The Cryptid Catcher

June 1, 2018
Newly orphaned Clivo Wren's about to discover a monstrous family secret.After 13-year-old Clivo's archaeologist father dies on a dig in Colombia (his mother passed away previously), eccentric Aunt Pearl, who used to care for Clivo during his dad's frequent expeditions, moves in with her cats. Clivo's ready to settle into his average life when Douglas Chancery, a pushy stranger, visits to inform Clivo that his father, Russell, was actually a cryptid catcher traveling the world hunting for legendary creatures. Russell was trying to locate a specific cryptid whose blood is the key to immortality. Russell and Douglas had an agreement that, should something happen to Russell, Douglas would hire Clivo to do the job. Suddenly, all the martial arts, language classes (in Japanese, Hindustani, Arabic, and Russian), and survival training Clivo's parents put him through makes sense. Clivo agrees to help grumpy Douglas find the one Russell was looking for and keep it out of the hands of evildoers...but Clivo's going to need more help than Douglas' money can buy. Fisher's debut, the first half of a duology, delivers adventure and laughs to readers who are willing to check their disbelief on Page 1. Clivo's a white boy, a good-hearted Everykid, and the helpers he finds are a multicultural melting pot of monster-loving nerds.Though there's a bit of closure, readers will be ready for the sequel when they turn the final page. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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Starred review from July 1, 2018
Grades 5-7 *Starred Review* Initially stunned to learn that his father wasn't an archaeologist but a cryptid hunter employed by a decidedly short-tempered (apparent) billionaire, orphaned seventh-grader Clivo takes up the mantle. As his gratifyingly well-funded travels take him from the Colorado Rockies to the Maine woods, Loch Ness, and remotest Alaska in this first of a planned duology, he discovers that rare, legendary creatures aren't that hard to find?he comes away with some nifty selfies?and that they actually need protection from unscrupulous rival hunters. So does he, as it turns out. Fortunately, Clivo's homeschooling in languages, jujitsu, and wilderness survival skills stand him in good stead. Better yet, he finds geeky but able allies in the Myth Blasters, a club of young brainiacs, and despite torrents of verbal abuse, his new boss proves willing to mount a rescue mission in the clutch. Fisher slips in occasional cryptid info dumps, but rather than indulging in the first novelist's usual tendency to cram in lots of distracting extra themes and subplots, she dishes up an action-oriented romp, puts a resourceful but not superhuman protagonist at the head of a colorful, diverse (of species as well as race) supporting cast, and salts the plot with tantalizing hints that the stakes are about to be raised. Stay tuned for further monsters and mishaps in the forthcoming sequel, Cryptid Keeper.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)