Devil's Breath Volcano

Book excerpt: When marine biologist Dr. Randy Heath contacts his old friend Jack MacGregor to investigate dangerous pollution in a pearl bed, the adventurous MacGregor family travels to the South Pacific to solve the mystery. With his younger siblings, Heather and R. O., and his girlfriend, Natalie, eighteen-year-old Chris MacGregor discovers a dangerous link between a toxic underwater leak and an illegal gold-mining operation. Now, Chris and his family must journey from the aquatic splendor of the South Pacific to the dangerous rainforests of New Guinea in order to stop the deadly pollution from destroying the pearl beds. Filled with facts about history and science, book six in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series is a thrilling quest for middle readers as Chris and his family must struggle against time to stop the criminals harming the environment and threatening the MacGregor clan! ABOUT THE SERIES The MacGregor Family Adventure Series has received praise from School Library Journal for featuring "a strong family unit with realistic sibling rivalry and respect for parents." Reviewers, teachers, librarians, and young readers have praised the series' sensitivity to other cultures and its balanced view of environmental issues as well as the research and attention to detail regarding foreign landscapes, technology, and sociopolitical issues. The books have also been used to encourage reluctant readers due to Trout's fast-paced writing and his signature inclusion of scenes depicting outdoor adventure sports like scuba diving, whitewater rafting, and rock climbing as well as refreshingly realistic teenage dialogue. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Richard Trout is a professor of biological sciences. His other books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series include Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto, Elephant Tears: Mask of the Elephant, Falcon of Abydos: Oracle of the Nile, Czar of Alaska: The Cross of Charlemagne, and Sign of the Dragon, all available from Pelican. His first novel, Cayman Gold, was selected for the National Geographic Society's JASON Project 2006.