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Zoo {{ ZOO }} By Marks, Graham ( AUTHOR) Aug-06-2007
Book by Marks, Graham
- GenresYoung Adult
Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
May 1, 2015
Cameron was just a high school kid that comes from a wealthy family. He was driving in his Volvo when he got in an accident, and that was the last thing that he could remember. He woke up in a room with a camera pointed at him and a voice said that he was awake. He had to empty his bladder, so he asked to use the bathroom. The guard said that he could if he left the door open, so he could hear him. While he was in the bathroom, he saw a can full of air freshener. He grabbed the can on his way out and passed by the guard. He caught him by surprise and sprayed the whole can in his face. He dropped like a rock and Cam ran away with his jacket and shoes. This is where the real story begins.
In the jacket pocket, he found a gun. He tossed the gun in some bushes. He was just carrying around a stick he found on the ground in a city that he has never been to. There were two cops patrolling the town, and they saw him. His stick he was carrying looked like a knife. They chased him, but he got away. Cameron found himself at a gas station when a Dodge pickup pulled up. When they went inside he climbed in the bed of the truck. He was riding with them, and at their next stop they saw him in the truck. Jaxon was angry at him, but his girlfriend Tee was sympathetic. He ate with them and got a ride from Oregon to California. They dropped him off a block away from his house. When he was almost to his house, he saw some suspicious people lurking out in front of it. He started to run. When he was running, a drunk guy shot his gun in his basement, and it hit Cameron in the shoulder. He was hiding when he realized what he had to do. He needed to find Jaxon and Tee again.
He knew the general idea where they had a house, but when he saw the truck he knew he found the place. He was reluctant to ring the doorbell, but he did. He went inside, and Tee phoned a friend. She had one of her friends, a veterinarian, come and clean Cameron’s gunshot wound. The veterinarian noticed a tag in his arm. He scanned the tag, and it was a jumble of numbers and letters. They had to decode it. They found out that he was a lab baby from a company called Doctor Co. His parents were not his real parents.
He arranged that he would go and meet his parents at the Doctor Co. with the journalist that they acquired. When they got there, was a gunfight, and his mother ended up getting shot by the people that kidnapped him. The cops showed up and got everything under control. In the end, Cameron ended up with Tee and his whole life ahead of him.
Cameron was a brainwashed child. He lived an easy life and never suspected anything would ever happen. When he got kidnapped, he needed to mature quickly and think on his toes. He needed to act more on instinct instead of school smarts. When the time came when he found out that his parents were not his real parents, he did not know how to cope with it. He did not want to talk to anybody because he was angry. He eventually got himself together and did what needed to be done. He ended his parents illegal business and will live and easy life.
This book is great for almost all readers. There is no specific message going out to a certain age group. People over the age of 14 would have an easy time reading the book and understanding everything. The book is not gender specific, either.
The book was exciting from beginning to end. The start was the most fast paced part of the entire book. I personally think that the author should have just followed Cameron around instead of following Cameron, the Cops, his parents, and his kidnappers. The Cops were completely unnecessary to follow besides the beginning when they are chasing Cam. It would give a lot more focus to the book if they chose Cameron as the focal point.
In the jacket pocket, he found a gun. He tossed the gun in some bushes. He was just carrying around a stick he found on the ground in a city that he has never been to. There were two cops patrolling the town, and they saw him. His stick he was carrying looked like a knife. They chased him, but he got away. Cameron found himself at a gas station when a Dodge pickup pulled up. When they went inside he climbed in the bed of the truck. He was riding with them, and at their next stop they saw him in the truck. Jaxon was angry at him, but his girlfriend Tee was sympathetic. He ate with them and got a ride from Oregon to California. They dropped him off a block away from his house. When he was almost to his house, he saw some suspicious people lurking out in front of it. He started to run. When he was running, a drunk guy shot his gun in his basement, and it hit Cameron in the shoulder. He was hiding when he realized what he had to do. He needed to find Jaxon and Tee again.
He knew the general idea where they had a house, but when he saw the truck he knew he found the place. He was reluctant to ring the doorbell, but he did. He went inside, and Tee phoned a friend. She had one of her friends, a veterinarian, come and clean Cameron’s gunshot wound. The veterinarian noticed a tag in his arm. He scanned the tag, and it was a jumble of numbers and letters. They had to decode it. They found out that he was a lab baby from a company called Doctor Co. His parents were not his real parents.
He arranged that he would go and meet his parents at the Doctor Co. with the journalist that they acquired. When they got there, was a gunfight, and his mother ended up getting shot by the people that kidnapped him. The cops showed up and got everything under control. In the end, Cameron ended up with Tee and his whole life ahead of him.
Cameron was a brainwashed child. He lived an easy life and never suspected anything would ever happen. When he got kidnapped, he needed to mature quickly and think on his toes. He needed to act more on instinct instead of school smarts. When the time came when he found out that his parents were not his real parents, he did not know how to cope with it. He did not want to talk to anybody because he was angry. He eventually got himself together and did what needed to be done. He ended his parents illegal business and will live and easy life.
This book is great for almost all readers. There is no specific message going out to a certain age group. People over the age of 14 would have an easy time reading the book and understanding everything. The book is not gender specific, either.
The book was exciting from beginning to end. The start was the most fast paced part of the entire book. I personally think that the author should have just followed Cameron around instead of following Cameron, the Cops, his parents, and his kidnappers. The Cops were completely unnecessary to follow besides the beginning when they are chasing Cam. It would give a lot more focus to the book if they chose Cameron as the focal point.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 17, 2010
cameron stewart was a highschool football star, who was on his way to win a state championship but he got sick the week before and wasnt able to go. but life took a turn for the worst when he was kidnapped in front of his own home. the story is very exciting as it takes you on a journey through his life as he trys to make it home. this book is very addictive, and i recommend it to anyone who likes nonstop action and a lot of twist and turns in a story.
August 5, 2022
Loved this read. Little slow but really enjoyed it.
December 8, 2010
With an attention-grabbing storyline and sassy characters, this book is one I'd read again. The storyline itself is easy to follow, but not to the point where it is dull. In fact, it's anything but (I mean, how can a story be dull when a kidnapping, an escape, and a murder all occur within the first 5 chapters?). There weren't many parts that were boring, it really did a good job at holding my attention.
The characters were really something! It seems like there is a little of every personality type known spread out through every character, whether it be evil, good, kind, rude, or just down-right wierd. Yet it doesn't go overboard with them. There aren't really any that are totally unnecessary, unlike other books I've read.
One of the few flaws I've noticed with this book, is that the narration can be a little stale at times. There are a few points throughout the book in which it goes less into telling a story, and more into just describing an occurance. It didn't go into much detail, but just told what all happened. This led to a few points in which I felt like I was reading a report, rather than a novel.
But other than that, there really isn't much to say other than it's worth reading. It may have its flaws, but it's not a book to pass up. Give it a whirl if you can.
Level 3 Question:
In the beginning of the story, Cam kills a man so he can escape his kidnappers. While he did technically commit murder, it was only for his survival and safety. Is murder justifiable?
The characters were really something! It seems like there is a little of every personality type known spread out through every character, whether it be evil, good, kind, rude, or just down-right wierd. Yet it doesn't go overboard with them. There aren't really any that are totally unnecessary, unlike other books I've read.
One of the few flaws I've noticed with this book, is that the narration can be a little stale at times. There are a few points throughout the book in which it goes less into telling a story, and more into just describing an occurance. It didn't go into much detail, but just told what all happened. This led to a few points in which I felt like I was reading a report, rather than a novel.
But other than that, there really isn't much to say other than it's worth reading. It may have its flaws, but it's not a book to pass up. Give it a whirl if you can.
Level 3 Question:
In the beginning of the story, Cam kills a man so he can escape his kidnappers. While he did technically commit murder, it was only for his survival and safety. Is murder justifiable?
December 8, 2009
A young boy living in Los Angeles Califonia is one day mysteriously kiddnapped. Cam is a part of a rather wealthy family and is well known to many people. One day he goes out for a drive that turns into a car wreck and he wakes up in a room with nothing, not even shoes.When Cameron Finnaly fakes a bathroom emergency he quickly thinks of a plan that leads to the death of the guard who was supposed to be watching him. Not thinking Cam starts to run through the empty house, hoping not run into any "bad guys". Sucessfully he makes it out the door and down the long, dark, cold driveway that led to the mysterious mansion he just escaped.
After killing someone and running away from his myterious kiddnappers, Cam is very hesitant in finding out that he is all the way up in Washington.Coincedently some police were notified of a robbery nearby, and mistake Cam for their criminal. Not thinking clearly once again Cam runs making it seem as if he actually did something wrong on purpose.
After hours of running he finds a safe way home with a couple of new friends.Once he gets back to L.A. he finally makes it home safely but is being closely watched until they find out the reason he was kiddnapped in the first place.
This book was really good, it was full of action and mystery. I personally did not learn anything from this book that would help me in the future. It was just a fun book that literaly keeps you on the edge of your seat until you're done.
After killing someone and running away from his myterious kiddnappers, Cam is very hesitant in finding out that he is all the way up in Washington.Coincedently some police were notified of a robbery nearby, and mistake Cam for their criminal. Not thinking clearly once again Cam runs making it seem as if he actually did something wrong on purpose.
After hours of running he finds a safe way home with a couple of new friends.Once he gets back to L.A. he finally makes it home safely but is being closely watched until they find out the reason he was kiddnapped in the first place.
This book was really good, it was full of action and mystery. I personally did not learn anything from this book that would help me in the future. It was just a fun book that literaly keeps you on the edge of your seat until you're done.
June 4, 2011
Cameron is kidnapped for no apparent reason. The rest of the story follows his escape from his captors, his journey home and the real reason behind the mysterious circumstances he finds himself in.
A fairly suspenseful crime thriller. The short chapters keep the book moving at a decent pace and it does a fairly good job of keeping your attention. But because it's a "young adult" book it probably doesn't go into any greater depths than I would have liked.
One thing I didn't really like was the overuse of filler words during dialogue, "like", "kind of" and "guy" being the main offenders. I understand that this is aimed at teens, the main characters are teens and the story is set in the US, so sure, slang, colloquialisms etc., make the dialogue more realistic, but overusing them becomes annoying, breaks the flow of the dialogue at times and, in my opinion slightly patronising. I was almost anticipating the use of "hella", but I guess the author didn't know this slang word existed. On a positive note I'm glad that the dialogue wasn't too "mature", otherwise it might have turned into something comparable to a Diablo Cody script.
The book itself describes the story as "a high-concept thriller with a touch of 24 and The O.C." Pretty much correct, although it could have done with a little more 24 and a little less of The O.C.
A fairly suspenseful crime thriller. The short chapters keep the book moving at a decent pace and it does a fairly good job of keeping your attention. But because it's a "young adult" book it probably doesn't go into any greater depths than I would have liked.
One thing I didn't really like was the overuse of filler words during dialogue, "like", "kind of" and "guy" being the main offenders. I understand that this is aimed at teens, the main characters are teens and the story is set in the US, so sure, slang, colloquialisms etc., make the dialogue more realistic, but overusing them becomes annoying, breaks the flow of the dialogue at times and, in my opinion slightly patronising. I was almost anticipating the use of "hella", but I guess the author didn't know this slang word existed. On a positive note I'm glad that the dialogue wasn't too "mature", otherwise it might have turned into something comparable to a Diablo Cody script.
The book itself describes the story as "a high-concept thriller with a touch of 24 and The O.C." Pretty much correct, although it could have done with a little more 24 and a little less of The O.C.
December 17, 2010
Zoo was an amazing book in my opinion. The author does an amazing job of transitioning and keeping the reader informed even though the book is so full of non-stop action.
Cameron Stewart is a well off kid who was going to play in his school's state championship football game. But everything takes a turn for the worse when he is t-boned, kidnapped and drugged by a mysterious group of people. He wakes up to find that his only way to get out is to knockout the guard... but after he executes his plan he realizes that the guard is dead and the only thing he can do is run away. The story takes an even more mysterious twist when he finds out there is a chip in his arm after he was shot that could've only been planted by his parents. And the only thing he can ask himself is who can he depend on now, when everyone seems to be out agaisnt him?
I would sincerely recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a lot of twists and wants to try and figure out what they're really after from Camerons father.
Cameron Stewart is a well off kid who was going to play in his school's state championship football game. But everything takes a turn for the worse when he is t-boned, kidnapped and drugged by a mysterious group of people. He wakes up to find that his only way to get out is to knockout the guard... but after he executes his plan he realizes that the guard is dead and the only thing he can do is run away. The story takes an even more mysterious twist when he finds out there is a chip in his arm after he was shot that could've only been planted by his parents. And the only thing he can ask himself is who can he depend on now, when everyone seems to be out agaisnt him?
I would sincerely recommend this book to anyone who likes a book with a lot of twists and wants to try and figure out what they're really after from Camerons father.
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May 26, 2010I am a person that doesn't find reading very interesting and sometimes even boring. But Zoo was different than any book I've read recently. It had a lot action and plot that was easy to follow, but also the right mix of detail about characters that flowed with the actual story. The books theme that i picked up was sometimes you're put in situations where it's just you, no one to help. You rely on yourself and what people have taught you to get by. Even survive. The story starts with Cam (main character) waking up to find that he was kidnapped and finds his way out by using a arisol can and a couple kicks to escape. Just one example of Cam using his surroundings to get out of a hard situation. He gets by just enough because of his instinct's. I really enjoyed reading Zoo and love this kind of "Action-pact" style of writing. Hopefully I can find other that are of the same genre.I would recommend this book, even if reading isn't on the top of your list.
November 14, 2011
What I liked most about the book is all the action and suspense that came with all the imagry, it all just mixes together in a great way for a good action book in my opinion.
However there are some things I really didnt like about the book too like the ending it really could have had a better one then the one it has now.
There were also some memorable parts of the book that just really stood out to me like when Mark said "I could feel my blood pumping rapidly, I felt really groggy like if my head had just been hammerd" on page 23 paragraph 2 because this kind of gives you a picture of what hes feeling after waking up in a room after getting kidnapped.
If you were kidnapped and woke up in a room hooked up on all kinds of meds how would you react would you panic,or play it cool and be calm?
However there are some things I really didnt like about the book too like the ending it really could have had a better one then the one it has now.
There were also some memorable parts of the book that just really stood out to me like when Mark said "I could feel my blood pumping rapidly, I felt really groggy like if my head had just been hammerd" on page 23 paragraph 2 because this kind of gives you a picture of what hes feeling after waking up in a room after getting kidnapped.
If you were kidnapped and woke up in a room hooked up on all kinds of meds how would you react would you panic,or play it cool and be calm?
October 24, 2014
I read the book "Zoo" By Graham Marks. This book has very good detail and makes the reader want to keep on reading. I'm not normally someone to read books but this book was pretty dang good. The book was way better than expected. The title is kind of misleading because the book has nothing to do with a "zoo".
This book takes place on the east coast of the U.S. in California and Oregon. Cam is a kid who gets kidnapped and is trying to make his way home but then realizes that home is not the safer place. He hitchs a ride with some people and lives with them for a couple of weeks. Cam is a real fast and good problem solver.
This book has a great story line. The author is rather creative and puts a good picture in the readers mind. I recommend this book to anyone that likes mystery and action books. If you have the oppertunity to read this book, read it!
This book takes place on the east coast of the U.S. in California and Oregon. Cam is a kid who gets kidnapped and is trying to make his way home but then realizes that home is not the safer place. He hitchs a ride with some people and lives with them for a couple of weeks. Cam is a real fast and good problem solver.
This book has a great story line. The author is rather creative and puts a good picture in the readers mind. I recommend this book to anyone that likes mystery and action books. If you have the oppertunity to read this book, read it!
November 14, 2011
A. One thing i liked about Zoo by Graham Marks is how it makes the reader feel involved. I really liked how my heart rate would speed up when something happened that's really exciting, or when something creepy is going on in the book and you can feel that pit in your stomach. I think every student should read this book if they like to read or don't like to read.
B. The only thing I didn't like about this book was how every other chapter would drag out and nothing interesting would happen.
C. "Everything you can imagine is real." I find this quote to be important because it is very true and there is no denying it.
D. If you were to wake up and find out that you have been kidnapped, how would you react?
B. The only thing I didn't like about this book was how every other chapter would drag out and nothing interesting would happen.
C. "Everything you can imagine is real." I find this quote to be important because it is very true and there is no denying it.
D. If you were to wake up and find out that you have been kidnapped, how would you react?
September 10, 2009
From the start of this book I was hooked. It caught me with mystery and suspense. Always wondering, "Why Cameron? He is just a normal teenager, right?" That's what drove me to deep reading. It was as if I felt I was right there with him, expierencing everything with him. On his journey of confusion, and wonder. Watching him uncover the lie he was living. The lie he would soon uncover. The unwanted truth of his life. I expierenced all of this. Fell in love with the characters. I can honestly say from my prespective that this book gripped me, took me for a ride, and spit me out into the cold waters of decit, wonder, and tell tale action.
May 26, 2010
I thought that the book ZOO was fairly good but i would have preffered other books over it just because i would enjoy other topics. Its not that its boring cause it does have some action in it such as when came gets hit by a van and then dragged out of his car. That is the very beginning of the book then it leads to his escape from where he is being held captive, the murder of a man and other such things that are interesting. You must read it to find out if Cam makes it home safely (he does). I would recomend this to anyone who likes reading and if you dont like reading this isn't a great book to just pick up and instantly love reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 6, 2009
I was really confused at the first few chapters and was ready to put it down, until I got deeper into the book. I was ready to find out what Cameron was going to do next. The whole time reading, my brain was like "Wow, if this is happening to Cameron, it could happen to anyone right?" The book always made me like put myself in his shoes and think the same as him and reconsider what his decisions were and what I would do better instead, like a strategy game almost kind of. Overall, the book caught me as a reader with a mix of mystery and action and I would recommend it to any young reader and adult reader.
December 7, 2009
Cameron wakes to the fact of being a kidnapping victim and can’t figure out why. It the middle of the night Cam is able to use a can of air freshener to kill the guard and escape.
Scared from accidentally killing the guard Cam doesn’t go to the police for help he instead travels till he doesn’t even know what country he’s in. While wandering Cam is even shot! During his travels he meets a girl named Tee who helps him clean up his bullet wound and in doing so they find out information that will shape and confuse Cam for ever.
Scared from accidentally killing the guard Cam doesn’t go to the police for help he instead travels till he doesn’t even know what country he’s in. While wandering Cam is even shot! During his travels he meets a girl named Tee who helps him clean up his bullet wound and in doing so they find out information that will shape and confuse Cam for ever.
July 13, 2015
Cameron Stewart, 17, is kidnapped from his car in front of his house in San Diego. Right from the start police suspect this is not your typical kidnapping. Cam escapes his kidnappers in Seattle and heads home. However, his journey is not a straight forward return. He begins to suspect that his parents have a secret that he has never known and he begins to question his own identity. With the help of a group of young adults who aid him and help him figure out what is going on, Cam comes to some startling conclusions. This was an action packed YA thriller. Good read.
September 12, 2007
Couldn't put it down...started late last night, stayed up way too late, then picked it up again this morning and read it right through to the end.
It's a noir-ish crime novel. The main character is kidnapped early on in San Diego, wakes up god knows where and escapes, makes his way back home, all the while learning some very disturbing things about his past and his parents. It's not a book for the ages, but damn, it sure moves along.
It's a noir-ish crime novel. The main character is kidnapped early on in San Diego, wakes up god knows where and escapes, makes his way back home, all the while learning some very disturbing things about his past and his parents. It's not a book for the ages, but damn, it sure moves along.
August 6, 2008
This story reminded me a bit of Double Helix or The Third Twin. It is about a teen who is searching for information on genetics and cloning only to discover some tampering was done on his own DNA. Since some people don't want him to get the information, there's a mystery element involved in this quick read mainly intended, in my opinion, for teens.
April 7, 2010
Just an easy read - read it through the middle of the night when up with a bad back. Not great, but not bad either - i guess you'd classify it as some kind of thriller - although it's kids/YA so fairly tame. Also pretty darn unbelievable in places... and a shame that the 'twist' is fairly unoriginal.
December 5, 2011
This was a pretty good read. It needed to be a little more action packed then it actually was, but I thought it was pretty good! The story was about Cameron Stewart, a supposed kidnap victim. He runs away from his kidnap place and runs into Jaxson and Tee. Jaxson is a control freak who evidently has a girlfriend, Tee. He mistreats her and things heat up with Cameron.
July 23, 2011
This might have been passable a few years ago but when I read it the other week the plot, characters and concept sounded all too familiar. This kind of novel has been written before, could do better.
January 19, 2012
I got this book at the dollar store because it sounded kind of good. The author was British but the book was set in San Diego and the West Coast. I found that confusing. I didn't like that there were SO MANY characters. It was interesting though. A quick read.
August 5, 2012
a very compelling read that leaves you racing through the pages to see where it goes. I really enjoyed the chapter headings as it helped me keep everything in order (time, place, date, etc).
the ending wasn't a shock at all, but still a fun adventure
the ending wasn't a shock at all, but still a fun adventure
October 16, 2008
I thought this was a good, fast paced mystery for the Stormbreaker set. It is also easy to booktalk.
July 5, 2009
Completely failed to catch my interest. Overall I felt like it was a big waste of time even trying to finish the book so I stopped midway.
March 16, 2012
Stopped reading this book because it was hard to get through.
May 8, 2012
This book is really good one of the best books i read so far it has good action and violence thats what i like.
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January 8, 2016Really fun book! I recommend this book for anyone who likes action because in this book the boy really had a hard time with running away from kidnappers.
January 17, 2016
What a disappointing piece of trash.
July 24, 2023
I enjoyed this one a lot... but the ending left too many things unresolved imho
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