Zoo [Paperback]

Graham Marks (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 14, 2005

Seventeen-year-old Cam Stewart was living a comfortable life in Southern California until kidnappers suddenly turn his world upside down. With grit and determination he never knew he had, Cam escapes his worst nightmare, only to find a more bizarre reality waiting for him. On the run, some new friends help Cam uncover the truth about his life-and about the person he was supposed to be.

This fast-paced thriller will make every reader think twice about the consequences of genetic science.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 9 Up–Cameron Stewart, a 17-year-old athlete and all-around good guy, is kidnapped from his San Diego home and winds up in Seattle. He escapes his captors by accidentally killing one of them, and then proceeds on a long journey home by boxcar and the back of a pickup truck. When the owner of the truck and his girlfriend, Tee, discover Cam's presence, they take him to their home in Santa Monica, where he begins to unravel the secrets of his life, including the fact that he is not who he appears to be, and that his parents are involved in a covert eugenics company, of which he is actually a product. Having the feel of a survival story with a touch of mystery, Cam's weeklong adventure takes him through a dire predicament where he manages to elude his kidnappers while simultaneously dodging the police in fear of being accused of murder. However, as the plot unfolds, there are a few distracting elements, such as the coincidental discovery of the computer chip in Cam's shoulder holding secrets to his identity, and the breakneck development of Cam and Tee's romance. In addition, the epilogue provides too pat an ending. For teens wanting compelling contemporary fiction about genetic manipulation, Nancy Werlin's Double Helix (Dial, 2004) is a superior title, but Marks's precise choice of words and the book's fast pace redeem Zoo and make it a satisfying read.–Diane P. Tuccillo, City of Mesa Library, AZ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-11. After a car crash in which someone hits his Volvo, Cam awakens to find that he has been kidnapped. His family is well-to-do, but it's hardly "ransom rich." All Cam knows is that he has to escape his dangerous captors, and he does, although he kills a man in the process. Thus begins a run for his life, and as he gradually realizes that his parents may somehow be involved in his bizarre capture, Cam becomes more confused, more determined to hide in the shadows, and more inclined to depend on the kindness of strangers than his own family. Marks tells a high-adventure story that, although occasionally confusing,^B is steeped in skillful suspense that will easily carry readers from one bizarre adventure to another. Give this thrilling, multilayered novel, the British author's first to be published in the U.S., to male reluctant readers. Frances Bradburn
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Paperback: 266 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens (July 14, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582349916
• ISBN-13: 978-1582349916
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,385,818 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting fast-paced thriller that will keep you turning the pages, August 11, 2005

By 

Teenreads.com (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo (Paperback)

Groggy, drugged and disoriented, Cameron awakes to find himself the victim of a kidnapping! Cam's parents aren't overly rich, so at first he suspects that the abductors have made a mistake. But when he overhears them discussing his father, he knows this is for real. Instead of leaving his fate in the hands of criminals, he decides to take action and escape.

In the middle of the night, Cam pleads with his guard for a bathroom break, during which he swipes the only weapon-like item he can find: a can of air freshener. At just the right moment, he takes the guard by surprise with a face full of scented spray. Following with a kick to the groin, the guard drops cold. But Cam soon realizes that the guard has choked on his own vomit and is dead!

Shocked and horrified at what he's done, Cam runs from his prison and out into the night. Panicked at being blamed for an accident, he even avoids a chance of help from the police, sneaking on board a moving train to get as far away from his nightmare as he can. Not knowing what state, or even what country he's in, Cam searches for a hint as to his whereabouts and makes a collect call to his parents. But before he can be picked up, Cam encounters even more trouble --- he gets shot!

Cam finally catches a break when he hitches a ride with a beautiful, intelligent girl named Tee and her unfriendly jerk of a boyfriend. While cleaning up his bullet wound, they discover a microchip implanted in his arm. Cam vaguely remembers his mom taking him to a "special" doctor for an injection, right where the microchip is found. Why would his parents plant a chip in him? Cam's suspicions rise as they struggle to decode the data found on the chip, and in the end they discover some surprising and frightening secrets that will forever change Cam's life.

Author Graham Marks writes an exciting, fast-paced thriller with realistic characters and puzzling circumstances that will keep you guessing and turning the pages. The significance of the title is revealed closer to the end of the story when most of Cam's questions are being answered. And though Marks tends to use a bit of harsh language, it does coincide with his characters' rough edges.

--- Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman, author

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent pacey page-turner, April 6, 2006

By 

Booksthatmatter "Booksthatmatter" (Brighton, UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Zoo (Paperback)

rattling paced novel that overcomes some slightly (as in extremely) implausible plot twists. It throws in rather sophisiticated stuff about eugenics and medical-nazism with quite some verve. My teenage son really enjoyed it and has infact re-read it which is always a good sign and, for a thriller, it also prompted interesting discussions about ethics - also a good sign. Nice characterisation and some chilly bad guys ratchet up the tension - I shall be looking out the author's other books.