Sasquatch

by Roland Smith

There are things in the woods we don't know about... 

Dylan's father has always been a little unusual. When he joins a Sasquatch-hunting team led by a top bigfoot-researcher, Dylan feels he needs to keep an eye on his dad, so he teams up with an aging field biologist, Samuel Johnson, on the slops of Mount Saint Helens. But as the two of them track the Sasquatch-hunting party, Dylan might be in more trouble than he thought...

Even as they follow his father's group, somebody is following Mr. Johnson. And on top of everything, Dylan is beginning to realize that his father may not be quite so wrong about bigfoot after all--maybe the Sasquatch  does  exist. And maybe it's closer than Dylan ever guessed. 

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

188 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 2002

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

[faith · Rating 2 out of 5]

school project

wtf was this

[Library Lady 📚 · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was interesting enough to finish. It's cute and well-paced, neither too fast nor too slow. I read it quickly and found it entertaining, but nothing stood out in an exceptional way for me. If you like bigfoot/sasquatch mythology, you'll probably like it. Give it a try.

[Ellis Stice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elements and Style: Roland Smith uses a simialar Style of writing like in his other book "Thunder Cave". He creates very wierd and awkward characters along with some normal ones that make the story more interesting. The reason they're awkward is because they are so obssesed with the "Sasquatch" or "Big Foot" and also they have some "interesting stories". Roland creates a humorous novel with some dark and intense moments also. I loved this book and recommend it to any reader and it's not that hard to read.

Characterization: In this book Rolan creates interisting characters that are "wacky" and fun but he also creates very tense characters. Dylan's a little nervous about staying with his dad alone while his mom is away, because his dad has recently become obssesed with the 'Sasquatch" or "Big Foot". And things only get worse when his dad gets Dylan caught up with all of it.

Plot: This Story starts out by having you learn about the main character, Dylan. His dad works as a real esate agent and his mom just got her degree in archeology so she is doing her first job in Egypt. Dylan's a little nervous about being alone with his dad, because his dad has been acting a little strange lately with his new "tinkering" subject. His dad believes in the Sasquatch and/or Big Foot and his dad enters a Sasquatch group where they hunt for the Sasquatch. So his dad goes on a trip with the group to Mount Saint Helens where the Sasquatch was sighted and Dylan follows his dad and the group with a aging feild biologist Mr. Johnson. Also it turns out that Mount Saint Helens is very close to bursting so Dylan has a lot of reasons to be nervous. What could possibly make it worse for Dylan? He feels he's being watched.............

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Sasquatch” by Roland Smith,this book is about a kid named Dylan, who joins an aging field biologist on the mountains named Samuel Johnson, to try to keep his dad in control ever since he joined the sasquatch-hunting team. Dylan’s father’s mission is to find a Sasquatch and kill it, but Dylan looks out for his dad to try to stop him. But as they continued on their searches they see realize that something or someone is following them. Is it the Sasquatch is it a person, read to find out.
While I read this book I figured out that one of the themes in this book is caring for each other. When Dylan’s mother leaves to go to Egypt, Dylan figures since his mom left, he is now the one that has to look out for his father so he won’t do anything stupid. But his dad joins the sasquatch-hunting club, so Dylan joins a field biologist to be with his dad on the mission, to keep on eye on him.
Overall, I think that Sasquatch is an interesting, well written book. There are lots of action scenes and lots of different stuff going on. I would rate this book a four out of five, I think it’s a book that should be read and shouldn’t be ignored.

[Ellen · Rating 3 out of 5]

When I was a kid my mom read this aloud to my family. This past weekend while visiting my parents, she started reading it aloud again. I finished it in one sitting and it was a fun dose of nostalgia. A fun read for sure and now I’m keeping my eyes peeled for Sasquatch!

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sasquatch was a cool mashup of Pacific Northwest lore, including the answer to how Sasquatch can remain undetected and who DB Cooper really was. Cool stuff, and the informative nature of the book concerning the 1980 Mount St. Helens eruption and all humans think they know about Sasquatch was highly enjoyable.

The spoilers below are character notes for our OBOB team.



Dylan Hickock - Dylan is a 14 year-old who is left with his Dad for 5 months while his mom pusues her PHD in Archeology in Egypt. Dylan's dad has an obsessive nature and is always onto some subject, like the sinking of the Titanic or Sasquatch. Dylan's mom is usually the balancing force, but this is left to Dylan while she is gone. Unfortunately, or not, Dylan's Dad goes way off the deep end and involves Dylan in a scheme to stop some militant Bigfoot researchers from killing a Sasquatch and bringing it in as evidence.

As Dylan learns more about Bigfoot, his mission becomes twofold. Not only does he want to protect Sasquatch (if they really exist), he wants to protect his Dad from myriad dangers. The dangers of volcanic activity on St. Helens, the dangerous circle of Sasquatch hunters that have basically staked their lives on the existence of Sasquatch, the possible dangers of encountering Sasquatch, and his Dad's own obsessive streak that doesn't seem to let him consider long-term ramifications of his actions (such as trading in his wife's Bug for a 4x4).

This involves Dylan with a shady, FBI-investigated character named Samuel "Buckley" Johnson. Dylan comes to find that Buck has more past history than first meets the eye, and ends up accompanying him up the mountain to an isolated cabin. Here Dylan encounters the Sasquatch himself in lava tubes under the cabin and surrounding area, saves his Dad from volcanic activity with the aid of Sasquatch, discovers that Buck is the legendary D.B. Cooper of hijacking fame, and also manages to keep Sasquatch's secrets.

Throughout the story Dylan is faced with tasks that require courage, daring, and intelligence. He is able to use his computer knowledge to research Sasquatch and complete clandestine communications. He also handles himself well in dealing with both Buck and Agent Crow without the assistance of his Dad.

Mom Hickock - an archeologist in pursuit of her PHD, she is in Egypt completing studies for the majority of the book. She was smitten by an exhibit of King Tutankhamen. She is the centering influence of the family, and Dylan's dad is able to go off the rails in his Sasquatch obsession without his wife around.

Bill Hickock - His nicknames vary from Wild to Mild Bill Hickock. He started out as a typewriter repairman who was put out of business by the introduction of the personal computer. He ended up getting into real estate, and does quite well and ends up owning his own real estate office. This allows his wife to stay home and take care of Dylan until she eventually goes back to school to study archaeology. Then the parenting roles switch, as Bill doesn't need to go into the office very often and takes care of Dylan while his wife is at school. He has an obsessive personality, always going from one area of research to another. His garage is his base for this. He will exhaust a subject, take extensive notes, then store the notes in the attic and move onto another subject.

He becomes involved with the Sasquatch issue while out on a spur of the moment hunting trip. He inadvertently sights Sasquatch and falls down a scree hill on Mount St. Helens and is knocked unconscious. He wakes up to find himself in a shelter made from large pine boughs that could only be broken from trees with amazing strength. He knows the Sasquatch cared for him in his time of need. This leads him to research Sasquatch, and he finds out about the local BFI chapter and what motivates them to prove Sasquatch exist.

He wants to stop Dr. Flagg from finding Sasquatch, because they intend to use any means, including killing, to bring Sasquatch in and prove his existence. He joins the research team that will head up Mount St. Helens to try and locate Sasquatch.

Buckley Johnson - an ex-field biologist that views militant means of obtaining proof of Sasquatch's existence as murder of an innocent animal. It turns out he has a cabin on Mount St. Helens that he inherited from Billy Taylor. This is where Buck and Dylan go when they are helping Bill to try and deter the team from locating Sasquatch. Buck knows that Sasquatch exists, and has a type of relationship with them as they live in lava tubes under St. Helens that Buck's cabin has a secret entry way to.

It also comes out that Buck is the famous legend, D.B. Cooper. Dan Cooper hijacked a plane and used it to ransom 200,000 dollars. He was never captured. Buck did this in an effort to get money to help is son Gary, who was terminally ill. The money and parachute are down in the lava tubes. When he parachuted out of the hijacked plane, he landed on St. Helens and injured his hip. Sasquatch found him and took him to Billy Taylor so he would be safe. Billy hid him and let him get healthy and basically introduced him to Sasquatch. He ended up inheriting the cabin at the time of Billy's death.

In the end, Buck escapes Agent Crow and leaves two notes. One is to crow, confessing the hijacking crime and leaving him with the money and parachute. The second is to Dylan, leaving him the cabin and walking stick that is the key to the entrance to the lava tubes, AKA Pandora's Box.

Agent Steven Crow - an ex-FBI agent with bad diet habits. He is still haunted by the mystery of D.B. Cooper and knows that it was Buck. He is renting a house across from Buck and watching him. He follows them Buck and Dylan up to St. Helens and eventually reveals Buck's back story to Dylan. He is in a car wreck on the mountain due to a heart attack. Buck goes to save him, but they are trapped in the care during the earthquake and eruption of steam. He doesn't know how they got out as they were buried under fallen trees, but it is clear that Sasquatch saved him and Buck.

Betty and Gary - Buck's famlily before tragedy strikes. Gary is dying of cancer, and Buck hijacks a plane to get money to help with an experimental treatment in Mexico. Unfortunately, his fall and injury prevent Buck from seeing Gary before he dies. Betty protects Buck, and even comes up with an alternate story to explain his absence that allows him to remain free. She has passed on prior to the beginning of the story.

Billy Taylor - loner who owns isolated cabin on Mount St. Helens and has a relationship with Sasquatch. He hides Buck and lets him get healthy after his parachuting incident. He can communicate with Sasquatch by using hand signals. He dies shortly after and leaves his cabin and secrets to Buck.

Joe West - A very large dude that has dedicated his life to hunting Sasquatch and runs the Portland BFI (Bigfoot International). He agrees with Dr. Flagg's methods and buys in. However, he is the first to want to call of the search with all the volcanic activity occurring.

Dr. Theodore Flagg - a renowned cryptozoologist who has a very high opinion of himself and wants the world to share the same. He has a militant outlook in that he beleives it necessary to obtain proof of Sasquatch's existence, even if it means killing a specimen. He organizes the latest search for Sasquatch and has ensured himself a profit regardless of the outcome. He wears the same khakis all the time and has some eccentric behavior, including demanding tight security on all team members.

Clyde Smithers - A BFI member that hears of Bill Hickock's experience with Sasquatch. He goes back to the same place and is able to get pictures of Sasquatch. However, Clyde is a known character, as he previously claimed to be abducted by aliens and taken to a world called Zona. He was forced to marry a princess, and eventually left over a disagreement with the Princess and her father on how to raise their son. He thinks Sasquatch are the guardians of the portal to Zona, and wants to find them so he can go back and claim his son. In the end, Clyde and his triplet brothers disappear, which means they either died because of the small eruption or found the portal back to Zona.

Clyde's two brothers - deaf and mute, they are rumored to be clones created for Clyde by the royal family in Zona that Clyde married into.

Dean Voss and Henry Polk - other members of the team to locate Sasquatch. They are teamed with Joe West. Their team wants to leave after the volcanic activity becomes too intense, pointing out that no Sasquatch in their right mind would be out and about in such dangerous.

Kurt Skipp - pro tracker brought in by Dr. Flagg. He is creepy and dextrous with a knife. He doesn't sleep or eat much and is the one who catches Dylan trying to plant Sasquatch tracks to lead the team away from a ravine with the entrance to the lava tubes. He has Dylan but is killed by a fallen tree during the explosion.

Dr. Paul Smailes - Volcanologist for television news. He debunks the sensationalized news of the earthquake and steam releases occurring at Mount St. Helens.

Doug Groves - Dylan's closest friend and his ostensible destination during spring break. Doug emails with Dylan and also expresses concern over his friends behavior after his Mom leaves for Egypt.

Key words:

Cryptozoology - the study of animals that are believed to exist but can't be proven to exist.

Cryptid - an example of such animals.

Cryptids besides Bigfoot:
- Mongolian death worm - bllodred and thoght to live beneath the sands of the Gobi desert. Predator that pops up from the sand and spray deadly venom.
- Amazonian Bigfoot - giant sloth that is supposed to be extinct.
- Loch Ness - monster of Scotland.
- Mokele-mbembe - aquatic Dinosaur in the Congo.
- Cadborosaurus - sea serpent off the coast of British Columbia.

Other names or instances of Sasquatch:

Himalayas (India, Nepal, Tibet):
- Adominable Snowman
- Yeti

Mongolia:
- Alma

Tanzania:
- Agogwe

Burma:
- Tok
- Kung-Lu

Congo:
- Kakundakari

British Columbia:
- First sighting of Bigfoot in 1792 referred to as Matlox.

Native American instances of Sasquatch:
Huppa - Oh-mah-'ah
Skagit - Kala'litabiqw
NW tribes - Steta'l
Name bigfoot comes from newspaper article in 1958?

[anna · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book sucked. Dylan is the flattest character known to man, just like the pancakes that he “enjoys”. He says he enjoys pancakes, but then he eats spaghetti? Where is the character consistency? He also judges people by their gut sizes when he constantly orders massive hamburgers from restaurants, which is kind of messed up. Buck? More like suck. Because he sucks. Dylan’s dad is a spaghetti-cooking idiot. These people know nothing about the scientific process, and they are overly obsessed with the Sasquatch. The only good part of this book is the allusion that Dylan’s mom, who “travelled to Egypt” is actually the Sasquatch in disguise, but honestly I doubt the author even meant for this to happen because the writing was so bad. The ending was also unclear and kind of bad, much like the rest of the book. In conclusion, when they say “Sasquatch”, I think they mean “Assquatch”, because this book is complete and total ass.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

My 4th grade says 4.5 stars. Good read aloud!

[Keenan Hannigan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book got me through 7th grade - 5 stars

[Arooma · Rating 1 out of 5]

I picked this up randomly, without checking the reviews or reading what the book was about. Frankly, it was a fun read, a bit childish but then it's for ages 10 and above so that's on me. Nothing too exceptional, the characters are one-dimensional but this is an adventure book and it fulfills that pretty well. Could be a more interesting read if you're into bigfoot lore.

[Lucas · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Sasquatch" by Roland Smith this book is about a kid named Dylan, who joins and field biologist and the mountains named Samuel Johnson, To try to keep his dad in control ever since he joined the Sasqauatch hunting team, Dylans fathers mission is to find a Sasqauatch and kill it, but Dylan looks out for his dad to try to stop him. They continued on their searches they soon realize that something or someone is following them. While I read this book out that one of the themes in this book is caring for each other. When Dylans mother leaves to go to Egypt, Dylans figures since his mom left he can go to make sure his dad won't do something stupid. So dylan joined the team to, So he could keep a eye on him. Overall, I think that "Sasquatch" is an interesting, well written book. Theres lots of action scenes and lots of different stuff that goes one. I would rate this book four out of five star's. I think its a book that should be read more.

[Kathleen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this because I teach middle school and our school was going to read it as a school-wide novel study. I was torn about which star rating to give it...as far as a middle school or elementary school student, I might have liked it more, but as far as I'm concerned there are more interesting young adult/children's novels out there. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either. The characters are flat, but it's a cute adventure story for kids.

[Deanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It is a definite must read. It is suspenseful, has a great message and leaves you with a great feeling. One of the best children's books I have read in a long time. Dylan's Dad joins a Sasquatch expedition. In the meantime, Dylan goes with Buckley Johnson who once (hijacked a plane) and tries to help save the sasquatch from being killed. His Dad gets obssessed with it all. I enjoyed the storyline of this book.(less)

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elementary OBOB, book 3. I loved it! The combination of two Northwest legends (I won't disclose the second legend, or I may have to mark this review as containing spoilers) was genius. Being from the Northwest myself, I especially enjoyed the location descriptions and geographical info. But what I most enjoyed was the exciting, suspenseful, entertaining, and dare I even say believable tale of family, friendship and legends.

[Lilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

As we all know, anything involving Bigfoot, I'm down for. But imagine my surprise when I was getting all emotional towards the end of this little book! In general, it was exactly what I was expecting, but there was also much frustration and excitement. The characters were so funny and believable, and the story took a great turn for the better. And each section was accompanied by a relevant bible verse, which was cool and unexpected! I just loved this book. :'D

[Ginna · Rating 3 out of 5]

The boys book club chose this title. It moved quickly but not thrillingly. I was tempted to put it down even when I had just a few pages left! I predict the boys will like it though - volcano eruptions, earthquakes and Sasquatch!

[Mitchell · Rating 1 out of 5]

this book sucks so bad i wanted to cry...honestly it just horrible in every sense of writing..

[Noland · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book that i had was written by Roland Smith the title of the book is titled Sasquatch I was excited to read this book then it was like i was left in the dark.Dylan and his father are two curious people/explorers who try to answer a question that nobody in this world could answer is Sasquatch real.
Characters: I thought that the character Dylan could have been written way better then what he was. He was apparently the main character in the book but he didn't have the characteristics of one. He didn't take charge in anything when something bad was happening he turned the other way and his bad faced everything. If i had to pick the main character in this book it would be the dad.
Plot: The one thing i will give points to is the plot in this book because it stays on topic the whole time and that's to try to figure out if Sasquatch is real or not. But the plot can get miscommunicated a lot in this book because they talk about one topic for a little bit then they go back to the original topic. But in every book there is something that is going to change everything and that happens in this book. Overall in this book if you just like the plot i would recommend it.

Conflict: The conflict in this book is a little confusing because they tried to add two conflicts at once and it didn't work. It made it interesting but in a bad way it was like trying to catch up to a cheetah the book was just way to rushed. One conflict that they had was really good and i enjoyed it but then again they tried to fix something that wasn't broken and it ruined the good conflict and the rest of the story. One of the conflicts where on the way to the meeting they had to see the pictures that they didn't want the world to see but then the bad conflict kicked in and the way they worded it you can predict how the ending is going to turn out.
What I learned: What I learned from this book was that no matter how good a plot can be it can all change with a bad conflict. And that's what this book had it had a good plot and one good conflict but then they took a chance on another conflict and it didn't work. The whole book was just a roller coaster ride it was up then down then side to side it was not a pleasant read that is why i gave it a poor rating I just didn't enjoy reading this book i like it when a book stays with a good plot and one very good conflict and this book was just trying to hard.

[Nick Clemenzi · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a great book, for anyone looking for a great storyline to follow. Roland Smith did a good job in this book of taking the normal myth of Sasquatch and giving it a little twist. One way he did this is instead of saying there is one Sasquatch on earth, there is a bunch that roam Mt St Helens. This was a very interesting twist to the original myth. I also liked that in the story you can see it is preferred to use the Indian name Sasquatch as multiple times a character says Bigfoot and is immediately corrected. I also liked how the book had a little mix of genre. The book has a bit of adventure, action, and mystery behind it. The book is mainly about a boy named Dylan whose life was not the same after his dad was on a hunting trip and came back stranger than he was before. After his mom left for Egypt, Dylan and his father were involved in what turned into a crazy adventure. I really liked this book and how it turned out to be a fantastic story that made events lead to other events. Roland Smith and his writing style in the book is vary descriptive and well presented. The ending of my book wasn't that bad and left me hoping for a sequel to the book. Especially which the character Buckley Johnson I really enjoyed this book and think anyone that enjoy a book of action, adventure, and mystery would love the book Sasquatch.

[Michael Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

The setting in the book sasquatch is at a boys house named Dylan and the point of view in this story is Dylan telling the story so it’s first person. Some of the major characters in this story are Dylan, his dad, his mom, buck, clyde, flagg, henry, dean, and the sasquatches. The mood for the entire book is mostly Dylan being worried about something. He was worried about his dad at first going to the mountain then when he got to the mountains with buck he realized that he should be protecting the sasquatch not hunting them so then he was worried about his dad and his friends finding the sasquatches.

I really liked this book and I thought that it was very interesting and entertaining. One reason that I thought the book was entertaining is because there was a lot of action like when the volcano erupted and buck was driving through all the trees falling with an injured person in his jeep. I agree that the author made the volcano erupt at the worst time because it gave the book a lot of action cause it caused conflict between dylan and clyde because clyde saw the sasquatch and was going to kill it and dylan tackled him the clark kneed dylan in the stomach and then a tree fell on clark and he died.

I really liked this book because it was thrilling and it was cool and it was described really well. I would recommend this book to my little sister emma because she likes to read fiction and fantasy.

[Denise Spicer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Roland Smith Hyparion 1998/1999
188 pages Local Wilsonville, OR author.
14-year-old Dylan and his eccentric dad join a group of Sasquatch hunters and end up on the slopes of Mt. St. Helens. In this exciting page-turner, their search leads them to cabin and campsites while the mountain is experiencing tremors and is closed to visitors. A fun read for kids and adults. There are adventures in caves and caverns and SPOILER ALERT!!! Sasquatch is real AND (in a clever twist ending), one of the characters is the famous D. B. Cooper.

[Kaitlyn Bowie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun between books read. I happened to pick it up from the free classroom library where I work because I’m a fan of cryptids. The plot got a bit out there towards the end, and there was quite a cast of characters, and I sometimes had to stop and recall who was who. Overall though, a fun book to read on a road-trip, camping trip, flight, or snuggled up in bed with when you just want to let a story take you on a ride.

[Chris Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

What if Sasquatch were real? What would we do if we did discover Sasquatch? What would Sasquatch do? These are all questions at the heart of Roland Smith's young adult novel, Sasquatch, and he does an interesting job in answering them. The story has enough maturity to make it believable, while still making use of enough young adult tropes to keep teen readers interested. There are elements of mystery as new characters are introduced and as the possibility of meeting Sasquatch nears. Smith wonders whether Sasquatch might be just as compassionate as human beings are capable of, and that makes for a much more compelling read than you might imagine.

Dylan Hickock's father loves to tinker with things. He's the kind of person who will devote all of his resources to solving a problem. One day when he returns from a hunting trip, Dylan realizes a new problem has arisen. Yet this one his father keeps to himself for a while, in order to keep his wife's mind at ease. She is planning to go to Egypt for several months to complete her college degree. This leaves Dylan alone with his father's new obsession, and Dylan, of course, becomes involved as well.

This obsession revolves around the existence of Bigfoot, or Sasquatch. Dylan's father claims he saw Sasquatch while on that hunting trip, and he takes Dylan to a secret Bigfoot meeting where a man shows photographs of who he claims is Bigfoot racing up a mountain carrying a deer carcass. A group of men want to investigate this area, around Mount St. Helens, and seek out Bigfoot. Here's where the trouble begins. There are four groups of thought regarding what to do with Bigfoot once he's found: 1) tranquilize him and study him; 2) kill him; 3) capture him at any cost (dead or alive); or 4) leave him alone. The first three options seek to expose Sasquatch to the public. The idea is that he can be better protected if his existence is made known. However, to kill a Sasquatch means to kill what is likely an endangered species, and it also means ending the life of a sentient being.

Dylan's father joins the expedition as a saboteur, and he is helped by Buckley Johnson, a mysterious man with a bad hip who would rather see Sasquatch left alone. It seems that Buck knows much more about Sasquatch than he lets on. The expedition team to hunt Sasquatch convenes at Dylan's house, where Dylan meets Dr. Flagg, the leader of the group. Dr. Flagg's philosophy is to capture Sasquatch at any cost, though he seems to lean more towards killing one. That's why the team has brought in Kurt Skipp, a skilled hunter and a man of few words. Dylan knows Skipp is trouble when he first sees him slice an apple into four pieces with the mere flick of a wrist.

The story does move at a moderate pace, a tad slow, and perhaps without as much action as one might expect from the title. All of the action comes right at the end. Smith seems more interested in the possibility that Sasquatch exists, and how people will react to discovering it. I think it's a small group of people who believe Sasquatch exists, or who are even interested in its existence, but there is always somebody claiming to have some blurry photo of the beast and there is always some new TV show set out to find one. The evidence suggests Sasquatch doesn't exist, but Sasquatch is a mythical being that can't be killed. The world is a large and mysterious place. Mankind has seen a lot of it, but not all of it. The ocean harbors all sorts of unknown beings, but on the land, the possibilities of discovering a new creature the size of Sasquatch are much more limited. It's true, as the book argues, that scientists do continually discover new land species all the time, especially in the rainforest, and that's what keeps the hope of Sasquatch's existence alive.

Smith approaches the topic of Sasquatch with a lot more compassion than I expected. My expectations based on the cover, and my misconception this was a horror story, led me to believe there would be lots of murders. That's not quite the case. Most of the mystery comes from the human characters, such as Buck and Kurt Skipp and whether Mount St. Helens will erupt during the Sasquatch expedition. Sasquatch, in fact, may be the least dangerous character of the bunch, and in that sense Smith may approach wildlife with a touch of naivete, just as a Disney film sometimes portrays a dangerous animal like a bear as friendly. It's hard to believe that a Sasquatch could be morally cultivated to know right from wrong rather than a being that acts on instinct to protect itself.

Still, Sasquatch could symbolize humanity's desire to tinker with the unknown. It's in our nature to discover new things about the world, as though we're afraid the world would become dull without any new discoveries. But what price do we pay by not leaving things alone? Is that price worth what we gain from the discovery? The novel stops short of answering these questions, and instead wraps up the story with a series of action set pieces. In the search for Sasquatch, it remains just as mystical as before the search. The book ends up being satisfying, but difficult to recommend. Just like many young adult novels, there is a mix of sophistication along with the usual YA tropes, but in both cases there doesn't seem to be enough to fully satisfy either adult or young adult readers.

[AidanM · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sasquatch is a great book. I liked this book because I have read other books by Roland Smith and enjoyed and this book had an interesting topic that is new to me. One thing that was interesting was the setting of the book, very close to home. I had never thought much of the topic of this book, but how it's put into a story and narrated by kid, makes it enjoyable.

[Andrea Bayhan · Rating 1 out of 5]

Please do not take my one-star rating as an indication that this book should be avoided. On the contrary, and with apologies to Mr. Smith, it falls squarely and comfortably into the "so bad it's good" category. If given the chance, don't deny yourself the pleasure.

And I truly enjoyed the characters of Dylan and Buck, aka...well, I won't spoil it.

[Kay Mcgriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fun adventure in search of a cryptid--this time Big Foot or Sasquatch in the Pacific Northwest. Throw in an impending volcanic eruption, a mysterious wildlife biologist and a slightly eccentric dad, and things really heat up.

[Christine VanHalder · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It was set in Portland, Oregon and Mt St. Helens, Washington. It was very authentic. Especially the Powells Bookstore visit. I would highly recommend this novel. It is a stands alone novel, though there are other cypids books in the series.

[Mandy G · Rating 5 out of 5]

I heard Roland Smith speak several years ago at the Bentonville Youth Lit Festival. He spoke about how his dad worked for the team (at the airport or with the state?) that was investigating the DB Cooper incident. He said that his dad's experience was part of the inspiration to write the book.

[Jonathan · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nothing special, but not bad either. From the science perspective it's decently well-done and believeable so far as a sasquatch book goes, but most of the characters were caricatures to the point of goofiness.

[Corey Bennett · Rating 3 out of 5]

when I first read this book I was pretty young and loved it prob shouldn't of re-read it...it's not bad liked it but didn't live up to what I remembered