The parents of Mandy Hope are veterinarians who operate Animal Ark, a clinic for injured animals in Welford, England. Mandy is accompanying her parents on a research expedition to study the effects of tourism and environmental change on wildlife in the sub-Artic. A small community on Baffin Island was the last stop on the tour. The town was the scene of dogsled races and the home of teams of huskies. Because of a last-minute cancellation, Mandy and her father were able to join a three-day dogsled excursion to a wildlife preserve on the island. Mrs. Hope had a bad cold and opted to stay behind.

Before the trip to the park, Mandy had plenty of time to become acquainted with the trip leader and with the huskies that would be pulling the sleds for the two teams making the trip. Mandy had particularly fallen in love with Nanook, a beautiful female husky that was the leader of one of the teams. Nanook, who was usually standoffish, had also taken to Mandy, to the surprise of the dog's owner.

On the trip, it turns out that two of the men tourists had sneaked rifles in their luggage. They each intended to shoot a caribou while on the trip, even though it was against the law. The men planned to meet up with an unscrupulous dog team owner along the way who would help them smuggle their trophies back to the plane. Needless to say, the excursion leader and Mandy's veterinarian father tried to do everything they could to protect the animals and keep the two men from violating the law.

The trip is disrupted and the teams forced off the normal trail. One team is even attacked by a pack of wolves. During these unexpected troubles, Nanook is injured in her attempt to stop two of her husky teammates from killing a particular wolf. Mandy is concerned that Nanook, far from needed medical care, will die before she can be properly treated.

Can the illegal hunters be kept from killing any game? Why would Nanook try to protect a wolf? Can she be kept from dying from her injuries? "Husky in a Hut" by Ben M. Baglio is a different kind of Animal Ark adventure.

Can Grandma's old house in the country
restore a family's happiness?

Ten-year-old Marly had grown up hearing her mother talk about the old family home on Maple Hill. To Marly, it seemed like a place of miracles. Now, her family - her mother, father, and older brother Joe - needed some miracles. Father had returned home from the war, but he had changed a lot. He was short-tempered and seemed to no longer find pleasure in anything. If the family could just get away from the city and spend some time in the Pennsylvania countryside, a miracle just might happen.

The old farmhouse had been closed for years and they knew it would have to be fixed up for them to stay when they went for a visit in March. Enough snow had fallen that the car wouldn't make it up the farm's hill. Luckily, Mr. Chris, their Santa Claus-type neighbor, used his tractor to get them to the house. It didn't take long to make the place warm and cheerful. The covers were taken off the old furniture. The stoves were fired up, even the big cook stove in the kitchen. Marly had her own room with a window and a wonderful view of the countryside.

The first miracle they all participated in was to see Mr. Chris tap the maple trees and see maple syrup being made from the sap. He was proud of the perfect prize-winning syrup he produced. It wasn't long before Joe was exploring all the fields and woods around the farm. Marly, who was more cautious than Joe, began to explore on her own. It wasn't long before they began to discover the wild animals that lived around them, including foxes and deer. Of course, mother wasn't too happy about the mice that were found in and around the farmhouse, even though Marly thought they were cute.

At first, Marly's mother had to travel back and forth from her job in the city. Before long, though, they decided they could consider living all year on Maple Hill. Marly could go to the nearby one room elementary school and Joe could attend the large middle school in the neighboring town. Joe was especially happy when he found there was a school band that he could join. When spring planting time came, Father found out that he enjoyed gardening and just might turn into a farmer himself. Each season had its own miracles and Marly experienced every detail as the wild flowers and trees changed.

As a reader of "Miracles on Maple Hill," you will come to appreciate the "miracles" just as Marly does. Author Virginia Sorensen vividly describes every one of them.

A famous soccer player tells how he became
the world's best goalkeeper

At the beginning of the story, El Gato (the Cat) is being interviewed by Paul Faustino, South America's best known soccer writer. In El Gato's hands are the world cup, the gold trophy just won a few days earlier by his team. The sports columnist thinks he is getting a story to publish in his newspaper the next day. Instead, El Gato begins a long and detailed story of his life.

El Gato had grown up at the edge of a tropical rain forest in Brazil. He lived with his father and mother. The father made his living by being trucked each day into the forest to work with logging crews at cutting down trees. Before he was old enough to be sent to work with his father, the boy tried to play soccer with the other boys from the village. The boys made fun of him because he was so clumsy and awkward. He just couldn't play the game, so he finally quit trying.

Although he had been told how dangerous it was to go alone into the forest, he began to explore deeper and deeper into the trees. He liked to observe the insects, birds, and the smaller animals that were found there. He kept drawings of what he observed. His mother was very proud of his drawings and hoped one day her son would go to the university and become a scientist. He knew, however, there was no money for that. When he was fifteen, he would become a logger just like his father.

On one of his hikes into the rain forest, he ran across a cleared area that had a soccer goal on one end. To his amazement there was a ghostly looking figure in a soccer uniform. The figure gestured to him to come closer. He called himself "the Keeper" and he began to train the boy to play soccer. Day in and day out for almost two years, the Keeper disciplined the boy, developed his strength and stamina, and trained him to be a goalkeeper. The training was harsh and relentless, but the boy finally was almost as good as his teacher.

Once he turned fifteen, the boy went to the logging camp to work on a job that his father had obtained for him. The logging crews worked only half days on Saturdays. In the afternoon, teams made up of workers played soccer. The first Saturday, they needed a keeper. The boy was excited to display his skills. Even though the games were rough and physically dangerous, the workers were all amazed at the boy's ability. The following Saturday, well-dressed strangers showed up to see him play. Once again, the boy amazed observers with his soccer playing. The strangers turned out to be owners of a professional soccer team in a large city in Brazil. The boy was offered a large amount of money and a chance to train with the team. He accepted the opportunity, even though his mother was disappointed with his decision. He was on his way to becoming an international soccer star as he moved up to play with top world teams. By that time, he was known as "El Gato" because of his catlike movements while protecting the goal.

There is lots of graphic soccer action in the story and pointers for those trying to sharpen their skills. To find out the identity of the mysterious "keeper" and the impact he had on El Gato's remaining life as a world class soccer player, you need to read the book.