‘Wake up, Toby. It’s time to inspect our treasure.’
I open my eyes and sit up. Jack’s already awake. His dad and his scary sister, Saffi, are asleep in their sleeping bags. The coast is clear.
Jack unzips his stegosaurus schoolbag. That’s where we put all the treasures we found on the beach today.
He empties it onto the floor of the tepee. That’s what we’re camping in. A great big family-sized tepee. Jack’s dad made it out of branches, ropes and plastic sheets.
This is the first time I’ve ever been camping.
Jack and his friend Toby had no idea just what treasures they had collected on the beach during their beach camping trip. But by the time they do realise the importance of one of their finds, they are on the path to the biggest dinosaur adventure of all. Suddenly their little corner Saurus seems to be host to all manner of supposedly extinct creatures, from the smallest ammonite to the most dangerous dinosaur to the VERY big diplodocus. It seems the boys and Saffi have activated the curse of the legendary dinosaur pirate, Captain Saurus. Now the race is on, to solve the clues left behind by Captain Saurus and lift the curse before it is too late. Black and white illustrations appear on most openings and potentially challenging words are presented in different, larger fonts.
The Saurus Street series offers wild adventures in not-quite-your-average suburb. There are always dinosaurs. Small ones, big ones, and just about every size in between. And Saurus Street and surrounds is just not designed for these visitors. Adults are present in each adventure but manage to stay well in the background, allowing the main characters the freedom to solve their (considerable) challenges. In ‘Saurus Street 6’ Jack’s scary older sister, Saffi, assists in between bouts of ‘teenage-ness’ but it is Jack and Toby who are the heroes. A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee offers a rip-tearing, heart-thumping read for young independent readers.
Saurus Street 6:A Diplodocus Trampled My Teepee , Nick Falk ill Tony Flowers Random House Australia 2013 ISBN: 9780857981844
review by Claire Saxby, Children’s author and bookseller
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