**This review is from the Monster Librarian archives.**
Authorhouse, 2007
Hyperion Books for Children,2006
ISBN: 0786851627
Available: New
Marty and Grace O’Hara are bright and resourceful twins, opposite in temperament and interest. When their parents go missing after a terrible accident, the twins are plucked from their Swiss boarding school to live with their mysterious uncle, Travis, whose mission is to find and preserve cryptids, creatures such as Bigfoot that science has been unable to prove exist, before his adversary, Noah Blackwood, can trap them and use them for his personal profit. When the twins accidentally fall from Travis’ plane into the African rainforest, they confound Blackwood’s obsessive hunt for the last remaining dinosaur, and are forced to take action against him.
While the book stands on its own, Smith leaves enough loose ends to set it up as the first of a series. However, although Cryptid Hunters has characteristics of series books, it also shows originality. The twins are engaging characters, each contributing to their survival both independently and as a team. They grow and change throughout the story, unusual to this genre. Smith also uses technology as an unobtrusive method for exposition as well as for opportunities to connect the twins with the outside world and to complicate the plot while they search for the mysterious dinosaur. The plot moves slowly at first, but once the action gets going, it is nonstop. Although long at 348 pages, Cryptid Hunters should appeal to reluctant readers of both genders looking for a gripping adventure. While not true horror, the mysterious cryptids, remorseless hunters, and cliffhanger action will satisfy many readers who enjoy the horror genre. Highly recommended for public and middle school libraries. Contains: some gore, kidnapping. Review by Francesca the Librarian