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Marty and Grace #3
Chupacabra
Monsters of legend come to life! The third thrilling title in Roland Smith's popular Cryptid Hunters series.
A mysterious creature, a missing girl, and danger at every turn . . .
CHUPACABRA, the riveting sequel to TENTACLES and CRYPTID HUNTERS, reunites Marty and his unusual uncle, cryptozoologist Travis Wolfe, as they search the world for Wolfe's daughter, Grace. Grace has been kidnapped by her grandfather, the ruthless and dangerous Noah Blackwood, who has also stolen the two dinosaur hatchlings Wolfe was raising in secrecy. Now, with word that the mysterious creature known as Chupacabra has been sighted again, Wolfe is torn between his obsession with finding cryptids and his desperate need to rescue his daughter. With trouble at every turn and a dangerous journey ahead, will Marty and Wolfe come face-to-face with the mythic monster? Even more frightening, will they reach Grace before it's too late?
A mysterious creature, a missing girl, and danger at every turn . . .
CHUPACABRA, the riveting sequel to TENTACLES and CRYPTID HUNTERS, reunites Marty and his unusual uncle, cryptozoologist Travis Wolfe, as they search the world for Wolfe's daughter, Grace. Grace has been kidnapped by her grandfather, the ruthless and dangerous Noah Blackwood, who has also stolen the two dinosaur hatchlings Wolfe was raising in secrecy. Now, with word that the mysterious creature known as Chupacabra has been sighted again, Wolfe is torn between his obsession with finding cryptids and his desperate need to rescue his daughter. With trouble at every turn and a dangerous journey ahead, will Marty and Wolfe come face-to-face with the mythic monster? Even more frightening, will they reach Grace before it's too late?
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
83 people are currently reading
1225 people want to read
About the author
Roland Smith
152 books837 followersRoland Smith is an American author of young adult fiction as well as nonfiction books for children.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
Smith was born in Portland, Oregon, and graduated from Portland State University and, following a part-time job at the Oregon Zoo in Portland, began a 20-year career as a zookeeper, both at the Oregon Zoo and the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, Washington. After working to save wildlife following the Exxon Valdez oil spill, in 1990, he published his first book, Sea Otter Rescue, a non-fiction account of the process of animal rescue. Smith continued to draw upon his zoo experiences for other non-fiction titles, including Journey of the Red Wolf, which won an Oregon Book Award in 1996.
In 1997, Smith published his first novel, Thundercave. The book continues Smith's theme, as teenage protagonist Jacob Lansa follows his biologist father to Africa where the father is researching elephants. The Lansa character also appears in 1999
s Jaguar and 2001's The Last Lobo. Other novels by Smith include The Captain's Dog: My Journey with the Lewis and Clark Tribe, Zach's Lie, Jack's Run, Cryptid Hunters, Sasquatch (novel), about a boy who searches for Bigfoot. Peak, the story of a teenage boy obsessed with climbing mountains, Elephant Run and Tentacles(novel). In 2008, Smith published the first book in the series I, Q, titled Independence Hall. Smith's books have won "Book of the Year" awards in Colorado, Nevada, South Carolina, and Florida, as well as in his native Oregon. Smith lives in Tualatin, Oregon with his wife and stepchildren.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 159 reviews
December 12, 2015
I have been waiting for this forever, so I'm going to take the liberty of creating a pre-review gif post.
My reaction to hearing the third Cryptid Hunters book would be released this year:
My reaction to seeing the release date to be in september, not october?
My reaction to seeing the cover:
My overall reaction:
My reaction to hearing the third Cryptid Hunters book would be released this year:
My reaction to seeing the release date to be in september, not october?
My reaction to seeing the cover:
My overall reaction:
August 9, 2016
FINALLY.
Geez. Only been waiting forever for this.
Geez. Only been waiting forever for this.
September 22, 2013
I HAVE BEEN WAITING (not so patiently) FOR THIS BOOK! Imagine my happy face when I won an ARC copy of it from Mr. Smith’s website! :D WOO! (Side note – Mr. Smith always has a cool contest going on — check out his website). Chupacabra is the next book in Mr. Smith’s series about cryptids (Book 1 is Cryptid Hunters and Book 2 is Tentacles). “What’s a cryptid?” you ask? Well maybe you didn’t, but I’m going to tell you. Crypids are creatures that are reported to exist, but it hasn’t been proven (like Bigfoot or the Loch Ness Monster).
In the first book of the series (Cryptid Hunters), we meet Grace and Marty.
[taken from Amazon's summary of Cryptid Hunters]
After their parents are lost in an accident, thirteen-year old twins Grace and Marty are whisked away to live with their Uncle Wolfe-an uncle that they didn’t even know they had! The intimidating Uncle Wolfe is an anthropologist who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures believed to be long extinct.
In Chupacabra, Marty, Grace, and Luthor (Marty’s best friend, who came into the story in Tentacles) are back! Grace has “willingly” gone with the evil Noah Blackwood (Grace’s grandfather who goes around collecting rare animals to put in his zoos, and after they’ve hit their prime, he stuffs them, plus, he always tries to foil Wolfe and his team, and only for the money and fame). In reality, one of the team (good guys) was held at gun-point to force Grace to go with Noah. And now the team (Wolfe, Marty, Luthor, etc.) have to get Grace back. It doesn’t help that Blackwood has started making weird genetic mutations in a science lab. Blackwood determined that the Chupacabra was really only a myth so he does what any other evil guy would do… he made his own CHUPACABRA! He plans to release it into the world (to be exact, the small town of Glen Rose, Texas) so he can come in, capture it, save the day, and put it on display at his zoo. Well, that can’t happen. Oh no. Not at all. The good guys have got to stop this (and rescue Grace)!
I LOVE this series and this is the best book yet in it! The action is incredible! The humor is unbearably FUNNY! Mr. Smith knows how to mix the right amount of humor into his books. I like the new character, Daniel. He’s cool. I think the cover is cool, but, in case you find it scary, don’t worry. This is NOT a horror book. This is a clean, fun read, and the scariest part is when Luthor is crawling through a maze of vents and Chupacabra was released into the vents (okay THAT was pretty creepy). The book has exciting moments that will have you on the edge of your seat (or in my case beanbag chair)! I also like how Mr. Smith has characters from his books from his other series show up in other books. It’s kind of cool. I thought it was cool that Mr. Smith wrote a couple chapters in the book from the perspective of the Chupacabra – very cool. I’m lovin’ Mr. Smiith’s writing skills even more, with each book I read of his! His writing style is great – a cup of surprises, 2 cups of suspense, a pinch of scariness, and 5/6 of a cup of humor!
I should mention that you don’t have to have read the other books in the series to totally enjoy Chupacabra (although you should – they are great reads).
In the first book of the series (Cryptid Hunters), we meet Grace and Marty.
[taken from Amazon's summary of Cryptid Hunters]
After their parents are lost in an accident, thirteen-year old twins Grace and Marty are whisked away to live with their Uncle Wolfe-an uncle that they didn’t even know they had! The intimidating Uncle Wolfe is an anthropologist who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures believed to be long extinct.
In Chupacabra, Marty, Grace, and Luthor (Marty’s best friend, who came into the story in Tentacles) are back! Grace has “willingly” gone with the evil Noah Blackwood (Grace’s grandfather who goes around collecting rare animals to put in his zoos, and after they’ve hit their prime, he stuffs them, plus, he always tries to foil Wolfe and his team, and only for the money and fame). In reality, one of the team (good guys) was held at gun-point to force Grace to go with Noah. And now the team (Wolfe, Marty, Luthor, etc.) have to get Grace back. It doesn’t help that Blackwood has started making weird genetic mutations in a science lab. Blackwood determined that the Chupacabra was really only a myth so he does what any other evil guy would do… he made his own CHUPACABRA! He plans to release it into the world (to be exact, the small town of Glen Rose, Texas) so he can come in, capture it, save the day, and put it on display at his zoo. Well, that can’t happen. Oh no. Not at all. The good guys have got to stop this (and rescue Grace)!
I LOVE this series and this is the best book yet in it! The action is incredible! The humor is unbearably FUNNY! Mr. Smith knows how to mix the right amount of humor into his books. I like the new character, Daniel. He’s cool. I think the cover is cool, but, in case you find it scary, don’t worry. This is NOT a horror book. This is a clean, fun read, and the scariest part is when Luthor is crawling through a maze of vents and Chupacabra was released into the vents (okay THAT was pretty creepy). The book has exciting moments that will have you on the edge of your seat (or in my case beanbag chair)! I also like how Mr. Smith has characters from his books from his other series show up in other books. It’s kind of cool. I thought it was cool that Mr. Smith wrote a couple chapters in the book from the perspective of the Chupacabra – very cool. I’m lovin’ Mr. Smiith’s writing skills even more, with each book I read of his! His writing style is great – a cup of surprises, 2 cups of suspense, a pinch of scariness, and 5/6 of a cup of humor!
I should mention that you don’t have to have read the other books in the series to totally enjoy Chupacabra (although you should – they are great reads).
March 13, 2019
This is definitely the best book in the series I like how it has 3 different perspectives and sometimes 4 in the book or even 5 fanned out between: Luther, Marty and Dylan, Grace,Noah Blackwood, Butch. Each one of these perspectives are very interesting to me and I love this book more because of that. All of this is happening while Noah Blackwood is creating a chupacabra deep in his ark.
August 21, 2013
Chupacabra by Roland Smith – 4th/5th grade and up, Adventure – First off, warning! This is not the finale. I read somewhere that it would be the completion of the series, but no. You are left hanging with anticipation of the new book release. Enjoyed revisiting settings, characters, meeting new ones, finding out that Roland Smith snuck in a character from another favorite book. Brilliant book with a subtle message of animal cruelty and exposure to the psyche of people who collect animals. I really appreciated the creativity of the children and the darkness of each of the villains.
October 19, 2015
Extra Review
Marty decides with the help of Luther and their friend Dylan decide to go get grace and the hatchlings who Noah Blackwood (Grace's Hrandfather) kidnapped. When they are there Luther gets lost in the air ducts while having a deadly Chupacabra hunt him down. Meanwhile Grace sends Marty emails with all these confidential files so if she can't come back they at least have this newly found information.
Marty decides with the help of Luther and their friend Dylan decide to go get grace and the hatchlings who Noah Blackwood (Grace's Hrandfather) kidnapped. When they are there Luther gets lost in the air ducts while having a deadly Chupacabra hunt him down. Meanwhile Grace sends Marty emails with all these confidential files so if she can't come back they at least have this newly found information.
April 7, 2022
This is a very cool look into Noah Blackwood's daily life. I really appreciate when a series includes a book that focuses mostly on the villain, so we get to see more of their motivations and their thought processes. I do wish they had been able to save the chupacabra instead of just leaving it there, but hopefully they'll be able to do something about it in Mutation.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 18, 2020
4.5 stars
October 17, 2024
So glad I picked this series back up, one more to go.
November 8, 2024
Yippie they lived, this time 👁 like girl you can’t have 9 lives
December 15, 2013
So, I've finally gotten around to reading the continuing adventures of Marty, Grace, Luther, and all their friends. Tentacles ended in a cliffhanger, so I was happy to start Chupacabra.
It picks up more or less where the last book left off, with the giant squid being delivered. Then the crew splits up, heading back to Cryptos Island, off to South America, etc. Marty and Luther are meant to go back to Cryptos--and they're not happy about it. Grace is in the hands of Noah Blackwood.
So, they decide to go after her themselves. They head to Blackwood's Seattle Ark to find Grace and the dinosaurs. And obviously, things go horribly wrong. There are misadventures in the exhibits, in the Secret Underground Labs of Evil, and in the ventilation system.
I can't wait to read the next one! I want to see the consequenes--and Noah's reaction--when That should be highly entertaining.
Also, I love Noah Blackwood. He's a good villain. He's a little callous with his thoughts of killing members of his inner circle (yeah right, Noah, like you would kill Butch--he's way too useful to you) but he is an excellent villain for the story, and I like him far better now that he has motivation beyond "stuff the animals and put them in my diorama". Because really, that's kind of evil for the sake of evil. Now he has actual reasons for being the bad guy.
It's a middle-school level book, so if you're high-school-aged or older it may seem a bit childish, but it's still highly entertaining and I read it very quickly. It definitely held my attention.
It picks up more or less where the last book left off, with the giant squid being delivered. Then the crew splits up, heading back to Cryptos Island, off to South America, etc. Marty and Luther are meant to go back to Cryptos--and they're not happy about it. Grace is in the hands of Noah Blackwood.
So, they decide to go after her themselves. They head to Blackwood's Seattle Ark to find Grace and the dinosaurs. And obviously, things go horribly wrong. There are misadventures in the exhibits, in the Secret Underground Labs of Evil, and in the ventilation system.
I can't wait to read the next one! I want to see the consequenes--and Noah's reaction--when That should be highly entertaining.
Also, I love Noah Blackwood. He's a good villain. He's a little callous with his thoughts of killing members of his inner circle (yeah right, Noah, like you would kill Butch--he's way too useful to you) but he is an excellent villain for the story, and I like him far better now that he has motivation beyond "stuff the animals and put them in my diorama". Because really, that's kind of evil for the sake of evil. Now he has actual reasons for being the bad guy.
It's a middle-school level book, so if you're high-school-aged or older it may seem a bit childish, but it's still highly entertaining and I read it very quickly. It definitely held my attention.
January 18, 2016
I really liked this book because of all the action Smith packed into this book along wit the descriptive words he used to express the events that were happening in the book. Also I liked how the author changes the view of the situation by all the characters expressing their opinion on the situation at hand by the author changing to another characters opinion every few pages.The only negative thing I would say about the book is the plot was a little confusing. This book was about a boy named Marty and Luther trying to rescue their cousin Grace from her evil uncle who plans to keep her their at his grandfathers ark in Seattle forever nd will never let her go back to Cryptos island where she belongs and is supposed to live. So her cousins and friends are on a mission to rescue and free their cousin Grace along with take back what's rightfully theirs, baby dinosaurs. But they encounter trouble along the way by nasty security guards, security cameras, an underground lab that no one knows about and THE CHUPRACABA that will destroy anything that gets in its way. Fortunately they rescue Grace and everything turns out ok. I would recommend this book to a friend because this book it amazing and awesome. But I would recommend reading the first book Tentacles, so my friend knows what is going on because if you don't read the first book you can get confused.
October 20, 2022
The book CHUPACABRA written by Roland Smith. The genre of this book is horror/ mystery. Roland Smith is famous for writing horror books, some books that he has written are Tentacles, Cryptid Hunters, and The Edge. The book Chupacabra is one of his most famous books. He is quite known for his books because he has written about 56 books in his career. He has had a long career of writing books and he is now 70 years old. His best book is called Peak and won Miami's best book for kids. The book Chupacabra had some weird parts when these two characters had feelings for eachother but found out they were cousins. But the book first caught my eye when Luther and Dylan were trapped in the vents while a Chupacabra was inside the vents waiting to find and kill them. Also at the start of the book the 3 main characters have got into the park with disguises. Then they had to hide from the park's workers, if they got caught they could die or get in big trouble.
This whole main incident took place at Noah’s Ark. Noah Blackwood is an older male. On the top floor of the ark it shows how good the animals are being treated and has good snacks and just looks great for the animals. But what is really happening is underground. It is dark and only the hallways are lit up. There are rooms opon rooms filled with animals that are being mistreated or just there to make money. But that is why three friends are there to sneak around and help the animals. But they have to learn to work together while having no communication. Around the park. This took place not too long ago so the park's security system is new and can pick you out in the crowd. While one on the inside that is relatives with Noah. And the other two have only known him through stories. They both have troubles. Grace, the one on the inside has to act calm and not be suspicious near Noah, but at the same time has to give information to the rest. The two on the outside, Marty, and luther have to sneak around the big security guard butch.
The first two main characters you meet are Grace and Noah Blackwood. Grace is Noah's granddaughter. Noah is the park leader and anything he says goes. He has a good reputation on top so he will do whatever he can to stop Marty and Luther from getting the word out that he is truly bad. Grace is a loving and kind person outside but on the inside she is smart and is not afraid to get dirty when she has to. She has been invited to stay with him and get to meet all the animals and get a VIP axis to many things the public can’t see. She acts like she is enjoying all the open access, but really she waits at night to block the security cameras and go to a closed off place and tell the other two the secrets to get in. Marty and Luther have been best friends for years. They are like partners fighting in crime, even though they have different characteristics. Marty always thinks before he does and he looks over the facts, while Luther is a goof and doesn’t care about his actions, that has almost gotten him killed by a Chupacabra. The Noah team of 2 steps in. Butch Mcall is Noah’s best man. He has been working with him for quite awhile. He is that big burly security guard that thinks he's all that and will stop anybody if it comes to it. Marty and luther are more scared of him than the Chupacabra because Butch takes comands from Noah and Noah is a messed up man. So Butch is not afraid to torture or kill them. Yvonne is one of the few scientists Noah trusts . She is new but fastly earning Noah's respect. She is a very smart scientist and is in charge of the most important aminal. Those are the dinosaur hatchlings. Butch hates Yvonne because it took him along time to get on Noah’s side. But luckily for the good guys, Dylan steps in. His dad is a part of their team. Dylan's Dad knows Travis Wolfe. Dylan helps Luther and Marty avade Butch because Butch or any else of the crew doesn’t know who he is. So he can walk around easily and tell Luther or Marty who is where. Dylan is sneaky but kind of loud so not the best for a secret mission. At least he will think before his actions. He is brave because he went into the vents to save his new friend Luther. The first main battle was when Noah’s Ark team was spying on Travis Wolfe’s Aquarium to get inside information. But the kids found out so they had to get in disguises. Marty put on a hoodie and dark clothes, then Luther would shave his head bald. They would sneak in just to help the aminals and to see how Grace is doing. They wanted revenge because Noah was spying on them and they thought he had something to hide. That is the whole reason Grace went with him. She was the inside woman and tried to find evidence in his private mansion near the zoo. The one piece of evidence she found was on his computer. It showed videos of his wildlife videos, which showed he was saving animals in danger, but really it showed the aminals being treated but when he cut the video he let them go in a worse state. But a big plot was when they got all the aminals in their helicopter to escape at the end but they heard noah say he was going to flee the country and go to paris with butch and Yvonee. He said “You can keep the animals, but you’ll never catch me!”.
My opinion on this book is true, the text I think about is how some people seem nice and kind but are truly cruel and mean. People can just be bad. I would recommend this book to people who like horror books. It was a boring book at the beginning and I thought it wasn’t going to be my choice. But it stepped up with the suspense in the 2 part. The one bad thing about The Chupacabra was it only showed the Chupacabra for 35 pages out of 285. I wished it showed more of the main character than a person that doesn’t even matter. If you are a person that just looks at the title then this isn’t a good book for you. It had some questionable romance parts like Marty and Grace liked each other but realized they were cousins, and yet still wanted to be together. The text stated, ``Grace liked Marty but didn’t want to tell him, but when she found out they were cousins it motivated her more to like him.” But overall the book was good. All I will say is that there were a lot of mood changes throughout the book.
This whole main incident took place at Noah’s Ark. Noah Blackwood is an older male. On the top floor of the ark it shows how good the animals are being treated and has good snacks and just looks great for the animals. But what is really happening is underground. It is dark and only the hallways are lit up. There are rooms opon rooms filled with animals that are being mistreated or just there to make money. But that is why three friends are there to sneak around and help the animals. But they have to learn to work together while having no communication. Around the park. This took place not too long ago so the park's security system is new and can pick you out in the crowd. While one on the inside that is relatives with Noah. And the other two have only known him through stories. They both have troubles. Grace, the one on the inside has to act calm and not be suspicious near Noah, but at the same time has to give information to the rest. The two on the outside, Marty, and luther have to sneak around the big security guard butch.
The first two main characters you meet are Grace and Noah Blackwood. Grace is Noah's granddaughter. Noah is the park leader and anything he says goes. He has a good reputation on top so he will do whatever he can to stop Marty and Luther from getting the word out that he is truly bad. Grace is a loving and kind person outside but on the inside she is smart and is not afraid to get dirty when she has to. She has been invited to stay with him and get to meet all the animals and get a VIP axis to many things the public can’t see. She acts like she is enjoying all the open access, but really she waits at night to block the security cameras and go to a closed off place and tell the other two the secrets to get in. Marty and Luther have been best friends for years. They are like partners fighting in crime, even though they have different characteristics. Marty always thinks before he does and he looks over the facts, while Luther is a goof and doesn’t care about his actions, that has almost gotten him killed by a Chupacabra. The Noah team of 2 steps in. Butch Mcall is Noah’s best man. He has been working with him for quite awhile. He is that big burly security guard that thinks he's all that and will stop anybody if it comes to it. Marty and luther are more scared of him than the Chupacabra because Butch takes comands from Noah and Noah is a messed up man. So Butch is not afraid to torture or kill them. Yvonne is one of the few scientists Noah trusts . She is new but fastly earning Noah's respect. She is a very smart scientist and is in charge of the most important aminal. Those are the dinosaur hatchlings. Butch hates Yvonne because it took him along time to get on Noah’s side. But luckily for the good guys, Dylan steps in. His dad is a part of their team. Dylan's Dad knows Travis Wolfe. Dylan helps Luther and Marty avade Butch because Butch or any else of the crew doesn’t know who he is. So he can walk around easily and tell Luther or Marty who is where. Dylan is sneaky but kind of loud so not the best for a secret mission. At least he will think before his actions. He is brave because he went into the vents to save his new friend Luther. The first main battle was when Noah’s Ark team was spying on Travis Wolfe’s Aquarium to get inside information. But the kids found out so they had to get in disguises. Marty put on a hoodie and dark clothes, then Luther would shave his head bald. They would sneak in just to help the aminals and to see how Grace is doing. They wanted revenge because Noah was spying on them and they thought he had something to hide. That is the whole reason Grace went with him. She was the inside woman and tried to find evidence in his private mansion near the zoo. The one piece of evidence she found was on his computer. It showed videos of his wildlife videos, which showed he was saving animals in danger, but really it showed the aminals being treated but when he cut the video he let them go in a worse state. But a big plot was when they got all the aminals in their helicopter to escape at the end but they heard noah say he was going to flee the country and go to paris with butch and Yvonee. He said “You can keep the animals, but you’ll never catch me!”.
My opinion on this book is true, the text I think about is how some people seem nice and kind but are truly cruel and mean. People can just be bad. I would recommend this book to people who like horror books. It was a boring book at the beginning and I thought it wasn’t going to be my choice. But it stepped up with the suspense in the 2 part. The one bad thing about The Chupacabra was it only showed the Chupacabra for 35 pages out of 285. I wished it showed more of the main character than a person that doesn’t even matter. If you are a person that just looks at the title then this isn’t a good book for you. It had some questionable romance parts like Marty and Grace liked each other but realized they were cousins, and yet still wanted to be together. The text stated, ``Grace liked Marty but didn’t want to tell him, but when she found out they were cousins it motivated her more to like him.” But overall the book was good. All I will say is that there were a lot of mood changes throughout the book.
August 24, 2013
Read and reviewed from NetGalley
Roland Smith has done it again with his newest in the Marty and Grace series , Chupacabra. An exciting read that takes place primarily at the Noah's Ark site in Seattle. When the second book in the series, Tentacles, ended Grace was with her grandfather and he also had the dinosaur hatchlings. This third book introduces a new character, Dylan Hitchcock, son of members of the Cryptos Island Crew.
Marty and Luther and Dylan sneak into the Ark to see Grace and hopefully bring her and dinosaur hatchlings out.
Noah Blackwood's cast of villains contains the usuals, Butch and Yvonne and introduces the reader to a behind the scenes look at the Ark and the horrors being done there. Among them the Chupacabra, who loves the blood of young goats. The cover illustration so perfectly sets the mood for this beast.
Filled with non stop action and with the bravery, humor and ingenuity of the 4 young people, this book is a welcome addition and is another winner for Mr. Smith.
Of course the ending is the segue way into the next book.
Roland Smith has done it again with his newest in the Marty and Grace series , Chupacabra. An exciting read that takes place primarily at the Noah's Ark site in Seattle. When the second book in the series, Tentacles, ended Grace was with her grandfather and he also had the dinosaur hatchlings. This third book introduces a new character, Dylan Hitchcock, son of members of the Cryptos Island Crew.
Marty and Luther and Dylan sneak into the Ark to see Grace and hopefully bring her and dinosaur hatchlings out.
Noah Blackwood's cast of villains contains the usuals, Butch and Yvonne and introduces the reader to a behind the scenes look at the Ark and the horrors being done there. Among them the Chupacabra, who loves the blood of young goats. The cover illustration so perfectly sets the mood for this beast.
Filled with non stop action and with the bravery, humor and ingenuity of the 4 young people, this book is a welcome addition and is another winner for Mr. Smith.
Of course the ending is the segue way into the next book.
January 17, 2014
I really thought that this was the last book in the Marty and Grace series. And I went into reading it with that understanding, which is largely why this ended up with only a three star rating. I was expecting resolution and what we got was far from that.
I also expected far more Chupacabra action.
Still, what we got was good and I still really enjoy these characters. And I am glad that Grace has safely escaped from her mad grandfather and is back with the others. Luther amuses me greatly, so I hope he is in the next one too. And I hope that she and Marty can find his parents!
But I am astonished that neither of those kids has been injured given all that they went through in this book.
I just hope it is not another two-year wait for the next book.... but it likely will be.
I also expected far more Chupacabra action.
Still, what we got was good and I still really enjoy these characters. And I am glad that Grace has safely escaped from her mad grandfather and is back with the others. Luther amuses me greatly, so I hope he is in the next one too. And I hope that she and Marty can find his parents!
But I am astonished that neither of those kids has been injured given all that they went through in this book.
I just hope it is not another two-year wait for the next book.... but it likely will be.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 2, 2015
This book is about Marty, and Luther as they try to save there friend Grace from the evil clutches of Noah Blackwood, but Noah Blackwood came up with an idea that will surely take Marty and Luther out of the equation entirely. Will Marty and Luther save Grace from Noah Blackwood or will it be too late for Marty and Luther to save her friend Grace from the development of a thing called "CH-9?" The theme of this book is to never underestimate your enemy.
In my opinion, I think this was a great book I specifically liked the suspense and the new cryptic animals.
I recommend this book to anyone 12 years old. What I think that the twelve year olds would like is the suspense.
In my opinion, I think this was a great book I specifically liked the suspense and the new cryptic animals.
I recommend this book to anyone 12 years old. What I think that the twelve year olds would like is the suspense.
April 2, 2016
I'm absolutely going to order the series for our library. Generally viewed as middle grade, Smith is always so accessible and adventurous in his stories. This "Marty and Grace" series is a riveting action-packed science fiction adventure featuring twins cum cousins whose growing cast of human characters and cryptoid characters are unique, curious, and humorous.
Give me some great adventure! Smith is awesome.
Give me some great adventure! Smith is awesome.
April 2, 2015
Grace, a thirteen-year-old, has left her father (originally her uncle) to go with her grandfather. She wanted to go because she wanted to know more about her grandfather, Noah Blackwood. Noah is thought to be a kind and generous man by his fans. But they don't know the whole story. Noah has made his partner, Butch McCall,
Want to read
March 8, 2013excited to hear it has a name and release date... but it is now a quartet. Grr...
May 6, 2013
Everyday i have to remind myself that I have waited three years already, four or five months will be easy.
May 27, 2015
Great!
Roland Smith never disappoints! The characters are so real and some folks from a previous book join them. I recommend this series to people of all ages.
Roland Smith never disappoints! The characters are so real and some folks from a previous book join them. I recommend this series to people of all ages.
April 15, 2018
Read this review (and others) at: https://literatureislife.com/2018/04/...
This review will contain spoilers for the previous two books, Cryptid Hunters and Tentacles, as well as Roland Smith’s Sasquatch.
Chupacabra follows up shortly from where Tentacles left off: Grace “willingly” going with Noah Blackwood. By now we know Noah is plenty evil. He is as happy conducting kidnappings as he is killing animals in the prime of their life to have them stuffed for his private collection. And Noah’s interests do not just stop at regular animals. Nor do they stop at simply putting these creatures on display. This madman is obsessed with control; to save Grace from his clutches, Marty will have to get past Noah’s Chupacabra.
Wolfe is ready to make a plan and go in to get Grace back. Marty is right there along with him, although less with the making a plan part. Not willing to leave Grace in Noah’s clutches, Marty and Luther quickly infiltrate Noah’s compound. Along with them is Dylan, the protagonist of Roland Smith’s book Sasquatch (first referenced in Cryptid Hunters). All three boys bring different skills to their team and are hilariously skilled at running circles around Noah’s henchmen. And of course, Grace is not one to just sit idle as a prisoner in Noah’s mansion.
The setting for this book felt better than the previous two. Most of the first book took place in the jungle, which was neat but not terribly distinctive. Then we had an adventure on a ship, which literally left the characters with limited space. This time around, our protagonists are in the enemy’s lair. Noah’s zoo, with his mansion next to it and a secret underground mad science lab underneath, was a fantastic setting. This also does wonders for Noah’s character development, making him darker and more of a true villain.
This time around we get a bit more action and adventure than the previous books. Being in the bad guy’s lair, there is potentially danger around every corner for our heroes. The whole story takes place in about a day, so the time frame makes this adventure more fast-paced. It makes Chupacabra feel a bit longer even though the page count is in the Young Adult age range. The extra action-adventure makes this feel like the high point of the Marty and Grace books. So far, anyway; the fourth and final book could turn out even better than this one. We will find out soon as the story concludes!
This review will contain spoilers for the previous two books, Cryptid Hunters and Tentacles, as well as Roland Smith’s Sasquatch.
Chupacabra follows up shortly from where Tentacles left off: Grace “willingly” going with Noah Blackwood. By now we know Noah is plenty evil. He is as happy conducting kidnappings as he is killing animals in the prime of their life to have them stuffed for his private collection. And Noah’s interests do not just stop at regular animals. Nor do they stop at simply putting these creatures on display. This madman is obsessed with control; to save Grace from his clutches, Marty will have to get past Noah’s Chupacabra.
Wolfe is ready to make a plan and go in to get Grace back. Marty is right there along with him, although less with the making a plan part. Not willing to leave Grace in Noah’s clutches, Marty and Luther quickly infiltrate Noah’s compound. Along with them is Dylan, the protagonist of Roland Smith’s book Sasquatch (first referenced in Cryptid Hunters). All three boys bring different skills to their team and are hilariously skilled at running circles around Noah’s henchmen. And of course, Grace is not one to just sit idle as a prisoner in Noah’s mansion.
The setting for this book felt better than the previous two. Most of the first book took place in the jungle, which was neat but not terribly distinctive. Then we had an adventure on a ship, which literally left the characters with limited space. This time around, our protagonists are in the enemy’s lair. Noah’s zoo, with his mansion next to it and a secret underground mad science lab underneath, was a fantastic setting. This also does wonders for Noah’s character development, making him darker and more of a true villain.
This time around we get a bit more action and adventure than the previous books. Being in the bad guy’s lair, there is potentially danger around every corner for our heroes. The whole story takes place in about a day, so the time frame makes this adventure more fast-paced. It makes Chupacabra feel a bit longer even though the page count is in the Young Adult age range. The extra action-adventure makes this feel like the high point of the Marty and Grace books. So far, anyway; the fourth and final book could turn out even better than this one. We will find out soon as the story concludes!
September 30, 2019
Marty and the gang embark on an adventure to try to save Grace and the Mokele-Mbembes from the evil doctor Blackwood while trying to sneak past his murderous henchmen. While on their adventure, they encounter the Chupacabra Dr. Blackwood has set to kill them, and Grace tries to find out more about her real parents.
The text itself had a few exciting instances and is written in detail, which makes it easy for the reader to visualize the scenario. It included mystery and suspense as Grace tried to escape Dr. Blackwood's mansion. The main interesting plot twist was when Marty and the gang thought that Grace had betrayed them, when she actually left them to benefit their cause.
I disliked the fact that there were so many characters in the story that it made the dialogue hard to follow. The story was also a lot less action-orientated than I perceived it to be, and the Chupacabra only appears in a small part of the story. The boring, dialogued sections of the book seemed to drag on, while the action of the story happened very fast and wasn't as fulfilling as it could have been if the book had more unexpected plot twists and action-orientated scenes. The multiple points of view caused the book to be less interesting because nothing was unexpected.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. It was uninteresting for the most part and gave me no creative stimulation whatsoever. There are many books that would be worthwhile. However, I do not consider this book to be one of them.
The text itself had a few exciting instances and is written in detail, which makes it easy for the reader to visualize the scenario. It included mystery and suspense as Grace tried to escape Dr. Blackwood's mansion. The main interesting plot twist was when Marty and the gang thought that Grace had betrayed them, when she actually left them to benefit their cause.
I disliked the fact that there were so many characters in the story that it made the dialogue hard to follow. The story was also a lot less action-orientated than I perceived it to be, and the Chupacabra only appears in a small part of the story. The boring, dialogued sections of the book seemed to drag on, while the action of the story happened very fast and wasn't as fulfilling as it could have been if the book had more unexpected plot twists and action-orientated scenes. The multiple points of view caused the book to be less interesting because nothing was unexpected.
Overall, I would not recommend this book. It was uninteresting for the most part and gave me no creative stimulation whatsoever. There are many books that would be worthwhile. However, I do not consider this book to be one of them.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2022
I would recommend this book to anyone who read and enjoyed the earlier books in the series, and anyone who enjoys books about zoology or adventure-type books.
The book Chupacabra is about a rivalry between two zoo owners trying to get the next big attraction. Noah Blackwood has Grace hostage, and he also stole the dinosaur hatchlings from Travis Wolfe. In this book, Travis Wolfe tries to get the Hatchlings back along with Grace. Although while trying to get them both back they hear that a Chupacabra was sighted, and Travis and Noah are back on the hunt for their next big discovery.
Roland Smith along with his earlier books wrote this one very well. He kept the reader very entertained with the exciting events that happened in the story. It was very easy to understand and very enjoyable. This story included a lot of background from the earlier books so if you didn’t read the first two you weren’t completely lost. He also did an excellent job of moving the story forward.
Although this book was very good there were some things I thought it was lacking. At the beginning of the story, it was a little slow, and I thought he could’ve left out some small details and just went into the main events. Also, I wish it would have included a little more information on Travis Wolfe. This book seemed to mainly focus on the villain which wasn’t a bad thing, but I wish it would’ve been more balanced between the two. In this book even though there was a lot of information on the characters the plot could be a little confusing for some people.
The book Chupacabra is about a rivalry between two zoo owners trying to get the next big attraction. Noah Blackwood has Grace hostage, and he also stole the dinosaur hatchlings from Travis Wolfe. In this book, Travis Wolfe tries to get the Hatchlings back along with Grace. Although while trying to get them both back they hear that a Chupacabra was sighted, and Travis and Noah are back on the hunt for their next big discovery.
Roland Smith along with his earlier books wrote this one very well. He kept the reader very entertained with the exciting events that happened in the story. It was very easy to understand and very enjoyable. This story included a lot of background from the earlier books so if you didn’t read the first two you weren’t completely lost. He also did an excellent job of moving the story forward.
Although this book was very good there were some things I thought it was lacking. At the beginning of the story, it was a little slow, and I thought he could’ve left out some small details and just went into the main events. Also, I wish it would have included a little more information on Travis Wolfe. This book seemed to mainly focus on the villain which wasn’t a bad thing, but I wish it would’ve been more balanced between the two. In this book even though there was a lot of information on the characters the plot could be a little confusing for some people.
June 1, 2021
This has always been my favorite installment of the series from when I was 11 waiting and waiting for this to finally be published. I think this book provides an interesting development of the character of Noah Blackwood while still keeping this secure for children’s eyes. Villains often have complex minds and views as any human does. This held up pretty well compared to other “Scholastic book fair classics” that saved up all year to read. Beyond the interesting reveals and remaining mystery of the one super-villain pseudo Steve Irwin personality, this book has a fair bit of my favorite character… Luther. The red head turned bald? Scrappy best friend of Marty O’Hara. Luther is put in harm's way but like a true awesome sauce sidekick wrecks havoc everywhere. It was fun to see Daniel from another one of Smith’s books - Sasquatch which has been added to my list of books to reread. Humour abounds even in stressful novel situations. I can safely say that Roland Smith’s random use of the phrase “duh du jour” led me to an interest in the French language and eventually 5 years of middle/high school French courses. Chupacabra can be separated for me from a sense of nostalgia much like Harry Potter is for others.
May 18, 2023
This was quite a read, I really enjoyed the thrill of picturing how Marty, Luther, and Grace could all be hunted down by a chupacabra. After trying to live a normal life there was no rest for Graces family. This book was more of a fun read to me, and it seems like I need to go back and read from the beginning of this sequel. With Grace Wolfe getting stuck with Noah Blackwood, her grandfather, it made this book seem like a family problem book. Father of Grace, Travis Wolfe and Grandfather of Grace as Noah Blackwood, and a cousin Martin Wolfe. This entire book was a little crazy, I would have appreciated having a little more context, because this book is 3 of the 4 in this series. But there was more than enough information that I obtained through reading this book. I probably will read the book concluding the series to see what Noah Blackwood (evil scientist) does next. I would recommend this book to those who like reading a thriller with drama and mythical creatures.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 24, 2017
Grace and Marty are back with Luther and their new friend Dylan. Their adventures continue to grow in excitement and danger.
The characters are one of the best parts of these stories. Their personalities and relationships are amazing. The addition of Dylan was nice, as was learning more about Noah Blackwood's evil personality. He may be horrible and utterly despicable, but he's also very smart. On of the interesting things about this book is how the kids are on their own for the whole book.
Another interesting thing is that it takes place mostly on one day. The plot is high action and keeps you turning pages the whole time. I can't think of anything I didn't really like about it. I can't wait to read the next book.
The characters are one of the best parts of these stories. Their personalities and relationships are amazing. The addition of Dylan was nice, as was learning more about Noah Blackwood's evil personality. He may be horrible and utterly despicable, but he's also very smart. On of the interesting things about this book is how the kids are on their own for the whole book.
Another interesting thing is that it takes place mostly on one day. The plot is high action and keeps you turning pages the whole time. I can't think of anything I didn't really like about it. I can't wait to read the next book.
August 24, 2017
Exciting installment in this series. 3.5 stars. I like the friendships that are formed in this book and the addition of Dylan.
The only thing that threw me out of the story was when Marty made stuffed grape leaves and other Mediterranean food in Dylan's kitchen. I understand that Marty is a good cook, but unless someone purchased the right ingredients, he couldn't have whipped up that snack so quickly. He probably couldn't have whipped up that snack/meal that quickly even with the right ingredients. The ingredients for Mediterranean dishes aren't found in the average American family's kitchen - especially a family that just moved into temporary lodgings.
I also felt that Noah would have had night vision camera's at his Ark.
The only thing that threw me out of the story was when Marty made stuffed grape leaves and other Mediterranean food in Dylan's kitchen. I understand that Marty is a good cook, but unless someone purchased the right ingredients, he couldn't have whipped up that snack so quickly. He probably couldn't have whipped up that snack/meal that quickly even with the right ingredients. The ingredients for Mediterranean dishes aren't found in the average American family's kitchen - especially a family that just moved into temporary lodgings.
I also felt that Noah would have had night vision camera's at his Ark.
July 6, 2018
In the cage of one of the deadliest creatures on the planet, Marty figures out a way to rescue his sister. On the other hand, Grace collects information and hopes to find a way out of the mess she has started.
This is the 3rd book in the cryptid series and the adventure occurs with Grace and her way of collecting information about her mother and finding a way to escape the hands of Noah Blackwood. Marty shows how much a bond between “sister and brother” can look like.
This is a book is for 5th and up and the adventure just can’t stop. If you haven’t read the first two books then read them. You cannot stop reading and put the book down. After finishing this book then read the final book in this amazing 5 star series.-Varun K
This is the 3rd book in the cryptid series and the adventure occurs with Grace and her way of collecting information about her mother and finding a way to escape the hands of Noah Blackwood. Marty shows how much a bond between “sister and brother” can look like.
This is a book is for 5th and up and the adventure just can’t stop. If you haven’t read the first two books then read them. You cannot stop reading and put the book down. After finishing this book then read the final book in this amazing 5 star series.-Varun K
January 27, 2021
I love how this third book in the series really took a darker turn and showed us Blackwood's real colours and what he's capable of and willing to do to protect his image. I also love watching Butch get more and more desperate as the series progresses. What I didnt enjoy as much is the fact that Grace got little to no info regarding her mom and grandmother, since that's the whole reason she went with Blackwood at the end of book 2. I do appreciate that it lends to a slightly more realistic tone (in a book that has a lab-grown chupacabra in it) in that her plans were waylaid, but it almost renders the whole story as more filler than actual furthering the plot. I look forward to seeing how the final book brings everything together!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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