Raising Rufus

April 27, 2015
Eleven-year-old Martin Tinker prefers hunting for “stones, dried leaves, and dead bugs” in the Wisconsin woods and experimenting in his “lab” (the barn on his property) to spending time with real-life friends. After he discovers a large egg frozen deep in a quarry, it hatches into an unusual lizard that immediately imprints on Martin, who names the creature Rufus. It doesn’t take Martin long to realize his lizard is actually a fast-growing tyrannosaur, a fact he keeps hidden from his parents. New girl Audrey befriends Martin, and when she discovers Rufus, he becomes a secret the two share. But Rufus’s growth (and growing appetite) are problems, and when Martin’s father’s boss, who owns a theme park, learns of the existence of a real, live dinosaur, Rufus’s future is in jeopardy. The premise of Fulk’s first children’s book has immediate appeal, and Martin’s difficulties with his father (who wishes his son was more into sports than science) and school bullies are handled well. While the pace can be slow, readers will stick around to see what becomes of Rufus. Ages 9–12.

April 1, 2015
A frozen egg holds a surprising pet for a lonely boy. Friendless, a bully target, and a disappointment to his football-crazy father, 11-year-old Martin is also a budding naturalist, exploring the woods around his Menominee Springs, Wisconsin, home and collecting specimens in the old barn that serves as his lab. When he falls into a prohibited, rockslide area, he finds an unusual frozen egg. It soon thaws and hatches what Martin at first thinks is a deformed small lizard but quickly grows into an enormous, ever hungry T. Rex he names Rufus. Although Rufus imprints strongly on Martin and is surprisingly obedient, feeding him and hiding him become more and more difficult, even with the help of Audrey, a new girl in school and Martin's first real friend. When Rufus is discovered, madcap mayhem ensues. It's all related in a matter-of-fact third-person that will help readers suspend their disbelief and keep them chuckling. As improbable as it is humorous, Fulk's debut novel is a poignant story of a boy's coming into his own. A list of silly dinosaur "facts" is appended. Readers will cheer for Martin and Rufus in this funny twist on a boy-and-his-dog story. (Fantasy. 9-12)