Book Reviews
Reviews
The second is Secret Sabertooth, the third in the PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Club series, also by Wendy Caszatt-Allen, along with Joseph Kchodl, the real-live PaleoJoe (ISBN-13: 978-1934133101). I’m one chapter into this, and its got me. But first I had to snatch it back from my daughter, who snagged it the moment she saw it, since she had liked the first, The Disappearance of Dinosaur Sue, so much. In chapter one, Dakota has a crazy nightmare that he is plummeting through the air to the ground after sky diving with his backpack instead of his parachute. The PaleoJoe series is very fun, smart, and something to look for. My thoughts on the first one are here. I expect both of these books to be well worth the time. I’ll say more about them when I’m done.
Review written by Dan Sharpe at Parrot's Perch
"We are blessed to be able to host an event with someone who holds over 25 years of field experience as a real paleontologist. As booksellers, we are thrilled with the bright illustrations and fun approach to science. We honestly believe his chapter books to fill a void in an underserved market. Paleo-Joe allows young minds to enjoy facts and history while getting a thrilling plot at the same time. These are some of the best chapter books to come along in recent days for elementary age learners." -
Bridget at Nomad Bookstores
I picked up the first book in Mr. Joe s Dinosaur Detective Club series and (ah-hem) dug in. The result? A fun . . . read that dino fans will enjoy. Shelly Brooks (age 11) knows a thing or two about dinosaurs. And she s learning more all the time, having befriended dino expert PaleoJoe. The two respect each other's knowledge and are a good team. Their teamwork is put to the test when Sue, the most complete fossilized T- Rex skeleton ever unearthed, goes missing. Their search for the culprit sends them dashing to the Field Museum in Chicago, globe-hopping to Germany, and trekking to the middle of South Dakota. Shelly and PaleoJoe use their detective skills and dinosaur insight to solve the crime. I would recommend this one to middle-grade dinosaur-lovers that are looking for a mystery. --Children's Literarture News & Reviews
Each title in the series allows kids to read these CSI-type stories while learning facts about their favorite dinosaurs and paleontology --Prehistoric Times
(This) series of reptile-related mysteries called the 'PaleoJoe Dinosaur Detective Club' is very big with readers. Getting kids interested in dinosaurs is about as difficult as getting them interested in French fries! --
The Detroit News
Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Woolly Mammoths and more. He has educated children and communities about science by giving more than 200 school presentations to 12,000 school children, by setting-up traveling exhibits for museums, and now he's taken a bigger step this fall. He has teamed up with gifted writer Wendy Caszatt-Allen for this new chapter book series. He loves to teach kids about dinosaurs and paleontology and it shows! --Young Adult & Kids Books Central
PaleoJoe,
Yesterday I was at the Farmington, Michigan Library. I brought my son and his friend there to see you. I just wanted to say what a wonderful job you did. You were very informative with the kids. We bought all the books and can't wait until more come out. Thanks again for such a good time and wonderful talk.
R.K. Mom from Farmington.
A Rare Find – PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Club By michelefajeau La Brea Tar Pits have become a regular stop on our sojourns to Los Angeles. We hang with my 93 year old grandmother in Leisure World, hit D-land for a day or two, and then, make a quick swing through the Tar Pits before heading home.
We can dash through the museum and marvel over the tar pits in about two hours. We’re efficient. After all, we want to save time to explore the gift shop – a treasure trove of cool trinkets, toys and books not found anywhere else. This is where we first discovered PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Series and specifically, Book #3 “Secret Sabertooth.”
I had never seen the PaleoJoe series at Barnes & Noble or on the Scholastic order form. Even though kid #1 shrugged his shoulders at the book – eyeballing the $20 super-sized mastodon instead – I was interested. Plus, I’m a sucker for a museum gift shop. Needless to say, we bought both.
The PaleoJoe series is based on a real paleontologist, who serves as the cool-dude adult in the story. Thank goodness because his impulsive and quick-witted wannabe junior paleontologists – Dakota and Shelly – take all kinds of liberties in solving their dino-mysteries.
In “Secret Sabertooth, ” 11 year olds Dakota and Shelly befriend Sarra, whose brother has mysteriously disappeared, leaving behind one huge tooth (a Smilodon tooth, to be exact). I love reading smart kid books! (No doubt, I will own the next Trivia Pursuit game, when I casually answer, “A Smilodon is the scientific word for Sabertooth Cat — of course.”)
Back to the story … the Smilodon tooth leads the CHILDREN on a cross-country trip (sans parents) to the La Brea Tar Pits in Los Angeles. The excitement continues as they break in and explore the secret labyrinth of the La Brea museum to find Sarra’s bro.
Frankly, we stop many times during the reading of the Paleo Joe series with me asking kid #1, “Do you think that’s the best choice? What other (safer) choices could Shelly and Dakota have made?” That said, my mom never questioned the sanity (or insanity!) of Pippi Longstocking. Alas, we continue reading for four nights. At the end of each chapter, my son asks, “Can I read another?” Not without me!
Since then, we have added “Stolen Stegosaurus,” “Raptors Revenge” and “Mysterious Mammoths” to our library (available online only). The books are authored by PaloeJoe himself, along with Wendy Caszatt-Allen.
Not only are these fascinating, smart and thrilling reads – the book itself is constructed to be easy on the eyes. It is printed on extra crisp white paper, using a large font. Think Reader’s Digest (senior edition) for kids. Brillant. This is the first kid book that I’ve read, with an eye to the actual function of reading – typically, at night beneath a bedside lamp.
Plus, the publisher included extras, like “flickr-page animation,” which shows a dinosaur in motion, eating or attacking when the book pages are flicked from beginning to end. For kids that need a little reading motivator, flickr page animation might just encourage them to hold onto the book for a few more pages.
It’s unanimous. Mom and kid #1 agree that PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Club series is simply one of our best literary finds for 2010. Check it out, pick it up, sit yourself down and enjoy.La Brea Tar Pits have become a regular stop on our sojourns to Los Angeles. We hang with my 93 year old grandmother in Leisure World, hit D-land for a day or two, and then, make a quick swing through the Tar Pits before heading home.
We can dash through the museum and marvel over the tar pits in about two hours. We’re efficient. After all, we want to save time to explore the gift shop – a treasure trove of cool trinkets, toys and books not found anywhere else. This is where we first discovered PaleoJoe’s Dinosaur Detective Series and specifically, Book #3 “Secret Sabertooth.”
Dear PaleoJoe,
Our son, who just turned 6, is devouring the PaleoJoe books! He read the first two this weekend and it chomping at the bit to get book 3 this week. I just want to thank you for writing such great books. These have been a fantastic transition to get him reading longer books with less pictures. Dinosaurs, as with most 6 year olds, are a true obsession! We live in Florida and travel extensively (home-schoolers). Our son has always been dying to dig for dinos. We have taken him to Gray, TN for some ice age digging. He LOVED it! I wish you did shows in Florida. Maybe he can join you on a dig one summer. L.R. Mom from Michigan
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