The rock wall above them was as smooth as polished black marble. There were no crevices and no ledges. They would have to fight for every inch. Rick looked at his friends. J.D. and Spud nodded silently. Rick stood up and started. His job would be to make the trail. Their job was to make sure he lived through it. High atop treacherous Devil’s Wall, The Rock Jockeys find much to explore. Sheer mountain cliffs. Wild woodland. Even a crashed B-17 bomber! But when they stumble upon a crew member’s diary—and underneath other eerie clues—the boys realize Devil’s Wall also holds a gruesome secret. That secret leaves The Rock Jockeys with a haunting question: If trapped on the mountain, would they do anything it takes to survive?

Oliver Lewis was champion jockey of the Kentucky Derby in 1875 with a winning race time of two minutes and 37 seconds. Jockey Willie Simms won in 1896, bringing his horse in at two minutes and seven seconds. James Winkfield was the winning jockey in both 1901 and 1902 with winning race times of two minutes and seven seconds and two minutes and eight seconds, respectively. Each of these men possessed the skill and power necessary to spur a horse to glorious victory. All are members of the small, select group of Derby-winning jockeys who were African Americans. The stakes were high: Black jockeys who won a race in the late 1700s and 1800s sometimes won freedom from slavery as well. This work examines the presence of black jockeys in the Kentucky Derby, from the first instance of slaves working as stable hands and tending their masters' horses to the first black jockey to win the prestigious Kentucky Derby in 1875 and the continued participation of black jockeys in the Kentucky Derby. Black owners and trainers in the Kentucky Derby are also discussed. Three appendices list black winning jockeys, black trainers and black owners of Kentucky Derby horses.

For 40 years the most attended sport in New England was thoroughbred racing. Since1933 when pari-mutuel racing was legalized in the region after 300 years of puritanical opposition there were 16 tracks in operation in five New England states. Today there is only one track left and its barely surviving. The Pilgrims Would be Shocked: The History Of Thoroughbred Racing In New England traces the rise and near fall of the sport, beginning with its puritanical background when people were put in the stocks and fined by the Pilgrims for merely racing horses, with or without wagering. Finally, in 1906, a meet was run at Rockingham Park in Salem, New Hampshire which was financed by John Bet A Million Gates. His million dollar bet proved to be a loser as the track was quickly closed down by authorities because of gambling at the facility. Wagering had not been legalized by the state legislature and church leaders and others demanded it be stopped. In 1933, Lou Smith, an amazing immigrant son of impoverished Russian parents, came to the Granite State and, through his power of persuasion and political savvy, convinced the legislature during the hard economic times of the Depression to legalize pari-mutuel racing. The enabling legislation was passed and the first race meeting was an unqualified artistic and financial success, producing top quality racing, high employment and significant revenue to Salem and the state of New Hampshire. Seeing the tremendous success of New Hampshire, Rhode Island legalized the sport in 1934 and Massachusetts in 1935. The tracks produced significant tax revenues and employment for these states as well. For the next four decades the greatest horses (including three Triple Crown winner), jockeys, owners and trainers competed throughout New England, producing the highest caliber of racing. There was no shortage of incredible occurrences during that time, including the closing of Narragansett Park by the National Guard on orders of the Rhode Island governor, and a man who ran out in front of the horses at the finish of a stakes race at Suffolk Downs in East Boston. Beginning in the late 1970s the sport began its decline for a number of reasons. This book analyzes the factors contributing to its fall in popularity and possible solution to saving it from extinction.

Tag pointed his flashlight into the hole and peered inside. It was impossible. The inside was hollow, like an underwater cave. Something shiny lay near the opening and reflected the beam from his light. He reached inside and pulled it out. A pewter spoon. If he could have made a sound, he would have screamed with joy. He tucked the spoon in his vest pocket and reached into the hole again. A sharp stab of pain shot through his left hand. Something had hold of the tip of his thumb and was trying to yank him into the hole! Tag Jones knows that somewhere in the azure water and coral reef surrounding Bermuda lies a sunken ship full of treasure. El Patron sank in 1614, and Tag’s father died in a diving accident while looking for it. Tag won’t give up until he finds El Patron—and he’s not scared off by the local legend that says the ship is cursed. But when two tourists ask Tag and his friend Cowboy to retrieve some mysterious underwater parcels for them, the boys find themselves in dangerous water, way over their heads!

As Brett watched, one hand slipped loose, then the other. Tom dropped, screaming, into the flames. His body, all red and bubbled, boiled up once to the surface, then was gone. PLAYER ONE HAS ONE LIFE REMAINING. GAME CONTINUES. Flaming fire rivers. Divebombing buzz-bugs. A cruel king waiting to do battle in his computer-generated castle. Video game whizzes Brett Wilder and Tom Houston think that new virtual reality game Rodomonte’s Revenge is awesome-until it takes over their minds. Then the game playing becomes dangerously real, and one wrong move could be the last.

Justin McCallister loves life on his aunt and uncle's Montana sheep ranch...until a grizzly bear begins terrorizing the livestock, injuring Justin's collie, Radar, and killing his pet lamb, Blue. Justin decides to take matters into his own hands and sets out to track down the bear. But things become more dangerous than Justin ever could have imagined when he comes face-to-face with the grizzly.

Includes a statistical issue (title varies slightly) 1947-