Creature Keepers and the Hijacked Hydro-Hide
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
For kids who love the Origami Yoda and Zombie Chasers series comes the first book in an epically hilarious, fully illustrated middle grade adventure series, starring some of history's best-known mythical beasts, from the dynamic creators of Herbert's Wormhole.
Twelve-year-old Jordan Grimsley has moved with his family into an old, abandoned house in Florida that belonged to his long-lost grandfather. While clearing stuff out of the attic, Jordan finds a scrapbook filled with old news clippings about local sightings of the mythological South Florida Skunk Ape. Determined to learn more, he persuades Eldon Pecone, the only other kid for miles, to come along on an excursion into the swamp, where many of the sightings occurred.
This is when Jordan makes a startling discovery: not only is the Skunk Ape real, but Eldon is an elite member of a secret society of Creature Keepers—humans assigned to protect a variety of mythical beasts. And when they discover that the Loch Ness Monster has gone missing, it kick-starts a fast-paced, funny, and totally original race across the globe to restore order and balance to the world.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Nelson and Rao follow their Herbert's Wormhole series with this whimsical adventure, first in a planned series, in which 12-year-old Jordan Grimsley follows in his deceased grandfather's footsteps as a protector of cryptids, magical creatures of myth and legend. After Jordan's family moves into Grampa Grimsley's huge, deserted house in the Everglades, Jordan meets and befriends Eldon Pecone an industrious "Badger Ranger" (with merit badges in everything from species classification to spooring) and member of the Creature Keepers, a secret organization that helps to hide such beings as the Florida Skunk Ape, Giant Desert Jackalope, and Jersey Devil. Soon, Jordan and Eldon are swept up in a caper involving the missing Loch Ness Monster and a ruthless foe who wants to exploit the cryptids. Nelson's fast-paced writing and off-kilter premise are matched by Rao's wiry b&w illustrations, which portray the cryptids as endearing and cute, if occasionally deranged. Nelson maintains an enjoyable balance of humor and action, but never loses his grip on the more serious core of the story. Ages 8 12.
