Czar of Alaska: The Cross of Charlemagne (MacGregor Family) - Hardcover

Trout, Richard

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1589803280 ISBN 13: 9781589803282

Publisher: Pelican Publishing, 2005

Synopsis

The MacGregor family outwits archaeological thieves and battles ecoterrorists in the Alaskan wilderness. After surviving Caribbean hurricanes, East African ivory poachers, and Egyptian tomb raiders, the MacGregor clan is now in chillingly beautiful Alaska, battling grizzly bears, jewel thieves, and ecoterrorists. While father Jack meets with oil companies and environmentalists to assess the impact of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, his children, Chris, Ryan, and Heather, work to solve archaeological mysteries and halt plots to destroy the Alaskan wilderness.

About this title

About the Author

Richard Trout, an environmental biologist, consultant, and college professor, researches the details of his adventure tales to make them meticulously accurate and relishes the fieldwork involved. He dives the Cayman coral reef; he spends time with elephants. More importantly, he knows his young-adult readers. Mr. Trout spends countless hours in schools and libraries talking with young people about his stories and his travels, environmental issues, the pleasure of reading, and the craft of writing. He provokes lively discussions that engage his audiences and help him better understand their interests. Troutís Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto, the first novel in his MacGregor Family Adventure Series, was chosen by National Geographic as a JASON literature selection. The author spoke at the Washington, D.C. JASON Action Summit in July 2006 as part of JASONís Monster Storms curriculum. Troutís Czar of Alaska: The Cross of Charlemagne was selected as a 2006 finalist for the Teddy Award by the Writerís League of Texas. The title also earned him a finalist position for the Oklahoma Center of the Book Award in 2005. Trout has degrees in biology and natural science and teaches biological sciences at Oklahoma City Community College.

From the Back Cover

Praise for Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto, Book One in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series:

"Trout has written a tale for young people the way it should be written."
--Clive Cussler

"The author, an environmental biologist and college professor, shows his love and fierce protectiveness of natural resources and endangered species."
--KLIATT

"In an increasingly rare story line, the family is intact, with parents who are intelligent and involved in the lives of their children."
--VOYA

In Book Four in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series, zoologist Jack MacGregor, his paleontologist wife, Mavis, and children, Chris, Ryan, and Heather, are caught in a web of characters pursuing both noble and notorious goals in Alaska. Three Russian Orthodox priests seek the religious artifact the Cross of Charlemagne, while their rivals, a rogue Vatican priest and a renowned Polish archaeologist, are following a trail across Alaska left by early Russian settlers, hoping to reach the treasure first. Meanwhile, an ominous international team of ecoterrorists armed with state-of-the-art weapons are determined to prevent oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge and get rid of Jack MacGregor once and for all.
Czar of Alaska is fast paced and action packed, offering vivid details of the exhilarating Alaskan mountains, daring dogsled and helicopter excursions, plenty of sibling rivalry, and family challenges. With the aid of a local historian, the Russian Orthodox priests, a member of the native Alutiq tribe, and a seasoned FBI agent, the MacGregors strive to recover lost treasures and unwittingly find themselves trapped in a situation that has them fighting for their lives.
Richard E. Trout has degrees in biology and natural science and is a professor of biological sciences at a college in Oklahoma. He has been an accomplished scuba diver for over thirty years. His other books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series include Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto, Elephant Tears: Mask of the Elephant, and Falcon of Abydos: Oracle of the Nile, all available from Pelican. The father of two grown daughters, he and his wife reside in Oklahoma City.

From the Inside Flap

"[Marlena] sipped her drink and smiled at what she knew would be the result. . . . The American stock market would be in shambles, and the Arab oil states would be in a prime position for blackmailing the Western nations and maybe even NATO . . . Japan could be brought to her knees."

After surviving Caribbean hurricanes, East African ivory poachers, and Egyptian tomb raiders, the MacGregor clan is now in Alaska, battling grizzly bears and encountering intriguing characters. While father Jack meets with oil companies and environmentalists to assess the impact of oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, sons Chris and Ryan and daughter Heather engage in a breathtaking wilderness adventure that begins with dogsledding and ends with a surprise that will leave you spellbound!
Like the previous three books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series, this fourth novel is filled with plots that twist and turn, high-tech gadgetry, and exciting characters that only Richard E. Trout could invent. Join the MacGregors as they wind their way through another series of escapades and near-death experiences.

Richard E. Trout has degrees in biology and natural science and is a professor of biological sciences at a college in Oklahoma. He has been an accomplished scuba diver for over thirty years. His other books in the MacGregor Family Adventure Series include Cayman Gold: Lost Treasure of Devils Grotto, Elephant Tears: Mask of the Elephant, and Falcon of Abydos: Oracle of the Nile, all available from Pelican. The father of two grown daughters, he and his wife reside in Oklahoma City.

Reviews

Grade 5-8–In this fourth book in the series, the globe-trotting MacGregors are in Alaska where they face the challenges of the wilderness. Dr. Jack, a zoologist; his paleontologist wife; and their three teenagers travel up North to a meeting with oil companies and environmentalists to determine the impact of drilling for fuel in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge. At the same time, eco-terrorists are plotting against them while treasure hunters and Russian Orthodox priests are searching for the invaluable Cross of Charlemagne. The paths of these characters cross and the story lines merge into an exciting conclusion. The MacGregors' many escapades include an exciting dog-sled excursion, a bear attack, and a daring boat rescue. The novel features a strong family unit with realistic sibling rivalry and respect for parents. It can be enjoyed without having read the previous adventures but references made will encourage readers to seek out the other books.–Denise Moore, O'Gorman Junior High School, Sioux Falls, SD
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Pelican Publishing
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1589803280
• ISBN 13: 9781589803282
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 256