Zone Unknown Series by Paul Zindel

Loch and his sister are with their father on a scientific expedition to track lake monsters. Their father's boss, Anthony Cavenger, a ruthless publishing mogul, is determined to prove that the legends are fact. Until now, it has been a fruitless exercise. But suddenly, on a routine exploration, a hideous water beast explodes out of the water, and a photographer, hoping to get the picture of a lifetime, loses his life instead... moreLoch and his sister are with their father on a scientific expedition to track lake monsters. Their father's boss, Anthony Cavenger, a ruthless publishing mogul, is determined to prove that the legends are fact. Until now, it has been a fruitless exercise. But suddenly, on a routine exploration, a hideous water beast explodes out of the water, and a photographer, hoping to get the picture of a lifetime, loses his life instead. The plesiosaurs terrorize the secluded lake community, but Loch encounters a baby plesiosaur and realizes that the monsters only attack when threatened. So he risks his life-and the lives of his family and friends-to save the prehistoric creatures from destruction. 1995 Quick Pick for Reluctant Young Adult Readers (ALA) 1995 Books for the Teen Age (NY Public Library) less

Driving past Stonehenge on his way to visit his anthropologist aunt, 15-year-old Jackson sees a creature mauling a young man. It turns out that his aunt is leading a team of scientists and military personnel who are investigating a series of mutilations in the area. The creature, an intelligent but bloodthirsty hominid, kills several people, leading Jackson on a hunt for the beast before it kills again.

Zack and his friend Uta discover a raptor's egg and when the egg hatches they befriend the baby raptor. The mother attacks them and retrieves the hatchling. Zack and Uta decide to venture back to the caves, find the baby raptor, and attempt to escape from the raptor lair with their lives.

When mutant rats threaten to take over Staten Island, which has become a huge landfill, 14-year-old Sarah and her younger brother Mike try to figure out how to stop them.

P.C. McPhee is in Australia to help his uncle solve an underwater mystery involving buried treasure. P.C. quickly figures out that they're not the only ones looking for treasure -- an evil geologist is determined to get her hands on it at any cost. P.C., his uncle, and the Aboriginal girl, Maruul; become ensnared in a deadly game of cat and mouse where the winner takes all, including the lives of the losers.

When Indian workers begin to disappear from an expedition into the Amazon, fifteen-year-old Jake fears that his father, a bat biologist, is in great danger. Against his dad's wishes, Jake flies to Brazil and joins his father's research team, working high in the canopy of a remote stretch of the rain forest... moreWhen Indian workers begin to disappear from an expedition into the Amazon, fifteen-year-old Jake fears that his father, a bat biologist, is in great danger. Against his dad's wishes, Jake flies to Brazil and joins his father's research team, working high in the canopy of a remote stretch of the rain forest. Unfortunately, Jake's first climb up the rope bridges and suspended walkways of the dense forest leads him to discover the mutilated bodies of the missing Indians-and triggers a terrifying, explosive attack by an unknown winged beast. For a while the biologists and workers hunt the savage beast, but when Jake's father is attacked, it becomes clear that the hunters are now the hunted. Jake realizes that it is up to him to find some way of stopping the nightmarish creature before it returns to slaughter the rest of the expedition. less