In Aileen Kilgore Henderson's adventure-filled new novel, Page Williams, 12, is unexpectedly uprooted by her mother, Ellie, to a fantastic new world: the awesome landscape and canyons of Big Bend National Park in Texas. Ellie is fleeing her abusive husband and starting anew by teaching school in a town that, in the 1950s, still has vestiges of the Wild West: Animals -- including panthers -- stalk through the park, and the nearby Ghost Mountains loom over the school, filled with legends of ancient Indian tribes and a lost cache of gold.Page's adjustment to her surroundings is swift: she hikes through the park with her new friends and begins to meet some of the wild creatures that live there. As she starts to test her limits by sneaking into a forbidden canyon to hunt for the lost treasure, her mother must deal with the suspicions of the parents toward the new teacher. Jealousies, flash floods, and the unexpected return of Page's father threaten to create trouble for Page and her mother. Only through their,newfound courage are they able not only to live in their new place but to discover a treasure beyond what they could have imagined.Filled with mystery, realistic family situations, and touches of magic, The Treasure of Panther Peak once again proves Henderson a master at combining high adventure and mystery with psychological realism and the sort of characters who live on long after the book has ended.