Can You Catch A Swamp Monster

(Paperback)

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Description

As a podcast reporter you're out to crack your biggest case yet Do swamp monsters exist You'll investigate some of history's greatest swamp monster mysteries including the Lizard Man the Australian Bunyip and the Honey Island Swamp Monster. Will you catch a real-life monster or become part of the legend It's up to you to find out With dozens of choices which path will you choose to discover the truth

Reviews

This snappy, interactive series casts readers in the "roles" of cryptozoologists/investigative reporters on "missions" to hunt for intriguing cryptids. Typical of this type of fare, different paths are suggested to readers every few pages so they can select desired routes based on given possibilities. Various choices and story endings are offered, and with so many options, students have lots to read and reread in these slim volumes. While they "explore," readers, addressed with personal pronouns throughout, also learn facts about the monsters, e.g., their origins, locations, what's known about them, and where they've been seen. Each volume opens with an announcement of readers' "assignments"; the final chapter in each title no longer involves readers as investigators but sums up facts about the monster (or, in the case of the alien book, facts about extraterrestrial life and space exploration). Texts are lively, written in present tense, and use vernacular prose, keeping readers and their "assignments" immediate. Occasionally, things get gruesome, and "no one knows for sure" is the ultimate conclusion. Catchy, kid-appealing covers and atmospheric illustrations and photos enliven the proceedings; maps are used where needed. "More ___Sightings," a back-matter feature in each volume, contains examples of other, similar types of the cryptid. VERDICT Recommended for public and school collections. The series's clever premise offers some action-packed, entertaining reading opportunities for good as well as striving readers.--Carol Goldman, Writer/Book Reviewer, Formerly at Queens Public Lib., Queens, NY "School Library Journal"

Author Bio

Eric Braun is a children's author and editor. He has written dozens of books on many topics, and one of his books was read by an astronaut on the International Space Station for kids on Earth to watch. Eric lives in Minneapolis with his wife, two kids, and a dog who is afraid of cardboard.