Cryptid Hunters (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Marty and Grace O'Hara were twins, but you wouldn't know it if you saw them together..." (more)
Key Phrases: goblin universe, laurel lee, tracking tags, Noah Blackwood, Uncle Travis, Travis Wolfe (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 5-8–When their parents disappear, twins Marty and Grace, 13, are taken in by their Uncle Travis, who searches the world for supposedly mythical creatures. After a parachute fall from an airplane, the kids find themselves in the middle of the Congo, where a surviving dinosaur may still exist. While their conservationist uncle tries to rescue the children, an evil cryptid hunter who kills species rather than saving them pursues the creature. Marty and Grace each have distinct, if not terribly complex personalities, and their adventures are quite absorbing. The first part of the story moves fairly slowly as the characters and the concept of cryptozoology are introduced. Once the twins hit the jungle, though, things get exciting. Along with the atmospheric setting, narrow escapes, and ruthless villains, a couple of neat personal revelations are woven into the tale, affecting nearly everybody involved. Both kids show courage and ingenuity as they try to survive the wild and avoid being captured. Marty's photographic memory provides a vehicle for presenting many facts about the environment without detracting from the tale. Grace is more introverted as she conquers her fears and discovers a life-changing revelation about her past. With the intriguing plot and plenty of well-paced action, this novel has fine booktalk potential and makes a good choice for adventure fans.–Steven Engelfried, Beaverton City Library, OR
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

Gr. 5-8. When twins Marty and Grace O'Hara discover that their adventurous parents have gone missing, they leave their Swiss boarding school and join their mysterious uncle, Travis Wolfe, on his island in Washington State. They soon learn that their uncle is one of the world's foremost authorities on cryptids (think Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster). Wolfe is scheduled to look for dinosaurs in the African jungle, and he plans to leave Marty and Grace in Europe before the expedition starts. Things go awry, however, when an accident plunges Marty and Grace into the middle of the Congolese jungle. Soon the henchmen of the evil Noah Blackwood are pursuing the twins. The action is nonstop in this well-paced jungle adventure, and Smith adds a deeper layer in scenes of Marty and Grace discovering truths about their complicated family relationships. Several loose ends suggest more cryptid-recovery expeditions to come. Todd Morning
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion Book CH; 1 edition (December 27, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786851619
• ISBN-13: 978-0786851614
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (45 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #283,328 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dylan - a great book, December 5, 2005

A Kid's Review

While in a boarding school, Marty and Grace find out that there parents have been in a terrible helicopter crash in the middle of the jungle, and their parents chances of survival are very slim. That is when everything changes. They then find out that there is a family member out there that they didn't even know existed. It is there uncle Travis Wolfe and he lives on an island by himself. Travis is there only family left, so they are then flown to his island.
They find out that Travis is really big into crypto-zoology , and was going on a trip into the jungle about two weeks after there arrival. Grace and Marty's trip back to boarding school turns out with them lost in the jungle, alone. They also find out some long hidden secrets about there family, and that they are not brother and sister. Grace and Marty are finally rescued after a couple of weeks in the jungle, and return back home safe.
I really liked this book because it is full of adventure, and it was very hard to have to stop reading , if I could have I would have read non- stop all the way through the book. This book was great!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars - a really good book , November 28, 2005

A Kid's Review

Grace and Marty are at a boarding school when they find out that there parents are dead. They are then forced to go live with there uncle Travis that they didn't even know existed. Uncle Travis lives on an island and he is big into crypto zoology.
On a trip to find the last living dinosaur on earth, they run into big problems. They have to fight to survive out in the middle of the jungle. Throughout there journey, Grace and Marty reveal some long hidden secrets about there Uncle Travis. Brave and daring, they end up leaving the jungle safely, with the bad guys left behind.
I really liked this book because it keeps you reading. You get to some good parts in the book and you don't want to stop. This would be a great book to come out with a sequel. Another reason I really like this book is because I really like adventure books, and this book is full of adventure.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST BOOK EVER!!!!, January 5, 2006

A Kid's Review

THIS BOOK IS THE BEST BOOK I HAVE EVER READ. IT'S FULL OF MYSTERY AND ACTION. IT'S FUNNY! THE MAIN CHARACTERS ARE GRACE AND MARTY WHO ARE TWINS AND NEAR THE END OF THE BOOK THERE IS A BIG SUPRISE! THEIR UNCLE WHO THEY GO TO LIVE WITH IS ACTUALLY GRACE'S.... YOU'LL HAVE TO READ IT TO FIND OUT.