Module 9 – Dinosaurs Before Dark by: Mary Pope Osborne

PLOT: This time travel story starts with Jack and Annie who are brother and sister walking home from school one day.  As they are walking through the woods close to their home they come across a tree house with a very long rope ladder.  Annie decides to climb up and her brother Jack follows, to their surprise they find lots of books.  Jack begins to look through the books and realizes that there is even a book about Frog Creek, Pennsylvania, that’s where they live.  Jack begins to flip through a book about dinosaurs and he carelessly makes a wish about wanting to see a flying Pteranodon.  All of a sudden the tree house begins to spin and the adventure begins.  They end up traveling through time and end up in the Cretaceous period where dinosaurs roam the land.  They begin to explore the land and they come across several different types of dinosaurs including a Tyrannosaurus (T-Rex). They realize that a T-Rex is a meat eater and they make it back to the tree house without getting caught by the T-Rex.  Annie manages to make it to the tree house but Jack is left behind.  With the help of Annie and the Pteranodon Jack makes it safe back to the tree house and they quickly make a wish to return to Frog Creek, Pennsylvania.  When they return back home it’s as if time froze and they returned back to the same time they left. They make a promise not to tell anyone about their adventure because they don’t think anyone would believe them anyways.  They soon hear their mother calling out for them and they go home.

Osborne, M.P., (1992). Dinosaurs before dark. New York: Random House.

IMPRESSION OF THE BOOK:  This is a really cute book for kids from about 6-9 years old.  There is plenty of excitement and adventure to keep kids returning back for more stories about the Magic Tree House.  My favorite part of this book was when they landed back in time and they actually made contact with the dinosaurs.  Annie, who is a very brave and a trusting young girl has a way with the dinosaurs and gets the opportunity to pet the Pteranodon.  Jack who is more reserved and likes to take notes is much more precautious.  Annie literally goes up to the Pteranodon and she feels that she can trust the dinosaur and the dinosaur can trust her.  They also get to see a triceratops eating magnolia flowers and gigantic duck-billed dinosaur with her baby eggs hatching.  A really funny part is when the two kids get to close to the duck billed dinosaur nests and the kids fall to the ground and pretend they are chewing because big momma dinosaur is right above them.  They slowly crawl out of that situation to come in contact with a T-Rex.  Another part of the story that really shows that Annie can communicate with the dinosaurs is when she tells the Pteranodon to rescue her brother and bring him back to the tree house before T-Rex eats him.  Without the help of Annie and the Pteranodon Jack would have been eaten up alive, by the T-Rex.  This part of the book is exciting and will really get kids wanting to finish the story.  Overall, I think this book is really cute and this series will have kids wanting to know what other adventures Jack and Annie get into.

REVIEWS:  Kirkus Reviews (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.

Kirkus Review. (1992). [Review of the book Dinosaurs before dark, by Mary Pope Osborne]. Kirkus Reviews Issue.  Retrieved August 3, 2013, from https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/mary-pope-osborne/dinosaurs-before-dark/

USE IN THE LIBRARY:  This is a great book to create a science lesson about dinosaurs.  However, since I don’t have the time needed to read the entire book in one class sitting I would do a book challenge.  I would create a book challenge display and do a quick 30 second book talk about this book and I would have crossword puzzles, word searches and other kinds of puzzles and challenge kids to read the book and solve a puzzle for a prize. My display would be called “Book Challenge Puzzle for a Prize” and I could even team up with teachers and ask if they would be willing to give a student some extra credit points if they took on the challenge of reading the book and solving a puzzle.