Loch
	Author(s):	Zindel, Paul
	Publisher:	Hyperion Paperbacks
	Date:	1994
	ISBN:	0-7868-1099-8
	Cause:	Lost World (Cryptozoology)
	Creatures:	Extinct Reptiles
	Submitted by:	Mike Riley (12/09/04)
Exerpt: “The gator head was gone. The humming was coming from both sides of him now. He turned to look to the left when suddenly a head on a long, black, shiny neck snapped forward from the right. It sank its teeth into Jesse's right foot. The motion and the pain cut through the alcohol in his brain, making him turn his head to the right, but a second head and neck lurched in from the left, its mouth and teeth locking onto his other foot. Jesse cried out in pain and surprise, his shotgun firing uselessly into the air. Instinctively, he kicked his legs, attempting to throw the creatures off. When they finally dropped away, he drew his legs up to his body, reaching down to stop the terrible hurt. He stared in disbelief when he saw the dark and staining rush of blood on the wooden planks. Both of his feet were missing, severed at the ankles.”
Reviews: "With its prehistoric quarry and gore-spattered action ("Erdon's last conscious thought was the realization that he was being chewed in half"), Zindel's latest calls to mind a waterlogged version of Jurassic Park .. The insight and wit of Zindel's best work are conspicuously absent." (Publishers Weekly) ".. Loch's relationship with his sister and the relationship of the two kids with their father are perfect, and the blood-and-guts (literally) search for monsters is just right. The intended audience is kids in grades 6-12, but sixth graders might never go swimming again .. But it's a good read." (Children's Literature) "The early adolescent will enjoy the relentless excitement as well as learn about salmon grids, sea life, scuba diving, and human selfishness." (The ALAN Review) "The book is really about what makes a family, whether human or creature, as Loch and Zaidee adjust to their mother's death and help their father regain his self-respect. The gruesome attacks by Pleisosaurs on some humans are gory and grisly enough to satisfy even the blood-thirstiest of middle schoolers. Zindel's style capably blends descriptive, figurative language with YA dialogue." (School Library Journal) ".. Good, rip-roaring, kids-know-best adventure." (The Bulletin for the Center of Children's Books)

2 Scars

My Opinion: This is another of what I call "teen cuisine" novels (i.e., "gifted" teenagers ("toss in one part Sherlock Holmes, one part Indiana Jones, one part Thomas Edison and stir") saving adults from horrid creatures) by Paul Zindel. Flipper meets Jaws ("This time it's dumb") kind of sums up this book. In this story, we find a pod of plesiosaurs stranded in an isolated Vermont lake and pissed off when a group of quasi-scientists decide to capture and/or kill them (I'd be pissed too). The kids befriend a juvenile plesiosaur and ... well you can guess the rest. This is an easy, fast, fun, and occasionally gory read with its share of "Nature on the Rampage" although of the Paul Zindel books I have read so far, this was the least gory. If you can place your brain on hold and remember this is a kid's book, you'll probably enjoy the story.

Return to top of this page