Three girls follow their grandmother into her garden, where they examine her collection of rocks, crystals, shells, and meteorites and learn about the marvels they reveal.

"Bear loves playing in the leaves in autumn; after winter hibernation the leaves are gone, and Bear learns they will return when autumn comes again. Includes author's note on ecology and the importance of leaf decomposition"-- Baby Bear loves playing in the leaves in the autumn, but after his winter hibernation the piles of leaves are gone, and his mother explains that the forest needs time to do the work of decomposition--but the piles of leaves...

Jake, Amber, and Wes encounter new dangers and find their friendship tested as they follow the clues Jake's grandfather hid away in the old scrapbook. The stakes are higher, and the history goes deeper as the three kids put their heads together to solve a puzzle that is perhaps hundreds of years in the making.

One night, while Dalia slept safely wrapped in her mother's cool silken sheets, her hair grew and grew. By the time the rooster crowed, her hair had "grown straight up to the sky, tall and thick as a Cuban royal palm tree." Her mother was amazed, and wondered what her daughter would do with her wondrous hair. As Dalia looked at the flowers blooming in the garden, an idea sprouted inside her. She decorated her hair with leaves from the forest and...

After camping in Rocky Mountain National Park, Jake and his friends travel to the Great Sand Dunes in southern Colorado. Exploring the heart of the dunes, they stumble upon something both unexpected and dangerous. Through more twists and turns, Jake's friendships and integrity are tested by choices that will demand smarts and courage. The mystery unfolds as Jake, Amber, and Wes learn about survival skills, natural history, integrity, character, and...