Reports of mysterious fires, exploding trees, and unexplained power outages in a remote Rocky Mountain town reach the RBI. Is there any truth in the terrifying stories of a strange figure in the forest with sparks flying from his fingertips? Using their powerful skills, the RBI are tested to their limits on this sizzling adventure.

Here’s the prologue for Book 8: The Lost Island!

Prologue

The sun had not long been up and was gaining strength as it beamed down on a small village near the coast of Tanzania, in Africa. A young boy began his walk to the schoolhouse, as he did every day. He knew the way well and there was no reason for him to suspect that this morning’s walk would be any different from the trip he took to school every morning; but for some reason he did. As he walked he listened o the sounds around him and noticed that something was different. The bird calls were not the same as every other day; something must have spooked them. The grass in the scrubland he walked through had been crushed, as if a herd of rhinos had run across it. Then, as he was studying the trampled ground, something caught his eye. He looked up in time to see a large shape rush out in front of him and stop for a moment before disappearing again behind a large bush.

The boy dropped his school bag in shock, but then tried to calm himself. He rubbed his eyes, not quite believing what he had seen. At first glance it had appeared that the creature might have been an elephant; the boy quite often saw elephants not far from his village, so this would have been nothing unusual, but the creature seemed to have been covered in thick reddish brown fur. He had never seen a fur-covered elephant before. He moved toward the bush where the creature had disappeared, hoping to get another look, when a horrendous noise tore through the strangely quiet air. He covered his ears, quickly. The sound was like nothing he had heard before, it sounded pained and menacing at the same time and he was not sure he wanted to know what could have possibly made it. The boy stood still for a second, filled with fear and unsure what to do, but then the terrible noise came again and the bushes rustled as if the creature responsible might appear and head toward him. In his mind something that made such a ferocious noise would surely eat people! As the sound filled the air for a third time, the boy could take no more. He willed his feet to move and ran as fast as he could back toward the village to tell everyone what he had seen and heard.

RBI books are now available in electronic format!

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Schulz’s first published drawing, however,  wasn’t Snoopy … it was a cartoon of his own dog, Spike, sent to Robert Ripley as a Believe It or Not!

Schulz’s drawing of his dog Spike became the inspiration for Snoopy.

Ripley published the sketch as part of his Believe It or Not! cartoon on February 22, 1937 (as seen to the right)

One Hungry Dog

February 22 marks the 75th anniversary of Charles Schulz’s very first published drawing.

Schulz, 15 years old at the time and nicknamed “Sparky,” submitted a sketch of his dog Spike to Robert Ripley and wrote about how the dog would eat pins, tacks, razor blades, and more.

In the book PEANUTS JUBILEE, Schulz talks about his dog and his first drawing. “Spike was a mixed breed, probably part pointer. The similarity to Snoopy is at least in the markings. Spike would eat almost anything in sight [...] I made this drawing of Spike and sent it to Ripley’s Believe it or Not!. It was my first published drawing.”

The Letter that Started it All

Young Schulz with dog Spike

“That was an amazing crossing of paths for two young illustrators who would go on to  create cartoons, books and other media that have entertained millions of people around the world,” said Norm Deska, Executive VP of Intellectual Property for Ripley Entertainment. “This cartoon was basically the birth of Snoopy.”

This oddball restaurant is located on top of an active volcano and is sure to get your kebabs grilling nice and crispy…

Powered by a flaming inferno that reaches to a deep pit underground, chefs at El Diablo Restaurant can safely rely on their “kitchen appliance” of choice to never break down. Or to erupt for that matter as there is reportedly no danger of the semi-dormant volcano blowing sky high.

Designed by artist/architect/eco-warrior César Manrique, the circular dining room offers panoramic views of the surrounding aftermath, devastated centuries ago by a series of volcanic blasts. The fallout from these eruptions made up of lumps of dark, hardened lava and ash makes for a ‘post-apocalyptic-esque” landscape. NASA is known to research the area for future lunar missions and perhaps to take advantage of some volcano-roasted chicken too.

The restaurant has been in place since the 1970′s and serves traditional Canary Islands cuisine.

It’s President’s Week here at Ripley Radio – An On-Demand Oddcast, as we present two amazing and unusual stories you won’t find anywhere else.
We hear that President Andrew Jackson may be the biggest party animal the White House has ever seen! Author and presidential historian Jacopo della Quercia visits and explains what Jackson’s big and boisterous Cheese Party was all about!

We learn from Ian Randall Strock that the fertility of the US Commander in Chief tells us a great deal about how we should judge the success of a president. His research is expansive and he tells us everything you ever wanted to know about fertility, kids, grandkids and siblings in the White House. Check out Ian’s latest presidential book project!

Listen to the Oddcast

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Additional Amazing, Unusual and Totally Baffling Items Discussed This Week:

• The biggest hit so far this year on YouTube is a video of the up-to-now-unknown band, Walk off the Earth. Ralf talks with them about the video on which all five of them play “Somebody I Used to Know,” on the SAME guitar at the SAME time. Not to be outdone, the five members of the Ripley Ensemble gather around one guitar and play “Tequila,” a totally unmemorable and somewhat embarrassing moment in the history of Ripley Radio.
• Angela shares a few of the unusual customs associated with the 15 day celebration surrounding the Chinese New Year, including such rules that one should not gift a pair of shoes or a green hat to someone during that period.

• Believe It or Not! a student can now enroll in a class at Rutgers University dedicated to the study of singer Beyonce! If time allows, other divas, including Lady Gaga will also be covered.
• Sideshow historian James Taylor shares a piece of the past with us as he describes a most unusual type of carnival midway attraction – genuine medical exhibitions.
• Intern Abby helps those still wondering what they should do when they grow up with a few hints on which occupations NOT to pursue, including newspaper reporter, toll collector and chemist. Some of these will totally surprise you!
• Ripley’s official cartoonist John Graziano returns with a few fun and totally offbeat items created in the 1930s at the height of the Ripleyana craze in America.
• Author and fast talker Fran Capo tells the tale of the mysterious Leatherman, which she features in her new book, Myths and Mysteries of New York.

Here are a couple pages from Chapter 3: Sports.

These pages come right out of Unbelievable Stories For Guys, available May 1!

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Discover All of Ripley’s Amazing Books at www.ripleybooks.com