Book 1: Whoosh

“Race ya.”
 The sun was barely peeking over the horizon when Melody shouted this unexpected challenge to her twin brother Mallory.
 “No fair. You got a head start!”
 A head start was exactly what Melody had in mind. She wanted to make sure Mallory didn’t reach Old Faithful before she did. (He didn’t)

If 7-year-old Melody Maloney had been standing anywhere else or at any other time, this would have been an ordinary adventure story. But nature has a way of behaving that doesn’t always follow the rules.

What happens when the Old Faithful Geyser at Yellowstone National Park decides to misbehave? Melody and her twin brother Mallory find out, but no one believes them.

Parents and teachers may find the following table helpful for guiding young readers of Whoosh to additional learning resources; it also identifies subjects and topics of the sciences, humanities and family values appearing in each chapter.

Links in bold offer age-appropriate information for children; standard links offer more-advanced content for parents, teachers and bright children who want to learn more. Resource Links are updated periodically.

Chapter	Subjects/Topics	Resource Links
Helpful Hints
Chapter 1 Old Faithful = “Old Faceful?”	Earth, Space Science: geysers	Old Faithful Area Geysers at Yellowstone
Chapter 2 Old Faithful Behaves	Health: food and nutrition; Tai Chi exercises; Biology: microbes/bacteria; Earth, Space Science: Wyoming and Chicago	Microorganisms
Chapter 3 Bubbling Along the Boardwalk	Earth, Space Science: paint pots; mud pots; geysers;  Language: sounds and spelling
Chapter 4 Nature: A Closer Look	Arts: drawing; Earth, Space Science: geysers; hot springs; fumeroles; paint pots; volcanoes; caldera; Chemistry: hydrogen sulfide; Language: word derivations; classic poetry	Geysers (Wikipedia) How Volcanoes Work Types of Yellowstone Geysers
Chapter 5 All Steamed Up	Chemistry: water; molecules; steam; Math: comparing big and little things
Chapter 6 How Hot Is Hot?	Earth, Space Science: geysers; mud pots; Physics: heat; pressure; temperature; Language: classic books; writing/singing; poems
Chapter 7 Living Thermometers	Biology: bacteria; extremophiles; plant metabolism; Human, Family Values: humor; Language: word derivations; Technology: microscopes; Life Skills: creativity	Extremophiles (Wikipedia)
Chapter 8 pH? What’s That?	Chemistry: pH; elements;  Work, Careers: dreams for the future
Chapter 9 Telling Grandpa Mike about Yellowstone	Family Values: Gratitude
Chapter 10 Next Adventure