we falter, the darkness will claim us all. Do we have the strength to face the ...

A bull shark in the swamp? No one in the Louisiana town of St. Roch believes it at first, but when a local boy has a face-to-face encounter with the toothy monster, every big fisherman is called out for the hunt. There's a big cash bounty on the shark. Sharp-eyed Birdie Gaux and her handsome dog, Bowser, can't help noticing that shark fever is causing some shady doings in town. For instance, where is Snoozy, the clerk who works at the Gaux family fishing store?

Welcome back to the charming Goat House Market in Dogwood Dale, North Carolina, where the scent of fresh bread and blooming flowers mingle with the whisper of local legends. This time, soapmaker Beatrice Thistle finds her curiosity piqued by talk of a philosopher's stone—not one of gold, but of wisdom. When a troubled young man seeks guidance, cryptic clues begin to surface, and Bea embarks on a gentle quest through Dogwood Dale's history and the wisdom of the natural world. With the help of the market's intriguing herbalist, Juniper, and the cryptic recollections of the town's historian,...

Basil the mouse detective is called to Paris when the organizers of the Great Cheese Cook-off (an international culinary competition) start receiving threats against the event. Who could want to deprive all of mousedom of one of its tastiest nights? Basil immediately suspects Ratigan, who has escaped yet again and was seen lurking around Paris, and sets off on his investigation at the event’s location, the Parisian College of Cooking. But Basil is baffled when circumstantial evidence shows that it couldn’t have been his old enemy after all.

I gasped in horror. Would it be my friend's dreadful fate to perish in the swirling torrent below? "Take care! Take care!" I shouted. But my worst fears were realized. Ratigan went over the edge, dragging the detective with him!

When the Aldens first arrive in Elbow Bend, they meet Kate Frances, who tells them all sorts of ghost stories about the town! The scariest tale is about a ghost dog who howls at midnight and appears to warn people of danger! The Aldens think it is just a story until they hear dogs all over Elbow Bend howling at midnight. Does the ghost dog really exist or is someone playing a trick on them? The Boxcar Children are determined to find out.

From the swamplands near Bishopville, South Carolina, come reports of a seven-foot-tall, scaly humanoid creature the locals call the “Lizard Man”. Over the years, the creature has been seen by numerous witnesses, including a teenager who claimed it attacked him one night near a remote area called Scape Ore Swamp. The young man’s testimony and physical evidence was so compelling, it not only launched a serious investigation by the local sheriff’s office, but an all-out monster hunt that drew hundreds of people to the small town.

Life innovates constantly, producing perfectly adapted species—but there's a catch. Many animals and plants eke out seemingly unremarkable lives. Passive, constrained, modest, threatened. Then, in a blink of evolutionary time, they flourish spectacularly. Once we start to look, these 'sleeping beauties' crop up everywhere. But why? Looking at the book of life, from apex predators to keystone crops, and informed by his own cutting-edge experiments, renowned scientist Andreas Wagner demonstrates that innovations can come frequently and cheaply to nature, well before they are needed.

A new Pete the Cat mystery in paperback for the first time! Alex and his friends witness a pig falling from a speeding red truck. Working with the police and an animal rescue group, the kids get permission to keep the pig. But after a local TV station runs a story about the rescue, the angry truck driver shows up at Alex's house, determined to take the pig to slaughter. Who is this man? What is he hiding? Pete uses his skills to solve the mystery but, as usual, his humans don't understand. When the dangerous situation turns deadly, can Pete save himself?

When Junior brings home the classroom hamster, Scooty, he decides to build the best hamster tunnel ever. But when Scooty goes missing, all evidence points to Mud. In the meantime, Mad Mary is missing, too - although Maggie and Ralphie find her bag and cane near the highway. Have Scooty and Mad Mary been kidnapped - or worse? With a mystery around every bend, it’s going to be anything but an ordinary weekend with the Blossoms!

Princess Ellie is pony-mad! And she hates boring royal rules. She can't wait to go camping with her best friend Kate and her ponies, Moonbeam and Rainbow. There'll be no servants, no governess and - best of all -no rules! But when she hears strange noises in the night, Ellie starts to get scared. Will she solve the moonlight mystery?

Fairies abound in the realms of myth and folklore. They have enchanted humans for centuries—but are these mischievous, ethereal creatures more than just myth? One could ask for no better guide to the fairy realm than Ralph Harvey, one of England's foremost modern-day witches. In Fairy Lore he intersperses his own intriguing fairy encounters (among them, a mysterious musical interlude in an Irish valley) with succinct yet interesting introductions to the folktales of the fae.

Without a mom and with her dad busy running the museum, Liberty Jacobs was practically raised by the tarantulas, leopard geckos, and rare butterflies of the Walnut Street Insectarium. She loves being the resident “Bug Girl,” but unless Liberty and her dad can snag a big investor, they’ll lose the museum, their home, and the funding Liberty needs to launch her dream business: a butterfly release program called Life & Liberty. The investor meeting is a week away, but there’s a big problem: Liberty has reason to suspect there’s going to be a "buglary" of the museum’s rarest animals.