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Zack and his Ute Indian friend find themselves trapped in a cave with a living dinosaur--the deadly Utahraptor

176 pages, Paperback

First published October 31, 1998

19 people are currently reading
361 people want to read

About the author

Paul Zindel

83 books300 followers
Paul Zindel was an American author, playwright and educator.

In 1964, he wrote The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds, his first and most successful play. The play ran off-Broadway in 1970, and on Broadway in 1971. It won the 1971 Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was also made into a 1972 movie by 20th Century Fox. Charlotte Zolotow, then a vice-president at Harper & Row (now Harper-Collins) contacted him to writing for her book label. Zindel wrote 39 books, all of them aimed at children or young adults. Many of these were set in his home town of Staten Island, New York. They tended to be semi-autobiographical, focusing on teenage misfits with abusive or neglectful parents. Despite the often dark subject matter of his books, which deal with loneliness, loss, and the effects of abuse, they are also filled with humor. Many of his novels have wacky titles, such as My Darling, My Hamburger, or Confessions of A Teenage Baboon.

The Pigman, first published in 1968, is widely taught in American schools, and also made it on to the list of most frequently banned books in America in the 1990s, because of what some deem offensive language.

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5 stars
151 (26%)
4 stars
184 (32%)
3 stars
168 (29%)
2 stars
57 (10%)
1 star
10 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews
Profile Image for King Haddock.
477 reviews19 followers
October 16, 2008
Zindel's pure motivation for composing this novel appeared to be writing graphic descriptions of gore or other unwelcome images. While the book might have had some potential, the only thing I got out of it after reading the book was that the raptors were repulsive, over-violent creatures. Thus, the book was lacking in plot and characters - the Indian girl seemed to do nothing but scream. Great character. The one thing I can commend Zindel on is that the climax was very tense. Still, that hardly makes a dent on a book that lacks plot, characterization, or nearly any aspect of fiction literature.
Profile Image for Dayna Smith.
3,245 reviews11 followers
December 2, 2019
A science fiction gem for young readers. Zack's father is a paleontologist on a dig in Utah; he is severely injured and as he is being airlifted to a hospital asks Zack to find something he left behind. Zack convinces his Native American friend Uta to lead him back to where his dad was found. What they find is an egg, a raptor egg. When the mother comes looking for her baby, Zack and Uta find themselves in a battle for their lives.
10 reviews1 follower
August 15, 2010
I read this in sixth grade. It was awesome and it blew my mind, ever scince then I had wanted to eat a cooked grub.

Simply to say this book was hard core for someone my age, it had all the gross-out and gore that a good middle school novel should have, and then some, Im keeping this review short because i read it 7-8 years ago and remeber bit, but it was good enough that the part i remeber are VERY vivid. It wasnt perfect... but it was alot of fun.
Profile Image for Philip.
117 reviews24 followers
February 19, 2019
I remember reading this one in middle school, probably the year it came out, and I had a lot of very vivid memories of the book. After tracking it down through interlibrary loan, I'm happy to say that it was still a fun ride, even 20 years later. It's not spectacular by any means, but for a kid who had fallen in love with Jurassic Park a few years earlier, it was everything that middle school me could have wanted. Now that I've re-read it, though, I'm pretty content to let it live in the past.
Profile Image for Scott E.
344 reviews2 followers
May 9, 2021
My least favourite of the Zone Unknown series so far. Guess the problem with anything dinosaur related is that Jurassic Park has done it so well that a lot of other Dino-orientated stories pale in comparison
32 reviews
December 29, 2023
The plot and decisions of the characters are pretty absurd, but it was a fun read. It kind of felt like a Syfy original movie, but a pre-Sharknado one where there were at least trying to be serious. Overall, short but sweet.
1 review
March 2, 2020
Cade Peck
A2
Phipps
Book Review
The book that I read is called “Raptor” by Paul Zindel. It’s about a Kid named Zack and his friend Uta and they find an egg and they don’t know what it is, but they take it back to Zack’s house anyway. The egg hatches at Zack’s house and it turns out that it was a baby raptor. Zack and Uta were so fascinated by it, but it wasn’t long before the mom came to get it’s baby. The mom followed Zack and Uta back to Zack’s house and attacked them and took the baby back to its home. Zack and Uta then decide to go retrieve the baby raptor. Will they make it back alive? I really liked this book and I think that others will too because it’s very adventurous, it’s about dinosaurs, and it has a good message.
First, it’s very adventurous. If you like adventure, you will like this book. Pretty much every single part of this book is talking about Zack and Uta going on an adventure to get the egg and to bring back the baby dinosaur. There is never a boring part in this book which I like and I think that most people like when a book is exciting so this would be a good book for everyone.
Next, it’s about dinosaurs. I don’t know much about dinosaurs, but when I read this book, it didn’t matter that I didn’t know much about them. The book didn’t give a ton of information about dinosaurs so it didn’t confuse me which was good. It just made them sound really cool and interesting and it made me want to learn more about them and hopefully other people find dinosaurs interesting and hopefully this book makes people want to know more about dinosaurs just like it did for me.
Finally, it has a good message. I always love reading books with a good message and this one does. The message that I got out of this book is sometimes your curiosity will get the best of you, but you shouldn’t let it get the best of you so much that it ends up hurting you. The reason I got this message out of it is because when Zack found the egg, his curiosity got the best of him and he ended up getting hurt by it when the mom came and hurt him and took the baby dinosaur from him. I hope that if other people read this book, they can find a good message out of it because this book is full of them.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I hope that other people do too. The reasons that I think people will is it’s full of adventure, it’s about dinosaurs, and because it has a really great theme. I give this book a 9 out of 10 because it was really interesting and gave really good description and detail, but there were parts of it that were a little bit bloody and gorey so if you don’t like that, then that could be a problem, but if you don’t mind that, then this book is definitely for you. I’m glad I was able to read it and I hope other people get the chance to.
Profile Image for Damita Perez.
546 reviews3 followers
March 27, 2025
Raptor by Paul Zindel is a gripping, suspenseful novel that leaves a lasting impression, especially on younger readers, and even decades after first reading it, the story remains just as captivating. This was certainly the case for me; I originally read it at just 10 years old (probably too young for its intensity), and a particular scene from the book has haunted my memory for 25 years. When I finally had the chance to reread it, I found that it was just as thrilling and impactful as I remembered.

The heart of the novel lies in the tense relationship between the kids and the raptors. It’s a fight for survival, and the stakes are real, as the dangers of both nature and the terrifying creatures they face test Zack and Uta’s courage and determination. Zindel masterfully builds suspense and keeps readers on the edge of their seats throughout the adventure.

Even though Raptor is a thrilling, high-stakes survival story, what truly makes it memorable is the emotional depth that Zindel gives to Zack and Uta's friendship. Their bond, tested by their dangerous quest, adds an extra layer of richness to the novel, making it more than just a survival story, but one about loyalty, courage, and coming-of-age.

The scene that stayed with me for all these years is one of the most intense in the book, and while I won’t spoil it, it’s a moment that resonates deeply, especially for younger readers facing their own fears and challenges. Zindel's writing is vivid and filled with tension, making each page turn feel like a new peril or revelation.

While I may have been too young to fully grasp everything in the novel when I first read it, revisiting Raptor as an adult, I see how well Zindel navigates themes of fear, friendship, and survival, weaving them into an unforgettable adventure. If you haven’t yet experienced Raptor, I highly recommend it—whether you're reading it for the first time or revisiting it as an adult. It’s a classic tale of adventure, danger, and personal growth that sticks with you long after the last page.
Profile Image for Diane.
7,277 reviews
July 22, 2017
Zack's paleontologist father has stumbled onto the discovery of a lifetime: Raptors alive underground. But as he tries to escape the cave with an egg, he is seriously injured by Mother Raptor and a cave-in. Before he is taken to the hospital, he tells Zack to go back and find what he dropped. With his friend Ute, Zack goes into the mouth of the cave and takes the egg home, where it hatches. Just as Honker is imprinting on Zack, Mother Raptor shows up to rescue her baby. Zack then is determined to reenter the cave to save Honker. With the help of Ute's grandmother, who has maps of the cave, the two embark on a rescue mission that leaves them in serious danger.
Profile Image for Flor.
86 reviews1 follower
February 14, 2018
It does not matter whether you are an adult or a middle schooler this book is very enjoyable! A quick and exciting read. Better yet, it seems plausible. The story is about the son of an archeologist and how his supervisor was very egocentric and wanted all the credit for any finds, eventually this conflict motivates the young son, Zake to prove his father's work. Zake and his best friend Uta begin their adventure eventually taking them into life threatening moments with a prehistoric raptor. The author does a astonishing job at creating tension and keeping a reader interested and rapidly turning pages. I want to read more of his books!
Profile Image for Megan Wintrip.
556 reviews12 followers
August 26, 2025
I love me some dinosaur books and this has definitely scratched the itch I was getting to read one!

First of all I bought it for the cover and that's that 😂, the story is great too.

Zack's dad is a Paleontologist and has an accident, he tells him he needs him to find something in the mines. He goes and finds an egg! It turns out it's a Velociraptor egg. But where there is an egg, there is a scary mama Velociraptor.

I will note this book is actually aged for kids ages 6 to 11 years but I actually thought it was quite graphic in regards to the "horror" factor to it, i.e. explanations of what the dinosaurs do to humans and animals etc etc.

But overall I really enjoyed it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Author 3 books2 followers
December 6, 2018
Not bad, not great. Not sure what I was expecting as a friend dropped it off at the library while I was there and I saw a dinosaur and HAD to read it. It had a bit more language than I would necessary like in a juvenile book, and there was gore, but if you read a dinosaur book without gore, that just is disappointing. Not a book I need to read again, but not like I lost anything by reading it.
3 reviews
February 19, 2019
I found this book as an adventure horror because there were some parts that were very appealing you didn't want to take your eyes off of the book because you didn't know what was going to happen next. Everytime the dinosaur would attack someone it was scary and gets your heart thumping. I don't usually read these types of books but I actually enjoyed this one.
Profile Image for Michael McCarthy.
1 review
November 8, 2022
I love Raptor by Paul Zindel. because is super dark, super scary, and super terrifying. it's like science fiction story for kids, only a 1 species of scariest Dinosaur in the world. and I like this Forgotten Dinosaur Horror Book after all. I want to make a movie based on a best Children's Dinosaur novel Book.
8 reviews
May 31, 2019
I read this when I was in my early teens. It's a good horror story for kids at that sort of age. Read it again recently and it doesn't stand up quite so well reading as an adult, but I'd recommend it as a creature-feature/horror for maybe 12-16 year olds.
Profile Image for Dave Bruno.
Author 1 book10 followers
July 29, 2025
This was a weird but fun ride. Like it’s a dated book, but it’s great as a schlocky kids horror book…. Maybe older kids because this book is also pretty violent! But again, I enjoy when Dinosaurs act like Movie Slashers and this certainly does that. A fun time!
Profile Image for Zach.
55 reviews26 followers
June 27, 2019
Read this when I was 14.
Profile Image for Wolverinefactor.
1,057 reviews16 followers
May 21, 2020
The further I got the more it felt like I’d read this before. Either way it was really enjoyable. Plenty of action and gore.
Profile Image for Will.
5 reviews
May 31, 2023
I read this book, cover to cover, probably 20 times in elementary and middle school. Dinosaurs, YA horror, and a dream, baby.
12 reviews1 follower
March 1, 2024
It's a lovely story but no good guys get killed ( except the donkey) 🐴😔
Profile Image for Michael.
16 reviews1 follower
January 28, 2024
I read this book for the first time when I was in junior high. It was fun to read through it again and have so many memories flood back. This one isn’t my favorite of his, but it did fuel my dinosaur obsession.
4 reviews2 followers
October 3, 2016
The book Raptor by Paul Zindel is a great book for people who are interested in dinosaurs. The authors purpose was to entertain readers, they do this by keeping the readers on their toes and keeping the suspense so they keep on flipping those pages. The main character is Zack and he runs into trouble when he finds out that his dad is seriously injured but finds female raptor guarding her eggs. When his dad is reused, Zack returns to the nests where he is faced with hard decisions to make.
The theme of this story is to put others in front of yourself zach goes back to the nest to help locate the eggs for his dad so they receive credit and wealth for the discovery. It's not easy for zach but it works out in its own way in the end
The style the book was told in was suspenseful and adventurous style. It was told through Zack. The book was introduced by the professor thinking some kids were playing a joke on him and it turns out, it wasn't a joke and it was a more serious matter and real problem. Then the book turns in to zach getting the news that his dad was seriously injured. And then he goes out and tries to find the nest and which the story begins. But during this time period the story would not be possible because the raptor is extinct.
The book raptor is a good book for people who are interested in dinosaurs, and adventure, but if you're not into that sort of thing it may not be for you. I didn't think It would be a choice for me, but it turns out it was a good read. It took me a little bit to fully grasp onto the book but once I got to the good parts it got better. If you're into this sort of stuff this would be a great pick for you. If not it something different and you should definitely give it a try.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Alexis Bahena.
3 reviews1 follower
October 2, 2014
***spolier Alert***
Are ready to take the trip of your life? Only if you want to face the most dangerous creature on Planet Earth. I think of this book more like a adventure horror because some parts of the book are very violent deaths. You should at least bring a gun because your mostly dead because it all starts in a mine in Utah.

It all started in mine in Utah with an egg. A scientist finds it then suddenly he gets jumped by something that dosen't like it touching its eggs.Later the next day , Zack , the son of the scientist saw his dad going to the hospital.Later in the afternoon he finds the egg with his friend Uta then they went to Zack's house.Then they see it hatch, then something followed them from the the mountain. They eventually get attack by the mother raptor they eventually notice they are facing person vs nature.

I like how the wrote a couple of books by Paul Zindel because alot of his books have that scary feeling when you watch a scary movie.I like the way the author wrote his other books because mostly all of them are person vs nature.But the to main chararcters have to face the one of the most dangerous creatures on planet Earth.

I was satisfied for the death of the anatogonist.Dr.bones was his name he was friends with Zack and Uta ,until he hired all the local hunters to kill all the remaining raptors. His death was being eaten by the raptor.





Profile Image for Redfox5.
1,651 reviews57 followers
December 3, 2014
I thought this book would be pretty good. It's fiction about dinosaurs, you can't go wrong with that. It's not even just about any old dinosaurs, it's about Raptors, proberly the coolest of all dinosaurs. You had one job Paul!

Maybe I would have loved this if I had read this for the first time as a kid, but I'm an adult and I don't have any fuzzy nostalgic feelings to make this book any better.

It's pretty awful. Professor Norak steals a raptor egg, and then almost dies as the raptor's mother trys to get her baby back. So he then decides to send his only child after the egg. What sort of parent is he!? After Zack find the egg, he then steals it, almost dies as the poor mother raptor has to go after her baby again. She then retrieves her baby, only to have Zack follow her because he thinks the baby would be better off with him, almost gets himself and his friend killed to only then decide, maybe the mother should have her baby after all. I mean what!? It was boring, the only bit that was midly interesting was when they entered the Raptor's larder. They are acting like Spiders for some reason. Again...what the hell!????

Avoid, unless your a kid with no expectations.
1 review1 follower
October 6, 2015
Paul Zindel; creates a masterpiece that incorporates action and gore with creepy mystery in Raptor . In the story a boy named Jack's father gets injured on a dig. His father claims to have seen a Utah Raptor, a colossal raptor that lived in the area long ago. Jack believes him, because he is an archaeologist and he knows what he's talking about when it comes to the prehistoric eras. Later, Jack and his new friend Uta find a huge egg on the same mountain where Jack's father got injured. After they bring the egg home it hatches into a friendly baby dinosaur and the mother comes back for it. Unluckily for the two of them, the mother is the huge raptor that nearly lobbed off Jack's dad's head.Jack and Uta narrowly escape, and Jack, a animal lover, has no choice but to go back to the mountain and retrieve the baby Raptor- with Uta...
I highly recommend this book and own a copy myself:Raptor by Paul Zindel
Profile Image for Alex Page.
3 reviews
January 14, 2008
This book was cool, I liked it. There is a lot of action and thrilling parts, which I find cool. A boy and his friend were walking around when they saw a rockslide. They ran up to the hill to see if there were any people in the pile of rocks. They found a mule that was torn to bits. They knew right away that a rockslide couldnt do something like that. Then they heard a roar come from inside the cave. Curiously, they searched the cave in search of the animal that made the sound. They were shocked about what the saw, it was a huge egg.

They took the egg home. Then suddnely the egg started to move, a baby raptor poped out. The friends looked at eaach other and knew they had to take it back. As soon as they said that they heard something moving outside. The boy looked out and saw the mother raptor. It was looking for its baby. This book was one of my favorites. I would recomend it to teens.
4 reviews
Want to read
November 22, 2016
The authors purpose of the book is to not give up on a mystery when you can find it. Like when your father wants you to find his mystery when he cant. So he is looking for you to find the mystery for him.

The theme of the book is where there is these two kids go and look for dinosaurs. So the kids went into the caves and found them and they were alive. The author was trying to tell the readers that you can always look and look and find what your looking for.

The style of the book was written in exposition where it gives facts when it goes along in the story at the same time. there is a lot in the movie that you can learn from and read.

I like the book. It was fun to read. I liked that there was a lot of action in it. I didn't like that most of the story took place in the caves. I wouldn't really change anything about the story. the story is good enough from my stand point. this book is not similar to any other books that I have read so far.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 54 reviews

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