In "The Doom Stone," fifteen-year-old Jackson goes to visit his aunt (Sarah Cawley) near Stonehenge in England. Dr. Cawley is an anthropologist who studies skeletons of humans who have been dead for centuries. Soon Jackson spots a strange looking creature that looks like a living skeleton with huge red eye sockets and with slime oozing out of its nose. The creature, called Skull Face, is on a killing spree and it's up to Dr. Cawley, Jackson, Alma (a girl who lives close to Stonehenge in a crematorium), and the police to try to find the monster's weakness and find a way to kill it.

I've read a few of Paul Zindel's books, and I have to say that he is best at writing books like "The Doom Stone," "Loch," and "Rats." Of those 3, "The Doom Stone" is my least favorite, but it's still great. "The Doom Stone" is more of an action packed horror book and it lacks in plot at the end of the book a little bit. However, I still liked it a lot because it was action packed and it was hard to put the book down. If you like action packed horror books, I recommend reading "The Doom Stone."

This is a great book, coming from a guy that hates to read. True I dislike reading, but I couldn't put this thing down. It goes into great detail about the gore and uses good, 'better', choice of words for us "young adults". This is a great book. Get It NOW!

Like Micheal Jackson this ones a thriller.Action packed, this book keeps you going.Mutated beings that live underground mutate into monstrous beast ready to feed.Stay away from Stonehenge or it will be your "Doom Stone."
I give the book five stars because of it's explisive detail and action packed chapters.This is one of Zindel's best.I recommend "Doom Stone" to anyone who loves a spicy story.

Raptor is a great book about a boy named Zack whose dad found what appears to be an actual raptor egg. On his way out of the cave he was attacked by its mother. When they found him, they thaught there had been an avalanche. His son Zack went back with his friend Uta, a native Indian, and found the egg. They took it home and that's when the trouble started, the egg hatched.
This book is filled with nothing but action. It's a real thriller and I recommend this book to anyone who likes an action packed adventure. I just have to give Paul Zindel 5 stars and say that this is some of his best work.

The story is about a named Zack, who finds an egg of a raptor. When it hatches, he loves it. He meets a girl named Uta. The mother raptor comes after them and takes her baby back. Zack and Uta go to the mountains to get the raptor back. The story is like a movie I saw called "Jurassic Park". It has a bunch of raptors in it. It is scarey and exciting like the book.

I love the book because it was exciting.It was scary. It really is a great book for people in my age group.It is gory but good.It was hard to read but good.

I recommend this book to kids between 12 to 19.It is a little gory and also hard to read.It is a good book to read.

Raptor Is a story about a herd of raptors that amazingly have survived to the present. Professor Norak is a paleontologist in Flaming Gorge, Utah. He goes into an abandoned cave exploring, and comes across something that would make a man a billionaire - a living raptor! After a cave-in, Professor Norak's son, Zack, a daring and courageous teenager; and his friend Uta embark on the adventure of a lifetime. Climbing the shafts of Silver Mountain, finding whole new species of animals, and most terrifying of all, discovering a herd of living raptors!

This book is Thrilling and exciting. It is awesome because there is always something exhilarating going on. It's suspenseful you never know what's going to happen next. The book is full of action, from having a living raptor in your living room to encountering one out on the road in your jeep. When I asked my brother about the book he said "I found it cool because lots of cool and almost deadly events happened in this book." This book is kind of scary and inappropriate for little kids. But the book is great for older kids. The scary parts keep you on the edge of yours eat, and keeps the story going. There is an exception to this, my little brother. He loved it; when I asked him about the bad parts he couldn't think of any.

A boy nicknamed loch and his sister zaidee are involuntarily going on an expedition to a Vermont lake to look for modern plesiosaurs with their father, Dr. Sam. Dr. Sam is a marine biologist, and he works for a despicable man named Mr. Cavenger. Loch doesn't think they will find anything, but then, loch discovers a baby Plesiosaur and the knowledge that Cavenger doesn't want to just find the creatures, but kill them. Zindel does a good job in telling an epic adventure with movie-like detail! Loch does have many horror elements to it such as the plesiosaur killing some people and some chilling descriptions of peoples remains being found after one of the dinosaurs were done killing them, but its more of an adventure to save the prehistoric creatures with the main characters, Loch and Zaidee. This is another one of Paul Zindels best works; it is everything that I read a book for. It seems to me that a book that is about sea horror is a lot better than any other book. I would give it 41/2 stars out of 5.

The best book I have ever read was Loch, by Paul Zindel. There are many reasons why, too. One of the best things about the book is all of the Loch Ness monsters. It is about this boy who sees the Loch Ness monster, and no one believes him, so they call him Loch. Loch is a sixteen-year-old kid that lives near Lake Champlain. His dad works for this really mean guy named Mr. Cavenger. When there is supposedly a sighting of anything that not many people have seen, he then goes and looks for it, and tries to catch it. Anyway, there was a sighting of something in the lake that connects to Lake Champlain. Cavenger gets all of his employees, including Loch's dad, to search for anything in the lake. They find one Loch Ness monster, and then some more until finally they find a whole family of them. Another reason this is a great book is because Loch finds a baby Loch Ness monster. Loch went to the other side of the lake where all of the monsters were. While scuba diving, he sees some signs that a Loch Ness monster has been there. He is following its tracks when he sees that the tracks turn a different direction. It was because it was pulled by an undertow, and so was the boy. It pulled him into some underwater caverns, and then over a waterfall into a large pond. There he found a baby Loch Ness monster. The final reason I like this book is the end. The end was really fantastic. I am not going to it to you though because I want you to read it and find out yourself. Those are some of the reasons why Loch is my favorite book.

Ryan Anderson

The best book I have ever read was Loch, by Paul Zindel. There are many reasons why, too. One of the best things about the book is all of the Loch Ness monsters. It is about this boy who sees the Loch Ness monster, and no one believes him, so they call him Loch. Loch is a sixteen-year-old kid that lives near Lake Champlain. His dad works for this really mean guy named Mr. Cavenger. When there is supposedly a sighting of anything that not many people have seen, he then goes and looks for it, and tries to catch it. Anyway, there was a sighting of something in the lake that connects to Lake Champlain. Cavenger gets all of his employees, including Loch's dad, to search for anything in the lake. They find one Loch Ness monster, and then some more until finally they find a whole family of them. Another reason this is a great book is because Loch finds a baby Loch Ness monster. Loch went to the other side of the lake where all of the monsters were. While scuba diving, he sees some signs that a Loch Ness monster has been there. He is following its tracks when he sees that the tracks turn a different direction. It was because it was pulled by an undertow, and so was the boy. It pulled him into some underwater caverns, and then over a waterfall into a large pond. There he found a baby Loch Ness monster. The final reason I like this book is the end. The end was really fantastic. I am not going to it to you though because I want you to read it and find out yourself. Those are some of the reasons why Loch is my favorite book.

I really liked this book because it showed you how two very different people tryed to help each other and in the end loved each other. The Characters are hyserical and fun each with there own personality and flaws like any other i have read about. The only part I did not like about this book is at the end when you never find out if Della stars in the play or if she leaves. I have a feeling she doesnt leave but then David talks about writing another play, I'm thinking why can't we get through the first one. The book, other than than, was one of my favorites because I never knew if Della was telling the truth about Al, Ed, or her Baby, and it was really intersting when David would go and try to find her. Della is a fabulous character she makes me try to be spontanious all the time!!!!

I must admit I didn't think I was going to like this book at first. I kept reading, however, and quickly changed my mind. Another permanent resident for my book shelf...

Although Paul Zindel is a literary genius, this far surpassed my highest expectations. David and Della are fascinating people, although a bit unbelievable. The story is gripping (I finished it in one day) and, in its own way, suspenseful: as Della's past is brought to light, she begins to slowly make sense, a great tactic. This is a book I will read many times.

As soon as Mr. Hulka moved in the apartment next door Bobby had a feeling about him. He watched and one days sees Mr. Hulka kill his wife. Convinced he was a murderer, he tells his friend Lauri and calls the police. But nobody believes him. Lauri is convinced that it is totally coincidental, but Bobby thinks otherwise. Lauri goes along with it only because she think it's another on of his schemes to get her out of her fears of death. But then things take a turn for the worst and they find themselves in trouble, more than they bargained for, and they need help fast. I like this book because its keeps you reading all the way through. I think the plot is great, the characters are down-to-earth and real life, and the dialogue is excellent. It may be a little slow reading sometimes and may get tiring, but it is realistic and an over all good book. Are Bobby and Lauri going to make it? Is Mr. Hulka really a murderer? We'll see soon enough!

THIS WAS A TRULEY INTRESTING BOOK WITH A LOT OF SURPRISES AND A VERY UNSUSPECTING AND TRULEY INSPERATIONAL ENDING

This book is about two children that see Mr. Hulka, their new neighbor kill someone in the next room. Since these children are often making up stories and getting into trouble, no one will believe them. It is up to them to prove to everyone that their neighbor is a murderer.

I would definitely recommend this book. There was always something going on. The adventure never stopped. If you are into mysteries of any kind, I would definitely recommend this great book, because it always had me on the end of my seat, and turning the pages.

Paul Zindel strikes again with another literary marvel. This book is plain fun, and it's very easy to relate to the character of Edna Shinglebox (although, thank God, my parents are nothing like hers). Marsh is a very interesting character, and the book is typical Zindel fare. It's a lot of fun, and very, very interesting. It's a very good character study.

"Pardon Me, You're Stepping on My Eyeball!" was the third book I read by Paul Zindel. The story revolves around fifteen year-old Louis "Marsh" Mellow and Edna Shinglebox. Both have weird parents and have trouble fitting in at school. Marsh's mother, whom he nicknames Schizo Suzy, is a drunk who stays at home in her polka-dot nightgown drinking diet beer and eating cashew nuts while watching T.V. Edna's mother is a hysterical woman who shadowed her daughter for years and is upset that Edna has not dated yet and has no friends. Marsh and Edna meet in group-therapy, set up by the the school's pushy, three-hundred pound psychologist, Mr. Meizner. There Marsh asks Edna to help rescue his father, Paranoid Pete, from a nuthouse. While "My Darling, My Hamburger" and "The Girl Who Wanted a Boy" left me feeling depressed at the end, this book has a healthy dose of humour to lighten the mood. The story is basically about reaching out, overcoming fear and loneliness and finding someone to love, share and trust.

A wonderful story of a girl who never gives up on her friend no matter how crazy he seems. The stuff from which true friendship is made...
I read this book as a teenager, and have recently re-added it to my collection for my son to read when he is old enough.

So, I liked the book; I could relate to the characters, just because they seemed so real and not fake. Paul Zindel I believe Is an author with true talent, and links real life into his books, to make his characters come alive. The title alone got me interested in it. it took me an hour and a half to read it because it was so intreging I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I It really upset me when their mom killed their rabbit though. So it's filled with laughter and tears, murder (the rabbit), and lieing. Truley a surreal book.

The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-moon Marigolds, is just as interesting as its title is if not more. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize for drama, this book illustrates the story of Tillie, a young girl who escapes through science the bitterness of her surroundings - her featherheaded, thanatophobic sister Ruth, the unstable mother Beatrice who doesn't seem to find any meaning in life. The author, Paul Zindel, takes you through a short play of laughs and tears as you realize that beautiful marigolds can bloom from compost heaps such as Tillie's home... and the story behind the compost heap.

"Atom... ATOM... what a beautiful word." - Tillie, "The Effect of Gamma Rays on Man-in-the-Moon Marigolds" by Paul Zindel.

So, I liked the book; I could relate to the characters, just because they seemed so real and not fake. Paul Zindel I believe Is an author with natural talent, and links real life into his books, to make his characters pop alive. The title alone got me interested in it. it took me an hour and a half to read it because it was so intreging I couldn't take my eyes off of it. I It really upset me when their mom killed their rabbit though. So it's filled with laughter and tears, murder (the rabbit), and lieing. Truley a surreal book.

In the book Confessions of a Teenage Baboon, a kid named Chris waits 'til the day he can wear his father Chesterfield coat. His father died a couple of years before the book began. He has to live in a house with a dying woman and her bad son. A lot of weird things go on in the book that often make you wonder, what is going on in the book. Chris also gets involved with a lot of different things.
A few suggestions to the author would be to use some better wording and description. Most of the book describes a lot but I think that you could make it better. Other than that, everything in the book is excellent. I hope to see more of those good books.

This book was good- just regular, straight-up Zindel. Chris is an interesting character and Lloyd is fairly interesting too. I haven't read this in a while, but I do recommend it for any longtime Zindel fan. Do not begin with this one, however; start with I Never Loved Your Mind or The Pigman.

If you read my other two book reviews, you'll notice that I am a fan of Paul Zindel's writing. And after reading The Pigman and The Pigman's Legacy, I wanted to get my hands on anything the man's written. I picked up Confessions Of A Teenage Baboon one day, and I haven't put it down since.

Basically the book revolves around fifteen-year-old Chris Boyd and his struggles with his dysfunctional mother and the memories of his late father. His mother is a nurse, and whenever she gets a new patient, she and Chris move into the patient's home to take care of him/her. This time around the patient is an elderly woman named Carmelita Dipardi. And the members of the Dipardi household make the families in the movie "American Beauty" look normal. There's Carmelita's drunk son Lloyd and her disturbed husband, as well as Harold, a kid from the neighborhood that always seems to be around.

Here Chris battles love, hate, pain, violence, and especially depression, while temporarily living in the madhouse that is the Dipardi residence. The book can be shocking at times, but all the way through it's very enjoyable. It's filed under YOUNG ADULT, but adults can enjoy it just as much as teens...even more so, I think. I'm 21 and I enjoy it. In fact, I literally read it almost every day and I still never get tired of it. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

At the beggining of Reef of Death, I felt like putting it down and not looking back. It seemed like a very poorly put together book and Pual Zindel seemed like he put very little research and effort into it, yet I kept reading. Reef of Death is about a teen nicknamed PC. He gets a call from his uncle inviting him to accompany him with a treasure hunt, pretty original huh? But it gets better. It's not pirates treasure, it's an old Aboriginal fortune that was saftley hidden a long time ago in the waters off of Australia. Now the Aboriginal village needs the money because they're getting kicked off their own land. PC, his uncle Cliff, an Aboriginal girl fom the village, and a few others set out to find the treasure but there is a strange freighter next to where the the treasure is supposed to be, and every time someone goes diving, a mini-whale-of-a-fish comes after them. This book picks up in the end and it makes you feel like Zindel is maturing in his writing the farther you read.

According to legend the only thing that will save a small Aboriginal village is a secret that lies at the bottom of an Australian reef. The reef is also home to a creature so monstrous that words can't describe it. A beautiful Aboriginal girl and a smart American boy meet by fate and soon begin to realise that the monster is not the only problem in their way to save the village. Only Paul Zindel can write a story with just enough humor and terror to make it enjoyable. I think that it was a really good story. It has alot of twists in it to keep you interested. I think that its theme is to never give up. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes terror and humor in a book.

I am a HUGE Paul Zindel fan, and when I picked up this book and started reading, I almost fell asleep! I mean, a kid gets invited to look for treasure with his uncle. Sound familiar? I mean,how old is that? But after the first 20 pages or so, this book gets good.Really good. People geting eaten, torture chambers with people inside (That was REALLY gory)and an evil, man-eating fish. I mean, what more can we ask from life? HOW MUCH BETTER CAN A STORY GET?!?!?!?![.]

Although this book was good -it is almost thouroughly impossible to miss with Paul Zindel- it was very much like his most famous book, The Pigman. In The Pigman, two high school friends, Paul and Lorraine, befriend an extremely lonely elderly man and live out his last days with him. In A Begonia for Miss Applebaum, two high school friends, Henry and Zelda, become closer friends with their lonely elderly high school science teacher. Both are good reads, but it was annoying to read the same book in a different guise.

Overall, A Begonia for Miss Applebaum was a good book. It was poignant, gentle and somewhat funny. However, the similarities to The Pigman were so glaring that it interfered with the book.

I first read "A Begonia for Miss Applebaum" when I was 10 years old. It was the first book that made me laugh and cry (sometimes simultaneously!). I absolutely love the scene where Henry, Zelda, and Miss Applebaum are playing elevator roulette! After reading this book, it sounded like so much fun that a couple of friends and I decided to do it. The imagery is vivid and the portrayal of the character is brutally honest. It's definitely a book that I can relate to on a personal level. I fell in love with Henry from the start with his "Luke Skywalker good looks", and Zelda is just terrific! I strongly reccomend that you get a cup of frozen hot chocolate with extra whipped cream from Large Marge and curl up with this book. I do so every year.... A Begonia for Miss Applebaum never gets old, and I discover something new every time I read it. Thank you Paul Zindel!!

A Begonia for Miss Applebaum was the best book I have ever read. Paul Zindel understands teens, what we're going through, and how we feel. Never, in as long as I have been reading, have I found such an author as Zindel. A Begonia for Miss Applebaum is a delightful, terrific story that will touch your heart, warm your heart, and even break it. Get to know Paul Zindel, he understands you.