Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.0 AVERAGE
4.0 AVERAGE
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Yes
A very slow start / almost a DNF / but at the halfway point it really picked up & I read it in an afternoon! Very good!
Interesting story with some good twists and turns. Cryptids are fascinating. I wonder how much of what the author writes is true...
this book series is so nostalgic for me because I have vivid memories of it being read in school to me for a read aloud book and for some reason I just felt the NEED to reread the series. so I did. and it was so good! I won't say that it is the most eloquent book I've read, but it's also not just a straight children's book. the dialogue and descriptions are all fairly straightforward, but all the characters are so uniquely developed as their own and the plot is so interesting and well thought out that I feel like the lack of sophistication is made up for.
This was a really interesting read. Sort of like Jurassic Park but starring 13 year olds instead of adults. Marty and Grace end up living with an uncle they never knew existed after their parents disappear in a helicopter accident. They discover that their mysterious uncle is actually a Cryptozoologist, someone who studies animals which are undiscovered or believed to not exist. He's currently searching for what may be the very last of the dinosaurs...
This book has lots of fun twists and turns, mystery and intrigue, interesting characters and a lot of suspense. Definitely a fun read.
This book has lots of fun twists and turns, mystery and intrigue, interesting characters and a lot of suspense. Definitely a fun read.
I thought this was INSANELY good when I got it like, five years ago. Just kidding - it was like, two. Maybe three. Yeah, three. But I don't remember it well enough to give an accurate review of it...I loved it then, but I'm just gonna say I liked it because I also liked the Jonas Brothers more than anything like, four years ago. And now...you never hear me talk about them, now do you?
P.S. That answer is no.
P.S. That answer is no.
Since nearly all my students have read this, I had to. It seemed to be their favorite Roland Smith book and I can understand why. Good stuff
I have read this book at least three times a year, I will never get tired of this original story.
I read this as a Battle of the Books coach because it’s on our region’s list. I had to force myself to read it until about page 200 when the story got mildly interesting. First of all, the title is quite misleading; there is hardly any actual cryptid hunting. The writing is choppy, trite, and obvious. The characters are all archetypes, and I personally don’t appreciate how the female characters are handled, especially Grace. She has little personality except being small and fearful and disdainful of her brother’s (cousin’s) behavior. The dialogue feels like it was written by a child. The pacing is inconsistent at best. There are loose ends and hints of future adventure and romance (and a sequel), which is not a satisfying way to end a book. And, of course, the technology at this point is super outdated (which I can’t fault the author for). The book tries too hard to be fun and cool and interesting, but it just falls flat. As a friend said, it feels like it was written in hopes of being adapted into a tv show or movie. Absolutely. Ugh. My 10yo didn’t care for it, either. He thought it was boring and slow.
This was my favorite book as a kid (I was a dinosaur fanatic) and read it a million times. Like finished it and started it again immediately. Goodreads made me realize it's a series, but only the first one was translated to my language, so now I'm on my way to find out about the next three adventures.
I really enjoyed reading this aloud with my 9 and 12 year old kids. Marty was a funny character and Grace an inspiring one. The adventure and humor and strong female characters were all interesting.