A Mysterious Egg

September 15, 2015
In this series kickoff for dinophiles (and who isn't one?), a Wyoming dig yields an egg that's not exactly fossilized. Despite having to cope with obnoxious cousin Samantha and snoopy Aaron from the adjacent cattle ranch, 9-year-old Frank is thrilled to be summering with his grandparents at their dinosaur museum and dig site. Life takes a particularly exciting turn when his paleontologist grandmother finds a stone egg on ranch land. It not only becomes a bone of contention between her and Aaron's avaricious dad, but hatches in the night, leaving Frank and Sam scrambling to keep little "Peanut"-depicted in the frequent ink-and-wash illustrations as a puppylike hadrosaur with soulful eyes and a stubby tail-secret from the grown-ups. Ultimately, though, the creature must be driven to the vet after chowing down on snack food, and while the adults are gone on that errand, the children work out a way to share ownership. McAnulty keeps characters and situations uncomplicated, and if self-absorbed Samantha comes off as more of a liability than an asset here, perhaps she'll have a chance to redeem herself in future episodes. Adventures in dinosaur husbandry-a bit bland but palatable fare for younger independent readers. (glossary) (Science fantasy. 7-9)

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November 1, 2015

Gr 2-4-Dinosaur-loving kids will enjoy reading this series starter. Frank is spending his summer with his grandparents and his cousin, Samantha, at a dinosaur education center in Wyoming. Close to the center is a dig in progress, and his grandmother discovers an intact dinosaur egg, a rare and exciting find. Frank, whose first book was an ABC dinosaur book, has been fascinated with the giant reptiles for his entire life, and he's thrilled. Unfortunately, Samantha, not a true dinosaur fan, is less than enthused. In the middle of the night after the find, Frank discovers Samantha with a hammer in her hand about to break open the egg. Frank stops her just as the egg begins to hatch. Soon, a baby dinosaur emerges. Frank hides the dinosaur in his room as he and Samantha try to figure out a way to keep the baby dino safe from the cattle rancher who owns the land the egg was found on. Featuring short chapters interspersed with black-and-white illustrations, this fantastical adventure will hold readers' interest. VERDICT Though not as charming as Kate Klimo's "Dragon Keepers" series (Random), this is a fine supplemental addition to chapter book collections.-Kathy Kirchoefer, Henderson County Public Library, NC

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