Do baby dinosaurs need babysitters?
Buckle up because it’s the ‘mother’ of all dinosaur stories as James and friends head to Egg Mountain in the latest saga of the James Bone series that finds the crew in the Wild West.
As you turn the page to find out what cowboys and baby dinosaurs have to do with James, you’ll be catapulted into a whirlwind of an adventure!
This mission might seem easy, but some bad dinos and Boneapart have hornswoggled their way into making trouble for James, Shovel, Pick, and Diggy. Don’t forget… our explorers still have to be back in time for Show and Tell!
Are you ready for another exciting read? Have no fear, James Bone WILL return in…The Slippery Spinosaurus Splat.
Interest Level: Ages 5-13
Midwest Book Review:
James Bone is back with another paleontological time-traveling adventure: this one centered on velociraptors. Kids ages 7-10 who enjoy graphic novels packed with action and color will find Lee Barrow's lively and quirky drawings just the ticket to draw them into the science and humor that permeates James Bone's life.
Here, the team again moves into the past, powered by a supportive single mother's ability to let the young kids explore.
Carole Marsh includes many educational opportunities in the course of this adventure, from an opening note about the differences between "dessert" and "desert" to humor embedded in dialogue ("Here we GOBI!").
As facts about the Gobi Desert's denizens, past, and information come to light ("The Gobi sand dunes are said to 'sing' when the wind blows."), readers learn about not just dinosaurs but the desert environment that holds special pleasures as well as dangers.
As kids absorb the action and learn about this desert world of the past, lured by dinosaurs and time travel, they also will delight in unexpected encounters James Bone and his team face as they confront a shocking turn of events in what they proclaim is the "worst dino dig they've ever been on."
Halfway through the book, dinos have yet to appear. But, oh yes, they are there. Readers who love dinosaurs will relish their appearance and yet more unexpected encounters that challenge James and his team on different levels.
There are many educational opportunities here, from explorations of the desert world and how animals (and humans) survive its fierce conditions to facts about fossil hunters in the Gobi Desert.
Adults looking for the pairing of nonstop action and adventure with (sometimes sophisticated) humorous references and many different types of educational opportunities will find The Vicious Velociraptor Venture an exceptionally well-rounded story. It holds many opportunities for engaging young readers on different levels, powered by the action, intrigue, and humor of James Bone, a 007-year-old investigator.
- D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review