Virginia Loh-Hagan - Kraken

Magic, Myth, and Mystery

KRAKEN

DO YOU BELIEVE?

This series features creatures that excite our minds. Theyre magical. Theyre mythical. Theyre mysterious. Theyre also not real. They live in our stories. Theyre brought to life by our imaginations. Facts about these creatures are based on folklore, legends, and beliefs. We have a rich history of believing in the impossible. But these creatures only live in fantasies and dreams. Monsters do not live under our beds. They live in our heads!

Published in the United States of America by Cherry Lake Publishing
Ann Arbor, Michigan
www.cherrylakepublishing.com

Reading Adviser: Marla Conn MS, Ed., Literacy specialist, Read-Ability, Inc.
Book Design: Felicia Macheske

Photo Credits: Blueguy/Shutterstock.com, cover; Kei Shooting/Shutterstock.com, cover;
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Dudarev Mikhail/Shutterstock.com, 12; Balasioiu Sorin Ionut/Shutterstock.com, 15; Wallenrock/
Shutterstock.com, 17; Dario Sabljak/Shutterstock.com, 18; HWitte/Shutterstock.com, 21; Catmando/
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Graphic Elements Throughout: denniro/Shutterstock.com; Libellule/Shutterstock.com; sociologas/
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Copyright 2017 by Cherry Lake Publishing
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any
form or by any means without written permission from the publisher.

45th Parallel Press is an imprint of Cherry Lake Publishing.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Loh-Hagan, Virginia, author. | Loh-Hagan, Virginia. Magic, myth, and mystery.
Title: Kraken / by Virginia Loh-Hagan.
Description: Ann Arbor, Michigan : Cherry Lake Publishing, [2017] | Series:
Magic, myth, and mystery | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2016031786| ISBN 9781634721486 (hardcover) | ISBN
9781634722803 (pbk.) | ISBN 9781634722148 (pdf) | ISBN 9781634723466 (ebook)
Subjects: LCSH: KrakenJuvenile literature. | Sea monstersJuvenile
literature. | Animals, MythicalJuvenile literature.
Classification: LCC QL89.2.K73 L64 2017 | DDC 001.944dc23
LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016031786

Cherry Lake Publishing would like to acknowledge the work of The Partnership for 21st Century Skills.
Please visit www.p21.org for more information.

Printed in the United States of America
Corporate Graphics

TABLE of
CONTENTS

Chapter One
The Monster of Sea Monsters

Chapter Two
Sailors, Beware!

Chapter Three
Cracking the Kraken

Chapter Four
Mysterious Beginnings

Chapter Five
Kraken vs. Vikings

Chapter
One

The Monster of
Sea Monsters

What does Kraken look like? Where does it
live? How does it hunt?

Release the Kraken! Kraken is a sea monster. Its
the largest imagined by mankind. Theres little
known about it. Kraken is very rare. Its hardly ever
seen. Most people believe theres only one Kraken.

Kraken is half-squid. Its half-crab. It has a scary maw . A maw is a beasts mouth and jaws. Its maw has
many rows of teeth. The teeth are 5 feet (1.5 meters)
long. Its maw can open really wide. It has a beak. The
beak is sharp. It can shatter anything.

Kraken belongs to the cephalopod family.
Cephalopods include octopuses, squids, and cuttlefish.

Explained by Science!

Sailors saw bubbles. They saw dangerous waves. They saw new land. They thought these were signs of Kraken. Scientists say these were signs of underwater volcanic activity. Volcanoes are common in Iceland, where Kraken lives. Gas bubbles stir up the sea. Poisonous gases rise up. Iceland has 30 active volcano systems. Thirteen have erupted since the year 874. Iceland is located over a hot spot. Its on the mid-Atlantic Ridge. This means its over a crack in the ocean floor. The plates rub against each other. They slide in opposite directions. They push each other up and down. When they separate, they release lava. The lava goes to the surface. It cools down. It forms new land. Sailors believed these new islands were Kraken. Iceland has a big volcanic event once every five years.

Kraken is over a mile long. Its the size of 10 ships.
It has 12 tentacles . Tentacles are long, moving arms.
They have over 1,000 sucking cups on them. The
suckers have tiny teeth. The teeth look like spikes.
The tentacles have big claws at the end. The tentacles
are huge. They reach the top of tall ships. They come
out of Krakens sides.

Kraken is a Scandinavian word. It means an
unhealthy animal. It also means something twisted.
Kraken comes from a German word, too. The word
is krake . It means octopus.

Kraken can destroy ships easily.

Kraken lives in deep northern oceans. It lives in
caves. It uses its tentacles to anchor itself. It sticks
to the ground. It crawls along the ocean floor.

Kraken hunts at night. It eats anything that comes
by. It stretches its neck. It burps. It vomits food.
Vomit means to throw up. It poops. All kinds of guts
come out. It uses its guts as bait. Sea creatures love
to eat Kraken waste. They come to feed. Kraken lets
sea creatures enter its maw. It locks its jaws. It chews
and swallows.

Kraken stays deep in the ocean. But sometimes