MISSION MICRORAPTOR

A slacker has a star turn as a dino-defending secret agent in this series opener.

Finn O’Rourke and Milo George, 12-year-old classmates from London, discover a mysterious egg during a school trip to the French Alps. The egg hatches to reveal a small, feathered dinosaur, which Finn names Artemis in the first act of a booklong bonding process. The trio are spirited away from the field trip by Dr. Lara Blake, a special agent from the British Museum of Natural History, ahead of the arrival of some shadowy, less benign operatives. Finn, a big-time gamer and slouch, warms up to know-it-all Milo and injects some smart aleck humor into the proceedings. Spycraft and survival hijinks escalate with each thrilling set piece, complete with flying shuriken and an exploding van. Finn even gets to pilot a helicopter and a plane (with the help of some directions). The gunplay is limited to tranquilizer darts and the swearing consists of shouting names of food—“Holy pork chops!” and “Sweet carbonara!” Sharp-taloned Artemis, who has orange-gold wings and lets out cries of “keear!”, will melt readers’ hearts. By the time Finn, Milo, and Lara learn to work together as a proper team, the story hits its stride, with each character’s having adapted to the others’ personalities in a rewarding fashion. The main characters read white.

A winning blend of humor, action, and heart, with a pet dinosaur on top.