"Set in a land where magic can be terrifying, Chasing the Valley combines the friendship and camaraderie of Ranger s Apprentice with the hardship and survival of The Hunger Games with spectacular results. Danika is used to struggling for survival. But when the tyrannous king launches an attack to punish her city echoing the alchemy bombs that killed Danika s family she risks her life in a daring escape over the city s walls. Danika joins a crew of desperate refugees who seek the Magnetic Valley, a legendary safe haven. But when she accidentally destroys a palace biplane, Danika Glynn becomes the most wanted fugitive in Taladia. Pursued by the king s vicious hunters and betrayed by false allies, Danika also grapples with her burgeoning magical abilities. And when she meets the mysterious Lukas, she must balance her feelings against her crew s safety. Chasing the Valley is the first book in an epic trilogy of magic, treachery and survival."

The action-packed adventure continues in the second book of the Chasing the Valley trilogy! Danika and her crew of escaped refugees are seeking the safety of the Magnetic Valley – and trying to evade Sharr Morrigan, the king’s most lethal hunter. But the borderlands they must cross to reach the Valley are smugglers’ territory: lawless, wild and steeped in ancient magic. When one of the crew is badly wounded, Danika turns to the smugglers for help – and accepts a bargain that might prove deadly. It is Lukas, however, who hides the most dangerous secret. What has he seen through the eagle’s eyes? The answer can be found in an alchemy charm and a smuggler’s tale, and will lead Danika and her friends to an electrifying, unputdownable showdown. THE CHASING THE VALLEY SERIES: BOOK 1: CHASING THE VALLEY BOOK 2: BORDERLANDS BOOK 3: SKYFIRE PRAISE FOR BORDERLANDS: 'The ultimate blend of an oppressive rule, a post-apocalyptic landscape, adventure, survival and a touch of romance, beautifully woven into a heart-stopping storyline.' divabooknerd.com 'An epic sequel to the first novel, Chasing the Valley. Borderlands carries on with the story seamlessly and makes the reader feel like they never put the last book down. With themes of action, mystery and mild romance, this novel suits older readers who enjoy reading a good fight and tales of survival. This series is definitely, without a doubt, one of my favourites.' readplus.com.au

Examines the unique qualities of the foods of the desert areas of Mexico and the southwestern United States, discussing how the ecology and cultural history of the area shape its food.

Danika and her crew of escaped refugees are seeking the safety of the Magnetic Valley - and trying to evade Sharr Morrigan, the king's most lethal hunter. But the borderlands they must cross to reach the Valley are smugglers' territory: lawless, wild and steeped in ancient magic. When one of the crew is badly wounded, Danika turns to the smugglers for help - and accepts a bargain that might prove deadly.

Blood Oranges traces the origins and legacy of racial differences between Anglo Americans and ethnic Mexicans (Mexican nationals and Mexican Americans) in the South Texas borderlands in the twentieth century. Author Tim Bowman uncovers a complex web of historical circumstances that caused ethnic Mexicans in the region to rank among the poorest, least educated, and unhealthiest demographic in the country. The key to this development, Bowman finds, was a “modern colonization movement,” a process that had its roots in the Mexican-American war of the nineteenth century but reached its culmination in the twentieth century. South Texas, in Bowman’s words, became an “internal economy just inside of the US-Mexico border.” Beginning in the twentieth century, Anglo Americans consciously transformed the region from that of a culturally “Mexican” space, with an economy based on cattle, into one dominated by commercial agriculture focused on citrus and winter vegetables. As Anglos gained political and economic control in the region, they also consolidated their power along racial lines with laws and customs not unlike the “Jim Crow” system of southern segregation. Bowman argues that the Mexican labor class was thus transformed into a marginalized racial caste, the legacy of which remained in place even as large-scale agribusiness cemented its hold on the regional economy later in the century. Blood Oranges stands to be a major contribution to the history of South Texas and borderland studies alike.

Natalie Palladino was a normal fifteen-year-old, at a normal school, about to face a normal maths test. Now her codename is Nomad, and she’s training to become a secret agent for HELIX. No one can know that sorcery exists. No one can know that HELIX protects humanity from the Inductors. And no one can know that Nomad is a Witness, with a dangerous magical gift. The Inductors are hunting her. If they find her, they will kill her. But there’s a traitor inside HELIX, and only a Witness can identify them. The problem is, Nomad hasn’t mastered her powers. She can’t levitate, fight or wield magic like her fellow recruits. If she’s the only hope to stop a sorcerous bomb being detonated, the world is in trouble. The eleventh hour is coming . . .

In this engaging personal narrative, biologist Fred Gehlbach describes the stability and changes of the past century in the Borderlands' climate, landforms, and natural communities and in its distinctive plants and vertebrates.