Chupacabra

September 1, 2013
Marty and Grace return for their third rare-animal adventure (Tentacles, 2009, etc.). Thirteen-year-old cousins Grace and Marty were separated at the end of their last adventure. Grace agreed to leave with her grandfather, Dr. Noah Blackwood, even though she knows he is not the wildlife conservationist he pretends to be on his television show. Marty stayed with Grace's father (and his uncle), Dr. Travis Wolfe, world-renowned cryptozoologist. When Wolfe leaves them alone, Marty and his best friend, Luther, decide to try to find Grace at Dr. Blackwood's Seattle Ark, one of his chain of zoos. With the help of a new friend, Luther and Marty sneak into the Ark and begin searching for Grace. Blackwood discovers that the boys are on the property, but he can't pinpoint them; likewise, the boys find the secret research lab beneath the Ark, but they can't get to it. Everything is complicated by Blackwood's genetically created chupacabra, a legendary cryptid and voracious monster loose in the lab's ductwork. Smith's third in a series of four adventures stands alone well enough, but it works best as part of the series (a helpful recap of the series thus far orients readers to its labyrinthine twists). The adventure sequences are entertaining, but some of the humor may strike kids as rather lame; the ever-hungry Luther's antics especially ring false. A decent-enough adventure, but not one for the ages. (Adventure. 9-12)

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January 1, 2014

Gr 5-8-Plunging readers in where Tentacles (Scholastic, 2009) left off, this fast-paced novel opens right after Grace discovers that her twin brother, Marty, is in fact her cousin, and that her father's unscrupulous enemy, Noah Blackwood, is actually her grandfather. She is forced to join the mad scientist's household, located in a wildlife preserve. Kept under close observation at all times, the girl is held captive until Marty and his best friend, Luther, infiltrate the compound in an attempt to spirit her away. Mayhem ensues and their efforts are hampered by guards, security cameras, and Blackwood's vicious henchman. The trio face a genetically engineered chupacabra, a mythical beast from South and Central America with a nasty habit of sucking blood from goats. Though this sequel suffers in comparison to the previous books in the series, Smith adeptly adds 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.-Jane Henriksen Baird, Anchorage Public Library, AK

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