New Releases by Peter Lourie

Lourie completed his trip. It took him three weeks and marked the first time anyone has traveled from the source of the Hudson to the mouth in a single vessel. The Hudson proved to be a very changeable river. It includes seven locks and nine power dams. The northern half is a true river with strong current, but the lower half is tidal, a sunken river from the days of glaciers. In its first 165 miles, it drops more than 4,000 feet to Albany. The second half falls no more than a foot. Lourie''s account of his trip is a fresh look at one of America''s great and complex waterways, one of the few, in fact, that still contains its historical and biological species of fish. It is also the longest inland estuary in the world. Henry Hudson called it the "great river of the mountains." Nowadays, too often the Hudson is stereotyped as a ruined, polluted industrial river. Its glorious past is compared to its present neglect. In River of Mountains, Peter Lourie combines the Hudson''s rich history and descriptions of some of the region''s most impressive landscape with the residents of its mill towns, the loggers, commercial fishermen, and barge pilots-all of whom are proof that the river is still a thriving, vital waterway. So, come with Peter Lourie on his trip, come explore with him from a canoe one of this country''s great rivers, join him in his wonderful adventure.

A spellbinding biography of Fridtjof Nansen, the pioneer of polar exploration, with a spotlight on his harrowing three-year journey to the top of the world. An explorer who many adventurers argue ranks alongside polar celebrity Ernest Shackleton, Fridtjof Nansen contributed tremendous amounts of new information to our knowledge about the Polar Arctic. At a time when the North Pole was still undiscovered territory, he attempted the journey in a way that most experts thought was mad: Nansen purposefully locked his ship in ice for two years in order to float northward along the currents. Richly illustrated with historic photographs, this riveting account of Nansen''s Arctic expedition celebrates the legacy of an extraordinary adventurer who pushed the boundaries of human exploration to further science into the twentieth century. Christy Ottaviano Books

-A middle grade biography of Jack London that sheds light on how he drew upon adventure and life experience to create works of literature---

In 1521 the world of the Aztecs came to a sudden end when Hernan Cortes, the Spanish conquistador, destroyed their capital. The ruins of that city lie beneath the streets of modern-day Mexico City. Peter Lourie traveled to Mexico City to meet the renowned archaeologist Leonardo Lopez Lujan. With Dr. Lujan as his guide, the author viewed the diggings at the Aztec Great Temple, and even met the God of Death in the basement of the temple''s museum."

Do 750 tons of Inca gold lie hidden in the misty mountains of Ecuador? Enter the mysterious realm of the Inca as Peter Lourie ventures to what seems like the top of the world, where he discovers there is more than gold hidden in the mountains. There is adventure--and history.

Young readers can follow scientists as they scan the Alaskan wilderness for these magnificent creatures. Full color.

Highlights the work scientists are doing to protect the manatee, an endangered species.

The Iñupiat people of Alaska''s North Slope must learn to adjust to a changing climate that threatens to disrupt their ancient culture.

In Writing to Explore, David and Peter demonstrate how to teach adventure writing, which integrates nonfiction and fiction and motivates students to write with imagination, curiosity, and a hunger to learn everything about their topic. The book starts with a solid foundation in the basics of good writing: setting descriptions, writing atmosphere, and character development. The authors then explore the specific elements of adventure writing--from setting the stage to conducting research; from combining history and geography to effectively utilizing technology. The result is an adventure-based paper that is "rooted in real places, supported by facts, and developed with detailed description of images from real locations." Teachers will find handouts, sample activities, student writing examples, research sources, and tips to help them create a nonfiction writing program based around the adventure writing model. Research papers don''t have to be boring to read or to write. This book will show you how to get vibrant papers from your students--papers that teach both reader and writer something new.

Profiles the work of John Craighead George, an Arctic whale scientist, as he studies the bowhead whale and works with the indigenous people of Alaska to better understand the history of the animal.

In 1527, the conquistador Cabeza de Vaca set sail for the Spanish territory of La Florida. His aim was to explore and colonize an unknown land that stretched from present-day Florida to Texas.

Presents, in text and photographs, a journey to Chaco Canton, New Mexico, examining ruins, culture, and theories of why the Anasazi abandoned the region.

Describes how twelve-year-old Suzanna learned how to scuba dive and with her father, Peter swam with the sharks of Andros.

Provides history, folklore, and modern tales about the second-longest river in the United States.

The author and three friends make a present-day journey retracing Lewis and Clark''s path up the Missouri River.

The author and his family make a present-day journey that retraces Sacagawea''s trail, from Fort Mandan in North Dakota to Fort Clatsop in Oregon.

A chronicle of a journey to the Maya ruins of Palenque, Mexico.

Two boys living along the Hudson River track historical clues and try to elude a crazed treasure-hunter as they search for bounty rumored to have been hidden in 1699.

An informative essay about a trip across the Erie Canal, complemented by photographs.

Eight billion dollars? worth of Inca gold and silver are rumored to be hidden in an unmapped region of the Andes. This is the captivating story of that fabled treasure and the centuries-old spell it has cast on many, including a young American student, Peter Lourie. While completing anthropological fieldwork in Ecuador, Lourie heard the legend of Atahualpa?s ransom. The Incas gathered seven-hundred tons of gold (Sweat of the Sun) and silver (Tears of the Moon) to purchase the freedom of their king, Atahualpa, from Pizarro and his conquistadors. After the Inca ruler?s murder, the treasure vanished into the forsaken Llanganati range of the Andes. Lourie abandoned his graduate school ambitions to search for Atahualpa?s ransom. His quest for clues and his journey into the heart of the Andes is an absorbing and exciting detective story. Lourie?s account is also unforgettable for its revelations about the lives and characters of seasoned treasure hunters, the obsessed few lured by the siren song of legendary gold.

An informative account of a trip into the Everglades.

An account of the author''s 315-mile canoe trip down the Hudson River. Accompanied by color photographs and map.