DINOSAURS BEFORE DARK

by Mary Pope Osborne ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 1, 1992

In classic E. Nesbit tradition, Jack's wishes go awry while he and his sister Annie, seven, are time traveling. Reluctantly followed by her eight-year-old brother, Annie enters a mysterious treehouse full of books. Examining a dinosaur book, Jack blurts, ""I wish I could see a pteranodon for real""--whereupon one flies in, with a rushing wind. Like Dorothy and Toto, they're blown to a land of adventure: the treehouse takes them to the Cretaceous Period, where they meet a triceratops and a duck-billed dinosaur and find a gold medallion engraved ""M."" Elation gives way to terror when a tyrannosaur shows up; Annie escapes, but Jack is cut off while retrieving his pack and the book. Just in time, the pteranodon flies him back to the treehouse, and a hasty wish spins them safely home, to ponder several questions: Whose treehouse? Why all the books? Who is ""M""? In the ""First Stepping Stone"" series, this initial ""Magic Tree House"" book is a fast-paced tale offering both mystery and dinosaurs--powerful enticements for newly independent readers. Illustrations not seen.

Pub Date: Aug. 1, 1992

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: 68

Publisher: Random House

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 15, 1992

Categories: CHILDREN'S