Synopsis
While on vacation in Yellowstone National Park, John, Millicent, and Miriam get trapped in the alternate world of Caldera, where they gain amazing powers and meet telepathic animals. Thrust into the middle of a war, they must defeat Lucifur, a fiendish, red grizzly bear, and solve the mystery of Caldera's past to find their way home.This is the first book in The Dark Matter Spectrum series. Intended for a general audience, you'll love this adventure if you enjoy franchises like Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Dark Is Rising Sequence, and Power Pack from Marvel Comics. Yellowstone: The Bears of Caldera features stunning illustrations throughout, including a fantasy map of Yellowstone National Park / Caldera, chapter drawings, an illustrated glossary of place names, and Arthur's French Phrasebook. BONUS FEATURE: Also includes The Yellowstone Sketchbook. Chad-Michael Simon shares the story behind the story, including many sketches from the development of the novel. This is a great gift idea for young readers. The age group is listed as nine (9) and up, but parents have said that their younger children have enjoyed it, too. This series does not fall into the Young Adult category, though other books of this genre may be classified this way. There are no coming-of-age relationships or sexual content in Yellowstone. This is a kids' adventure more similar to E.T. The Extraterrestrial and The Hobbit.

Fans of the YouTube video "The Spider Who Couldn't Hide" may recognize a kindred spirit in the character of Arthur. He's a tarantula with a French accent, quirky sense of humor, and a heart of gold. While there are intense moments and depictions of animal warfare, everything happens with context. The young characters discuss the consequences of their actions and of what's happening around them. Themes of the book include:
- The dangers of blindly protecting the status quo
- Rising to the occasion in the face of adversity, especially with a handicap
- Understanding what it means to be a great leader
- The importance of home and family
- Whether the sibling bond truly does stop at bears
- Working together as a team
- Understanding what it means to trust / learning how to trust others
- Recognizing the strengths in others
- The importance of critical thinking, especially in the face of radicalism Footnotes:
Middle grade fantasy adventure books
"Yellowstone childrens books"
"Yellowstone Adventure"