Review: Dino-Mike and the T. Rex Attack by Franco Aureliani

SUMMARY FROM NETGALLEY.COM:

Written and illustrated by the Eisner-Award winning creator of Tiny Titans, Franco!
Dino-Mike is on the trail of a T. rex in this chapter book adventure! The son of a famous paleontologist, young Michael Evans travels the world with his dino-huntin' dad. As dad digs dino bones, Mike does some exploring on his own and winds up finding a live T. rex! After tracking what couldnt possibly be real, Mike meets a mysterious kid that seems to know why and how the real dinosaur got here. With easy-to-read language and illustrations on nearly every page, Dino-Mike chapter books are perfect for beginning readers.
For ages 6-8. From the Dino-Mike! series.
*Easy-to-read language with illustrations on almost every page
*Written and illustrated by the Eisner Award-winning creator of DC Comics' Tiny Titans
*Highly marketable and licensable character and concept
*Broad appeal to boy demographic, including dinosaur lovers, humor fans, and much more!

MY TAKE:
If you have a little one who adores anything and everything about dinosaurs, then this is the perfect book for him or her.

In Dino-Mike and the T. Rex Attack, Mike is on a dig site with his father when he meets a girl who is tracking a real dinosaur in order to return it back to its proper time period. Mike helps her out, but how did the T. rex get there in the first place?

I only had a brief dinosaur/paleontology phase as a child, but this book was a real treat. You'll learn a lot of dinosaur facts, which is always a good thing since you're absorbing knowledge but it doesn't feel boring since you're reading a fun adventure book.

The writing is funny and I could definitely imagine this as an educational cartoon series in the mold of Cro or The Magic School Bus.

Mike is an interesting kid, and though pretty much all we really know about him is he likes dinosaurs, he's still pretty easy to like.

The only downside for me is since the book is so short, you're left with a few questions at the end and the feeling like everything happened too quickly. There are other books in the series, though, so reading them may help you understand things better.

Thanks to NetGalley and Stone Arch Books for the e-ARC.

THE GOOD:

1. You'll learn a lot of dinosaur facts.
2. Mike is a cool kid.
3. The book is fast-paced.

THE BAD:

1. You may feel like everything happened too quickly. 

READ IT IF:

1. You or your child like dinosaurs.
2. Your child likes adventure books.
3. Your child dreams of becoming a paleontologist. 

RATING:


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