Mutation (Cryptid Hunters, Book 4)

by Roland Smith

Overview

Monsters of legend come to life! The final thrilling title in Roland Smith's popular Cryptid Hunters series.

Marty and his best friend, Luther, have managed to rescue Marty's cousin Grace from the clutches of the nefarious pseudo-naturalist Noah Blackwood, but their most dangerous mission lies ahead of them. Marty's parents have been missing in Brazil for months, and their trail has all but run cold. With time running out, Marty and the Cryptos Island crew race off for Brazil -- where they discover that Noah Blackwood has twisted the natural order of things beyond their wildest, most terrifying dreams.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780545732512
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	09/30/2014
Series:	Cryptid Hunters , #4
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	352
Lexile:	680L (what's this?)
File size:	16 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Roland Smith first worked with animals at the Oregon Zoo, and he has been involved in animal rescues and conservation work around the world for more than 20 years. He is the author of numerous books for young readers, including Jack's Run, Zach's Lie, Peak, the Cryptid Hunters series, and the Storm Runners series. He is also the coauthor of numerous picture books with his wife, Marie. Roland lives with Marie on a farm south of Portland, Oregon. You can find him online at rolandsmith.com.

Read an Excerpt

From MUTATIONMarty walked over to the closest hut. It was obviously being used by Grace and Ana. There was a Moleskine journal on one of the hammocks with a fountain pen. On the other side of the hut, Ana's laptop was sitting on a crude desk made out of a split log.Marty knew better than to peek inside Grace's journal."But this is an emergency!" he muttered.It turned out it wasn't Grace's Moleskine. He could tell by the smell from three feet away. It was one of Rose's journals. He flipped through the pages quickly, then tossed it back on the hammock and hurried over to Ana's laptop. Ana's last entry was on the screen:"It feels as if we're getting picked off one by one. Now Luther is gone. . . . We don't know if he wandered away from camp or was taken. Buck and I are going to go out looking for him. Grace is going to stay in camp and feed the hatchlings, which have just woken up."That meant that Ana and Buck had been gone for several hours, and Luther a lot longer than that.The thought hit Marty like a punch in the gut: Where's Grace?

Editorial Reviews

Praise for TENTACLES

"A high-octane page-turner that will reel readers in and keep them riveted." --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Swashbuckling adventure, narrow escapes, sea monsters: The fascinating science of cryptids and Smith's fast-paced story will capture the imagination of any action-loving reader." --BOOK PAGE



Praise for CHUPACABRA

An American Library Association Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers

"Enough new characters, dangers, and cool science to reel in reluctant readers and keep them turning pages long after their lights should have been turned off." --SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL
 

From the Publisher

2014-08-12
The cryptid hunters are back (Chupacabra, 2013, etc.), but this time they're the hunted. It's only been a day since 13-year-old Marty O'Hara and his cousin Grace Wolfe (who he used to believe was his twin sister) rescued two baby dinosaurs and Grace herself from fake naturalist (and Grace's grandfather) Noah Blackwood's clutches. They are relatively safe with Grace's father, actual naturalist and cryptid hunter Travis Wolfe, but they need to keep the hatchling dinosaurs out of Blackwood's grasp and continue the hunt for Marty's parents, who were lost in a helicopter crash over the jungles of Brazil. Grace, their school friend Luther and Wolfe head to a jaguar preserve with the hatchlings via helicopter while Marty, new friend Dylan and Wolfe's partner, Ted, head there in a souped-up boat. But nefarious Blackwood and his paid minions are far from idle, and they have surprises both technological and historical for the young adventurers and their friends. The conclusion to Smith's four-book series has some thrills, but key events of the denouement occur almost entirely off camera, so series fans don't get to enjoy the villains' comeuppance as they would probably like to. A huge cast list (thankfully summarized in a character list and series recap at the outset) and too many story threads undercut the action. For series fans mostly; readers grabbed by the cover should go back to the beginning. (Adventure. 9-12)

Kirkus Reviews