It's summer and the three Barker brothers―Simon, Henry, and Jack―just moved from Illinois to Arizona. Their parents have warned them repeatedly not to explore Superstition Mountain, which is near their home. But when their cat Josie goes missing, they see no other choice. There's something unusually creepy about the mountain and after the boys find three human skulls, they grow determined to uncover the mystery. Have people really gone missing over the years, and could there be someone or some thing lurking in the woods? Together with their new neighbor Delilah, the Barker boys are dead-set on cracking the case even if it means putting themselves in harm's way. Here's the first book in an action-packed mystery series by a New York Times bestselling author. Missing on Superstition Mountain is a Publishers Weekly Best Children's Fiction title for 2011. Amazon Best Books of the Month, June 2011 : A legendary gold mine, mysterious deaths, and a foreboding mountain set the stage for a new mystery from bestselling author Elise Broach. The Barker brothers--ages 11, 10, and 6--have moved from Chicago to a small town in Arizona that seems like the most boring place on earth. Boring, that is, until they discover that the mountain they are forbidden to explore--appropriately called Superstition Mountain--is keeping some pretty big secrets. Searching for their missing cat, the boys stumble across three human skulls, and with their new neighbor Delilah, they set out to solve the mystery of who died, and how. Actual people and events throughout the story add to the intrigue, as Broach’s novel packs history, friendship, and exploration, into a rousing tale that will appeal to mystery and adventure readers alike.-- Seira Wilson “In this novel for children ages 8-12 she [Elise Broach] purposely leaves storylines dangling, the better perhaps to lure us back for sequels that will (we hope!) disclose what has gone missing on Superstition Mountain.” ― The Wall Street Journal “A spine-tingling adventure unfolds over the course of swift-moving short chapters, enhanced by Caparo's engaging black-and-white illustrations throughout.” ― Shelf Awareness “Children will be pleased by the mountain climbing and clue-finding aspects.” ― School Library Journal “Broach follows her acclaimed Masterpiece with an exciting adventure set in a real-life Arizona mountain range that boasts numerous legends about colorful historical figures, unsolved murders, strange disappearances, and rumors of a hidden gold mine . . . . Classic horror and thriller elements combine with modern touches in Broach's page-turner, a very promising start to this series.” ― Starred, Publishers Weekly “With the unusual setting, the lure of mystery and adventure, and a certain innocence reminiscent of the Boxcar Children series, this story should find a ready audience. ” ― Booklist Elise Broach is the New York Times bestselling author of Masterpiece , Shakespeare’s Secret and Desert Crossing , Missing on Superstition Mountain , the first book in the Superstition Mountain Trilogy, as well as several picture books. Her books have been selected as ALA notable books, Junior Library Guild selections, a Publishers Weekly Best Children’s Book, a New York Public Library Best Book for the Teenage, an IRA Teacher’s Choice, an E.B. White Read Aloud Award, and nominated for an Edgar Award, among other distinctions. Ms. Broach holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in history from Yale University. She was born in Georgia and lives in the woods of rural Connecticut, walking distance from three farms, a library, a post office and two country stores. Antonio Javier Caparo has illustrated many books for children, including the Magic Thief series and The Young Reader’s Shakespeare: A Midsummer Night’s Dream . He lives in Montreal, Canada. Missing on Superstition Mountain By Elise Broach Henry Holt and Co. (BYR) Copyright © 2011 Elise Broach All right reserved. ISBN: 9780805090475 CHAPTER 1 JOSIE RUNS AWAY   THE DAY JOSIE RAN AWAY was the beginning of everything—the bones in the canyon, the haunted mountain, the buried treasure, the town full of secrets—but the Barker boys didn’t know it then. All they knew was that Josie was missing,  again , and they had to find her. It would be harder here, in this strange place in the middle of the desert. But they had no idea how hard, or what else they would find while they were looking. Josie and the Barker boys had just moved to an old brown-shingled house in Superstition, Arizona, a town in the shadow of an enormous, craggy mountain called Superstition Mountain. So far, the Barker boys didn’t much like it. The house itself was all right. It had belonged to their great-uncle, Hank Cormody, or “crazy Uncle Hank” as Mr. Barker called him. Uncle Hank was a former cattle wrangler, gambler, and scout for the U.S. Cavalry, who had shockingly left the house to Mr. Barker in his will when he died at the ri