Tentacles

Marty and Grace #2

by Roland Smith

Roland Smith makes his Scholastic debut with a middle-grade adventure novel about the search for a mysterious creature--the giant squid--in this sequel to CRYPTID HUNTERS. Marty and Grace O'Hara's globe-trotting parents disappeared while on assignment for a nature magazine, and now they're living with their Uncle Wolfe, a scientist fascinated by cryptids--creatures that appear in myths but haven't been proven to exist, such as the Loch Ness Monster. Wolfe is planning an expedition to New Zealand to track a giant squid, and he's rented a huge (and possibly haunted) freighter for the trip. But someone on board is determined to sabotage their mission--and if Marty and Grace keeping poking their noses into things, they might end up the saboteur's next victims!

Genres: Adventure, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Middle Grade, Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery

336 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

Roland 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.

Reviews

[tappkalina · Rating 4 out of 5]

“There is nothing new under the sun,” Ted continued. “All great inventions are a synthesis of things that already exist in nature. A lot of people think that Travis Wolfe is a lunatic, risking his life and fortune pursuing animals that are not supposed to exist. But you see, finding these animals is secondary to searching for them. You can’t discover anything unless you’re out looking. Hunting cryptids is an excuse for looking.”

Just as good as the first one. Although it's middle grade, it's perfect for adults, too.

[Angie Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

The end of this book....ruins my life

[Andrew Kiley · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought this book was good and interesting. It had some good detail and a good storyline. Read this book if you want.

[Dylan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the second book to cryptid hunters and this was, in my opinion, better than the first. But trying to capture a Kraken/giant squid while people sabotaging the ship is just a little better than the first.

[Solomonsmith · Rating 4 out of 5]

In my opinion, I found this book very thrilling to read with all the different characters' points of view. I feel like the way the authors show both sides of the characters, the good and evil ones, work well with each other, and how it all gets tied together because of all the different thoughts you get to read and experience. I found this book very interesting on how they choice to describe the characters like how Marty's sister Grace is not really his sister, but his cousin and how that Marty's and Graces uncle is really Graces dad. With this twist in the beginning of the book, it throws you into a loop of thoughts like what if the uncle is really evil or what if Marty is not even related to Grace. In the book, I also like the way they change the setting rapidly through the story and how they portray the kraken as this mystical creature that Wolfie wants evident is real and he does not get that till the very end. I would rate this book a good Four out of five and I give it this high of a rating for all the twists and suspense the reader has to go through in this book, it is amazing.


However, I think this book has flaws even though I have heard from my sister and many more it is a fantastic book. I do think this book is well written, but I also feel like it is too sped up and when I was reading it just got all confused with all the thoughts of all the characters overlapping. I wish the author slowed down the book and explained the point of the book a little more so it would have been easier for me to understand it. But when it slowed down toward the end where they almost got Grace back, it is where I got hooked. This book still showed some holes in the story and that is where I stopped paying so much attention to the other parts where they find the kraken or free Grace, but it was still a really good book with just a few flaws. Because of this book I cannot wait for a new Roland smith book to come out.

[Gwen the Librarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Cryptid Hunters are at it again! Wolfe, Grace, and Marty are joined in this adventure by all the characters we met in the first volume, plus the addition of Luther, Marty's roommate from school. This time, the gang is going after a giant squid and spends the whole adventure aboard a refurbished ship. They've taken the dinosaur eggs with them to keep studying, and they still have to watch out for espionage and threats from Noah Blackwood.

Roland Smith's work is always thoroughly engaging, can't-put-it-down stuff, but for some reason, this one didn't fascinate me quite as much as his others. Maybe because it's obviously and in-between book in what is becoming a Cryptid Hunters series...I just didn't feel like there was enough character development for Grace, who is obviously coping with a lot, though there was some good focus on Marty.

[Carson Podesta · Rating 1 out of 5]

TROUBLED WATERS

Cryptids they apper in myths. But could creatures like krakens and the loch ness monsters really exists? That's Travis wolfe's obbesoins, he'll travel to the ends of the earth in serch of proof. For cousins Marty and Grace, who have lived with the intense scients ever since Marty's parents myterrlouis disapeard this means adventure

and danger!

Wolfe's layest quest; to be the first to capture a gaint squid alive. before long, the trio sets sail, southPaffic bound and with a couple of dinosaur eggs incubating below deck. Bit there huge freghiter vmay be hauntedd, and someone on board seems detrimined to sabotage the missoin. if Gracs and Marty folloe the cluess, will they get tthe bottom of this fishy business or end up at the bottom of the sea?

[Jade Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.25 stars

[Sara Whitaker · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one is just as good as the first in the series. Smith is such a good writer and always keeps you guessing and wanting more.

[Kizztophe Untalan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This adventure was filled with fun throughout the book, the scenario that i like the most , mainly because it had to do with animals and myths that were told about these creatures. As they discover and find out that their parents was lost from within the areas of the wild, they are now under a very different set of rules. i think that this book had a lot to offer, starting from the previous, this book i enjoyed as i sat around at night trying to find sleep. I had to finish with a good ending every time and this is what kept me from wanting to read even more. first I'll stop because they caught a dinosaur that seemed to be ages old and what seemed to be an artifact but as their stories go on, these creatures make me think that this book is science fiction. Findings that i think are unusual that this reality hasn't proven true. I enjoyed as Marty and his best friend had all of their adventures, but what caught my attention from looking at the book without reading anything from the front or back is that there was a big tentacle. my curiosity grew and I think of what is was, a squid perhaps another type of creature? this caught my attention because i knew that Marty and his friends are going to have trouble. Since tentacles aren't often friendly from what I would think. but Luther, (Marty's best friend) is a genius and he helps throughout the story. This book is really fascinating and I don't like authors because of the way some talk or the story might be boring but I think i like Roland Smith and his form of writing a story. He will be added to my few favorite author list.

[Brayden Vanzant · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tentacles by Roland Smith is the second book in the Marty and Grace book series. This book is full of mystery and adventure. Butch McCall is hired by Noah Blackwood (Grace's grandfather) to steal a pair of dinosaurs, either take or leave the giant squid on the boat taken to go there, kill everyone on board,and kidnap Grace (Travis Wolfe's daughter and Noah Blackwood's granddaughter) to take her from her father and give her to her grandfather. This book is just amazing in the way that there are always new mysteries to be solved in this absolutely amazing book.

[Macey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has almost everything I like in a book. Its full of action and plot twists that I would never expect but it all ties in at the end. It's kind of slow at the beginning and a bit confusing but it's worth the confusion. It has all these characters that are so different and it makes it so conflicting when they all meet up. I would recommend this book for sure to anybody because it has a little bit of everything.

[Joseph H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the best books I have ever read because it has a lot of detail and it was so suspenseful. It was more of a science fiction because of some of the technology they use and the creatures they say they have caught. Like a million year old dinosaur they found in the Congo. But I'd still reccomend it to anyone.

[Erin Sullivan]

Not quite as good as the first one, but still excellent! The identities of the spies were a complete surprises, as was the truth behind Theo Sonborn. I'm glad there was so much dino stuff in this book, rather than just moving on completely to the giant squid. I can't wait to see what Grace learns in the next book!

[Phair · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neither as interesting nor as cinematic as the first adventure. This one seemed more like a set-up for volume 3. Some interesting developments with regard to some of the 'regulars'. Still, a fun read for those who like adventure, scientific gadgets & a lot of action and derring-do.

[Lisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

The much awaited sequel to the Crypid Hunters, this is a fun, fast read but by the end I felt that this was a bridge book - in that it was designed to bridge the first and third book in the series. Its good but doesn't quite live up to The Crypid Hunters.

[Spencer · Rating 4 out of 5]

2022

2020
The thing I love about this book is that it gives you so much in entertainment value and action sequences and technological discoveries, but even with all the amazing content, you still want to learn more and read more and have more story.

2017

[Caden · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought it is a really good book so far more coming soon....

[Ammar · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terrible book!!! I got bored. The book smells bad too.

[Tim meyers]

could not get into it

[Kyle K · Rating 4 out of 5]

it was a great book it has a cliffhanger at the end of each chapter which wants you to never stop reading. this book has so much details that is is like watching a movie

[Jival C. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This series had many secrets and many of them got answered . This book has many cool stuff.

[LiteratureIsLife · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this review (and others) at: https://literatureislife.com/2018/04/...

This review will contain spoilers for the previous book in the series, Cryptid Hunters.

Tentacles picks up shortly after the end of Cryptid Hunters. The premise of this book was hinted at towards the end of the previous story. Instead of dinosaurs in the jungle, this time around our characters are hunting a kraken! Ok, not really a kraken. Just a giant deep-sea squid, but those are thought to have inspired ancient stories about the kraken sea monsters. Marty and Grace accompany their Uncle Wolfe on another adventure, this time also joined by Marty’s friend Luther.

The characters carry over well from the first story, being just as entertaining as in Cryptid Hunters. We get to delve a little deeper into their character development, particularly with Grace and her now known lineage. The new characters, namely Marty’s friend Luther, are just as entertaining as well. Luther was entertaining, but his main role seems to be giving Marty a needed sidekick so that Grace can do her own thing as her character develops. Marty and Grace are still close, but it is not just the two of them with bad guys on their trail this time around.

Carrying over from the first book, Tentacles still features the Mokélé-mbembé (dinosaurs) from the first book. While the cover monster was critical to the plot of Cryptid Hunters, the same cannot be said for the Architeuthis (giant squid) in Tentacles. Our villain Noah Blackwood is still primarily after Grace and the dinosaurs, with the giant squid being an afterthought. The deep-sea fishing seems important for changing the setting and not much else. There is still a role in the story for the giant squid, but the dinosaurs are clearly our frontrunner cryptids.

While Tentacles is a good book, it was not as entertaining as Cryptid Hunters. Cryptid Hunters felt standalone; enough was still open at the end for this sequel, but it could have gone either way. Tentacles very much feels like part of a series, with blatant unanswered questions by the end of the story. Maybe Roland Smith did intend for Cryptid Hunters to be just one story, but Scholastic offered to do a series because it sold well. I have no proof whatsoever that it went down like that, but it is what I imagine happening. Either way, Tentacles is still plenty entertaining enough and serves as a solid lead-in for the next story.

[Simon]

Tentacles, by Roland Smith, was full of ups and downs throughout. The novel was like a roller coaster, taking you on a journey up and down and all around. I would give this book a 3 out of 5 stars mainly because of all of the downs in the book. I would not recommend this book because I felt that it didn’t appeal to a very wide range of readers, particularly high school boys like myself, it wasn’t exactly stellar on the organization, and the details were a bit over the top at some points.

Some of the strengths of the text include the detail, the action-packed ending, and the “roller coaster” effect it had. The detail in describing ships and creatures was unreal. I had a very vivid image in my mind as I was reading and I felt like it was a movie playing in my head. The ending of the novel was filled with action, which I thought was very exciting and fun to read. And the “roller coaster” effect included some of the more boring descriptive parts as well as the action-packed standoffs, explorations, and attacks.

Some of the weaknesses of the text include the sometimes overly descriptive scenes and pretty much the whole beginning. Although the description was next level, I fell like the author could’ve bumped it down a notch in some parts. And the beginning of the novel through around the two-thirds mark was mostly description and laying the background, which I know is important, just kind of boring. The author saved all of the action scenes for the end, which I feel was a poor decision. It should’ve been spaced out more throughout the text.

I would not recommend this text because it doesn’t appeal to a very wide range of readers, it wasn’t organized very well, and it went a little too big on the descriptions than needed. There were plenty of words that I found myself looking up throughout the novel and there were some ideas that I just wasn’t familiar with yet. The author also could’ve spaced out the action scenes more towards the middle of the book as well instead of saving them all for the end. And some of the details seemed a bit too much, although they weren’t an annoyance, they just didn’t seem necessary. Overall I thought it was an okay read, but I would not recommend it, especially not to middle-grade students like myself.

[Alexander B · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that the book was very exciting and that is very well wrote and that I would recommend it to all my friends. This book inspired me to read more because I don't even like to read but it was so good that I enjoyed reading it. We as a nation needs to read and sometimes people think they don't because they don't like to read well that why book come in all genres and topics and there is a book for every person. You need to put a little bit of effort sometimes to find a good book for yourself or you can be lucky like once in a life time pick a random book of the shelf and find yourself engulfed by such a amazing book. This book was life changing how the details really conspired together to make such a fantastic fictional book it was great how it was a mystery of a mystery how their was a beast or animal that no one believed to be true but they still tried to prove it to the people and that showed real persistence although they were on a mystery itself their was another mystery of someone trying to sabotage this hunt or discovery but when the kids of this book get rapped up in the middle of this they find out that there is someone trying to sabotage this mission but If they search or try to crack this riddle they may be the next target. See now this part of the book is the part that really interest me because it keeps you on the edge of your seat this book is a really good book because this book has everything a good book could possibly have it has a great hook a great story line and a good double threat which to me means the double mystery this book is fantastic and everyone deserves to read it this book has a great overall view.

[Orion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this book 4 out of 5 stars. This was a great book to read. It has a great plot with a marvelous adventure. There are outstanding characters. This was also a very cool science fiction book that is very descriptive.
Firstly this was a great book because it has a marvelous story. This story was outstanding. Although it was a great read, it wasn’t the best book I’ve ever read. The characters in the book board a ship in order to unt a giant squid. It’s a great story that keeps you turning page after page.
The characters in this book were really well developed and outstanding. The author builds the characters throughout the entire book. The author, Roland Smith, states “I think you brought the trunk because of the manuscript. You’re hoping your frustration over the translation will make you open the trunk.” This passage shows how the author built the characters.
The book was also very descriptive. The author make syou feel like you were there, on the boat with them. The author states: “Marty and Luther roared down the hill and screeched to a stop.” This was just one example of how the author used great description in the book.
This was a great book. It wasn’t my favorite but it was a very good read. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys science fiction or sea stories.

[Ryan Regalado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tentacles is an exciting fiction book that takes place with a group of monster hunters, the leader being a millionaire looking for adventure. This book is one one of many in the series of the monster hunters and their quest to further their research of the many mysterious creatures hidden from the public. The group has constant speculation against each other through out the book, and adversaries are hidden in the groups expedition to find this giant squid. The teams expedition starts heading out to New Zealand to look through the waters for this illusive creature. but when they soon run into trouble with another "monster hunter." Overall this book is really well written but is a little more childish than other books in his series. This read definitely isn't challenging so if your looking for a quick and interesting book for a trip or to occupy yourself for a week this is the one for you. Although I wish there were a little more context to the plot line of this book. because it can be quite confusing if you haven't read through the other books in the series. Even with the confusing plot line and slightly childish writing, this is still a book worth reading and I definitely recommend this for anyone looking for a sort of mysterious fiction book.

[Baylee · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this pretty fast so I could be done with it. It was written for 12-year-olds, which I didn't really know when I picked it up, but I guess the scholastic stamp should have given me a hint. First of all, make it impossible for me to miss that this book is book number two. It only says, in VERY small letters at the bottom of the cover: "The thrilling sequel to ..." (._.) Make it more obvious. Then I don't have to waste my time on dumb books.
This book lacked excitement and creativity. There's no way we're trusting tweens to meticulously and scientifically document one of the most valuable discoveries in human history. My job is to watch people sleep and I needed a four-year degree, experience in the field, and two years of job searching to convince them I can do this job.
Also, there is no way we are risking a kid's life by putting him in a submarine that HAS NOT BEEN field tested, on top of one that is playing as bait for a giant squid to chase and eat. Is there not a single responsible adult in this book.
The characters are flat. Bad guys are evil, good guys are good. Conversations felt fabricated.
If you're over the age of 15, pick another book.
That is all.

[Kaiden · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed the theme of the book with all of these cryptids and animals that are supposedly nonexistent. The book is very immersive as well and there’s never a moment where you can’t picture you can’t picture yourself in the story. I also really liked how it would switch between people’s points of view in each chapter. It gives you a good opportunity to see the book from other angles. The book always keeps you on the edge of your seat, even right from the beginning you’re never truly sure what’s going to happen next. One disadvantage with the book, however, is because of how one big thing happens after another then if you’re someone who likes a slow build and then a huge ending then this wouldn’t be quite the book for you, ( it still has a huge ending but it certainly doesn’t get there slowly). I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes fiction, cryptids, and rapid-fire big events in a story.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

It has been over 10 years since I first read Cryptid Hunters without knowing it had a sequel (or was even part of a series!). I was very nervous to read Tentacles because of the nostalgia Cryptid Hunter holds for me and I was presently surprised to find out not only did it stand up to the original, it completely surpassed my expectations. It is fast-paced, humorous, and does an excellent job of raising the stakes from the original. I was surprised at how bloody it did end up getting but glad it went there. My only complaint is that the giant squid is not nearly as large a part of the story as I expected, which was especially disheartening since the first book is the reason I was so obsessed with cryptids, particularly the giant squid, for so much of my formative years. Overall though I am so glad I put away the nostalgia-fear and finally picked up this book and I'm so excited for the rest of the series!