About Amanda Ross

Hi! Amanda here.

You probably already know that I love traveling to interesting places. My curiosity gets me into trouble sometimes but I always meet interesting people and learn fascinating new things. What you maybe didn’t know is that I enjoy collecting recipes from the places I visit.

I’m an only kid and my parents work a lot. So I do much of the cooking. They are happy to eat whatever I make them. I like to read, and I read a lot. Can you believe, I even read cookbooks? My friend Leah thinks I’m a bit strange.

Leah Anderson is my BFF and we travel together. We met in the United Arab Emirates where we had a great time. We got lost in the desert, were chased by bounty hunters and even encountered a sandstorm, but I got to ride a camel named Ali Baba which was so cool. Leah thinks I’m a bit too impulsive and curious. I like helping people, like the young girl we met in Spain who needed help to get her pony back from nasty horse thieves. Sometimes this gets us into scary situations.

Leah invited me to visit her and her parents in England, that’s where they’re from. Wowza, was that ever exciting. We visited amazing places like Windsor Castle, Hampton Court and the Isle of Wight. I loved being up close to all that history I’ve been reading about since, well – since I could read. We had to find a missing vintage novel which took us to creepy places.

So I invited her to visit me in Alberta. I thought it would be boring but she loved it! Go figure. We went on a cattle drive and bought cowboy boots together. The Calgary Stampede was fun and so was visiting the dinosaur museum in the Badlands. Too bad about that mean cowboy who wanted a rock I found and followed us wherever we went.

Then, we all went on a cruise down the Danube River. I can’t believe I was able to tear my mom and dad away from work to go on a holiday with Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. We saw so many great places in Germany, Austria and Hungary and I ate tons of apple strudel. We all had a good time but I had trouble keeping that precious violin safe for the homeless musician. It was hard to know who I could trust.

Leah didn’t come with me to New Mexico because it was a school trip. I went with a new friend from class, Cleo, who was spooked about seeing ghosts. Some weird things happened on that trip and now I’m not sure if I believe in ghosts or not.

I’m excited about going to Holland to meet Leah and her dad. I hope to see lots of tulips and windmills. I love adventure but I promised Leah I would stay out of trouble this time. We’ll see.

I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures in the Amanda Travels Series.

Hugs,

Amanda

More about Amanda and her adventures

Amanda Ross had a wonderful adventure in the United Arab Emirates. She will never forget the camel race, shopping at the souq, swimming in the Persian Gulf and riding a camel. When she came back to Canada and told her friends about her travels, some of them didn’t believe her but that was OK. She made a scrapbook with the pictures she took and of the souvenirs she collected. She even had a picture of her and Ali Baba, the camel she treasured.  Read about her adventures in Amanda in Arabia-The Perfume Flask

She kept in touch with Leah, the friend she made in the UAE, by email. When Leah invited her to come to Spain to spend a holiday with her, Amanda jumped at the chance. She did extra chores at home, babysat and took on a paper route to save up money for the trip. Spain was wonderful and she got to see and do a lot. She visited Madrid, explored a mountain town with houses hanging on the edge of cliffs, stayed overnight in an old, spooky monastery, took part in a tomato fight and discovered the amazing sights of Barcelona.

There was only one problem; a young girl, looking amazingly like a girl in a famous painting, kept showing up wherever Amanda and Leah happened to be. Following her was an evil horse dealer who seemed determined to make life miserable for everyone. Could Amanda keep this sweet young girl, and her beloved pony, safe without bringing harm to herself and Leah?  Read about these adventures in Amanda in Spain-The Girl in the Painting

Amanda travels to England to spend spring break with Leah.  She has to get used to funny accents and cars driving on the opposite side of the road.  The girls visit the Isle of Wight where they meet Charlie, a kind old bookseller, and his cat Rupert. During their visit, they discover a vintage book is missing from a set, meet a couple of dubious teenagers and a suspicious woman. Amanda enjoys her first sailboat ride and has fun exploring Hampton Court, Harrod’s, The Tower of London and Windsor Castle. Charlie, Rupert and the teenagers keep showing up as well as two men in dark suits.  What has happened to the missing novel and why is Charlie acting so strange?

Find out in Amanda in England-The Missing Novel, the third in the series.

Amanda is delighted to show Leah around Alberta when she visits her from England. They take in the Calgary Stampede, tour a ranch, visit Head-Smashed-In Buffalo Jump, spend time at the Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur Museum and explore the Drumheller Hoodoos.  When Amanda finds a stone with a unique mark on it, she doesn’t think it’s very important, until everyone appears to want it. Is this stone worth ruining Leah’s holiday and risking their lives? Spend time with Amanda in Alberta as she attempts to decipher the writing on the stone in the fourth Amanda adventure Amanda in Alberta – The Writing on the Stone.

Drumheller Hoodoos

Amanda on the Danube – The Sounds of Music

Amanda is on an elegant riverboat with her bestie, Leah, cruising down the beautiful Danube, passing medieval castles, luscious green valleys and charming villages. She is entrusted with a valuable violin by a young, homeless musician during a stop in Nuremberg, Germany. Not long after, a mischievous young boy attempts to take the instrument from her.

Amanda and Leah see some amazing sights as they explore Melk Abbey, the musical city of Vienna and the historical city of Budapest. Along the way, they meet a mysterious monk, a Santa Claus look-alike, a kind violinist and the same nasty boy. While exploring the scary catacombs of St. Stephens Cathedral or wandering the cobblestone streets of Regensburg, can she keep the precious violin safe for the poor prodigy? Follow Amanda down the Danube as she enjoys the enchanting sounds of music everywhere she goes, but wonders who she can trust.

Village along the Danube

Amanda in New Mexico-Ghosts in the Wind

Amanda Ross goes on a school trip to Taos, New Mexico with several of her fellow creative students. She shares a room with Cleo, an anxious classmate who insists she sees ghosts. Although Amanda is determined to prove there is no such thing, she can’t seem to shake the feeling that something or someone is watching her.

Join Amanda, Cleo and their funny friend, Caleb, as they visit an ancient and beautiful landscape where a traditional hacienda, an ancient pueblo, and a haunted and spooky hotel all hold secrets to a wild and violent past.

Does Cleo really see ghosts? Can Amanda escape the eerie wind that follows her everywhere? Perhaps The Day of the Dead will reveal the mysteries of Taos in this latest adventure of Amanda’s travels.

Taos Pueblo, New Mexico