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librarianlizreads's review
3.0
Please note that this review is written for my use as a librarian and may not appeal directly to readers. Please review at your own risk.
Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for the Middle Grades, or readers in 4th to 8th grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 7 AR points.
I believe this would be a good book for younger readers who are interested in historical fiction, civil war era or the fight against slavery, and dinosaurs. Yes, that is a very strange mixture of topics but I do think that it has the potential to get readers who do not like historical or real stories interested in some of the events in the past. There are many dinosaurs who make an appearance throughout this tale and there are many historical events that take place.
The author makes a point at the end of the book to clarify which parts of the book are historical facts and which parts are not and I consider this to be an extreme benefit to the weight of the book. There could be some confusion about a few parts of the book (no I’m not thinking that kids will actually believe that dinosaurs were used to fight the civil war), but I think the ending to the book helps to clear up these potential issues.
Summary:
-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-
The main character of this book is a young female who was stolen from Cuba and is now living in an orphan asylum in New York. She prefers to be called Magdalys. She discovers that her brother who left the orphanage to fight in the civil war has been injured and his status is currently unknown. She knows she has to go to her brother but her plans are immediately interrupted as riots breakout all over New York. A group of slave traders are trying to kidnap and sell all of the children from her asylum to the South as slaves. She spends the book fighting against this group to try to save her fellow orphans. Along the way, she discovers that she has the ability to communicate with the dinosaurs still living in their world and is able to use them to help her escape or fight against the kidnapping gang. From a friendly old triceratops to a squad of dactyls to a fierce mosasaurs named Missy, she finds escape and adventure. She also connects with people who help her in this fight, inspire her to love herself, be proud of the skin she’s in, and embrace her abilities. These people become her new family and she loves them dearly, but she never gives up on the idea of going to her brother to find and help him.
Accelerated Reader has this book listed as being for the Middle Grades, or readers in 4th to 8th grade. They also have listed that this read is worth 7 AR points.
I believe this would be a good book for younger readers who are interested in historical fiction, civil war era or the fight against slavery, and dinosaurs. Yes, that is a very strange mixture of topics but I do think that it has the potential to get readers who do not like historical or real stories interested in some of the events in the past. There are many dinosaurs who make an appearance throughout this tale and there are many historical events that take place.
The author makes a point at the end of the book to clarify which parts of the book are historical facts and which parts are not and I consider this to be an extreme benefit to the weight of the book. There could be some confusion about a few parts of the book (no I’m not thinking that kids will actually believe that dinosaurs were used to fight the civil war), but I think the ending to the book helps to clear up these potential issues.
Summary:
-Do not read past this point if you would like to avoid spoilers-
The main character of this book is a young female who was stolen from Cuba and is now living in an orphan asylum in New York. She prefers to be called Magdalys. She discovers that her brother who left the orphanage to fight in the civil war has been injured and his status is currently unknown. She knows she has to go to her brother but her plans are immediately interrupted as riots breakout all over New York. A group of slave traders are trying to kidnap and sell all of the children from her asylum to the South as slaves. She spends the book fighting against this group to try to save her fellow orphans. Along the way, she discovers that she has the ability to communicate with the dinosaurs still living in their world and is able to use them to help her escape or fight against the kidnapping gang. From a friendly old triceratops to a squad of dactyls to a fierce mosasaurs named Missy, she finds escape and adventure. She also connects with people who help her in this fight, inspire her to love herself, be proud of the skin she’s in, and embrace her abilities. These people become her new family and she loves them dearly, but she never gives up on the idea of going to her brother to find and help him.
edshara's review against another edition
4.0
This was so much fun! I would have finished it much sooner, but this book funk wouldn’t let me be great. Such a great mix of history and fiction.
karen_hallam's review against another edition
5.0
It’s 1863 at the Colored Orphan Asylum in New York City. Magdalys Roca is not listening to the matron who insists on caller her by the wrong name. Magdalys only answers to her real name, the way her brother said it, like a song, the brother who’s now fighting in the Union Army.
But the Triceratops is waiting to take her and the other orphan children to the Zanzibar Theater to see the only all-black Shakespearean company in New York perform the Tempest. Magdalys decides she not going to allow the matron’s stubbornness have her miss out.
“It was only a few years ago that New York passed a law granting black citizens the right to dinoride.”
Dinosaurs are everywhere. Iguanodons extinguish lanterns before the dawn. Commuter brachys. Stegosaurs lug supplies and microraptors deliver messages, while most of the trikes and raptors have been sent south to the Confederates.
“Magdalys had no idea why anyone would want to keep her from dinoriding just because of the color of her skin.”
On the way to the theater, Magdalys is surprised when she discovers the dinosaur listened to her. That it can hear her thoughts! But she’s keeping it a secret for now.
A riot breaks out and the theater is torched. Pandemonium in the streets, people are murdered, people Magdalys cares about. She narrowly escapes with her life and a few others. But there are more orphans to save before the Kidnappers Club sends south to be sold into slavery. Magdalys and the others barely escape and soon find friends in Brooklyn who will help them rescue the captured children and stop the worldwide kidnapping ring.
“They weren’t just abandoned orphans anymore — they were part of something.”
What a magnificent and wild ride! True events are written within an alternative historical setting, with maps of early New York City. A fun and absorbing way to learn about history and experience the joy of riding dinosaurs to combat evil.
But the Triceratops is waiting to take her and the other orphan children to the Zanzibar Theater to see the only all-black Shakespearean company in New York perform the Tempest. Magdalys decides she not going to allow the matron’s stubbornness have her miss out.
“It was only a few years ago that New York passed a law granting black citizens the right to dinoride.”
Dinosaurs are everywhere. Iguanodons extinguish lanterns before the dawn. Commuter brachys. Stegosaurs lug supplies and microraptors deliver messages, while most of the trikes and raptors have been sent south to the Confederates.
“Magdalys had no idea why anyone would want to keep her from dinoriding just because of the color of her skin.”
On the way to the theater, Magdalys is surprised when she discovers the dinosaur listened to her. That it can hear her thoughts! But she’s keeping it a secret for now.
A riot breaks out and the theater is torched. Pandemonium in the streets, people are murdered, people Magdalys cares about. She narrowly escapes with her life and a few others. But there are more orphans to save before the Kidnappers Club sends south to be sold into slavery. Magdalys and the others barely escape and soon find friends in Brooklyn who will help them rescue the captured children and stop the worldwide kidnapping ring.
“They weren’t just abandoned orphans anymore — they were part of something.”
What a magnificent and wild ride! True events are written within an alternative historical setting, with maps of early New York City. A fun and absorbing way to learn about history and experience the joy of riding dinosaurs to combat evil.
mcf's review against another edition
5.0
Daniel José Older is important for a lot of reasons, and two of them are the creation of brown world in a MG book and the existence of a heroic trans kid in that world. And not only is the world of the book almost without white people, when they are around they're often the villains (which is an excellent reversal of the trope that has demonize non-white people in fiction basically forever), and almost always involved in the slave trade. I admire and appreciate Older's willingness to talk about slavery and gender identity in a book for kids, because I would imagine those are topic from which less writers would shy away. As usual, he does both with frankness and sensitivity, and our world is a little better for another of his books being in it.
ghutter05's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars. From the premise, I was sort of expecting something more frivolous and it's not, but once I adjusted my expectations, I enjoyed it.
hidingzeus's review against another edition
1.0
Read for OBOB potential. Not too into this one. Civil War with dinosaurs but set in New York with riots and a barely there lynching mentioned.
tishreads's review against another edition
3.0
This story is full of excitement and features a strong minority cast of characters. It imagines a world in which dinosaurs and humans live side by side and takes place during the Civil War. It got to be a bit confusing at times with the alternative timeline. Additionally, the characters spoke and acted much like modern day humans, which is unlikely due to a) the existence of dinosaurs and b) the fact that the story is taking place 150+ years ago. There is definitely a niche audience for this book, though, and it's well written and enjoyable.
andrearbooks's review against another edition
3.0
Dactyl Hill Squad by Daniel Jose Older is an upcoming release that I received as an ARC. This one is a kid's book about dinosaurs in the Civil War. . . I'll pause for you to re-read that one. Yes, there are dinosaurs. Yes, it takes place in the Civil War. This one is a bit of alternate history. The story focuses on children from the Colored Orphans Asylum which was real. The children are trying to find safety (from the war, slavery, and dino-based risks), learn who they are, and navigate a very different world. For me, I think this would have read easier as a graphic novel. I visualize as I read, and it was hard to simultaneously navigate a vision of the experiences of the kids, the happenings of the Civil War and the presence of dinosaurs. I recognize this is a children's book, but I just needed so much more detail. I loved the premise as it's so uniquely ambitious, but again, I just had so many questions as I crafted the story in my own head. I would be intrigued to see if the target audience (who is not me) was able to digest and dream this one as they read.
susanatherly's review against another edition
3.0
Cute story for the middle school crowd. I think I woke have liked it better if I was 13.