Creature Keepers and the Swindled Soil-Soles

July 1, 2015
The Creature Keepers return to wrangle the mighty Sasquatch (Creature Keepers and the Hijacked Hydro-Hide, 2014).Abbie and Jordan have been counting the days till their summer vacation, when the pair can return to Florida, where they'll continue their training as Creature Keepers. But when the time comes, Abbie and Jordan are needed elsewhere: the Canadian Pacific Northwest. The elusive Sasquatch-Syd-calls this land home, and a reality television show's flashy host and his fanatical followers are hot on his trail, intent on capturing Syd. Adding to the chaos, Keepers all over the world are abandoning their posts, and an unidentified menace is turning creatures against humans; it's clear Abbie and Jordan will have a pretty busy summer. This ambitious, three-pronged approach to the narrative works in fits and starts, and the strain of juggling three different interwoven plotlines is sometimes noticeable. There are moments where everything clicks together nicely, but they're few and far between. The book ends up feeling very episodic. The novel's strength is the love it has for the weird and bizarre creatures of lore. Nerdy kids that go into the woods to find weird bugs and hunt for Bigfoots will surely enjoy this world. As further installments in this franchise are expected, readers will hope they'll improve with each outing.An appealing if sometimes structurally shaky celebration of the explorer's spirit. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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