How to Tame a Triceratops

Josh desperately wants to win the Founders Day Race, but the only racing dino he has is the family’s herder for their iguanadons, Plodder. And Plodder is anything but fast in his old age. When his parents send him to town to get a new herder, Josh decides to get a dino worthy of racing in the Founders Day Race, a triceratops. But Josh was tricked. Charger is the most untrainable triceratops in the West. Will he ever get to become a famous dino racer?

The lower grade dinosaur lovers will be all over this action-packed story. I personally enjoyed the Old West reimagined with dinosaurs. Various dinosaurs replace the typical Old West cattle, horses, messengers, pets, and of course, natural predators. The setting was the best part about the story. Well, ok, the illustrations with their comic tones and fun cartoon style were a close second. The plot may be predictable for adults, but the target audience should find it riveting. Recommended for elementary libraries. This should entice a lot of dinosaur fans into reading.

How to Rope a Gigantosaurus

To make sure his life stays exciting, Josh decides he needs to be like his idol T-Bill and catch a meat eater. T-Bill was recently in the news for catching a T-rex. Josh convinces his friends (with the heckling of the town bully helping) that they need to catch…a gigantosaurus. Can they do it, or has Josh just gotten them into huge trouble?

Like the first book in this series, this is designed to appeal to dinosaur loving adventure fans. The story is a little stinky (not as in bad, as in smelly stuff included), Josh perhaps learns a lesson, and his faithful triceratops Charge is along for heroic acts and laughs. Again, the plot may be simple for adults, but the target audience should find it a hoot. Hand this one to reluctant readers who can’t get enough of dinosaurs. It’s a Wild West with dinosaurs instead of cattle and horses, and Josh gets up to some crazy action. Recommended for elementary libraries.

Book Review: Dino Riders: How To Tame A Triceratops/ How To Rope A Gigantasaur by Will Dare – vexingcircumstance
https://vexingcircumstance.wordpress.com/2017/02/17/book-review-dino-riders-how-to-tame-a-triceratops-how-to-rope-a-gigantasaur-by-will-dare/

What is there not to love about dinosaurs, now that they are extinct that is and Will Dare makes them seem even more lovable in his two novels ' Hot to Tame a Triceratops' and ' How to Rope a Giganotosaurus' . The most lovable character wasn't the dinosaurs though it was Josh Sanders a mischevious, fun, idea flowing, loyal Dinoboy (Cowboy but with Dinosaurs). Along with his friends Sam and Abi they were often trying to keep away from mean guy Amos Wilks and his nasty sidekick Arthur.

I really liked the main character Josh Sanders, despite the "sticky" situations he got himself in (pooh squelching, dodgy dinos, Pterodactyl tricking, dino training, mushy, squishy situations). He displayed great courage, determination, worked hard to achieve what he wanted to and was generally the all round nice guy. I think it is nice that a character displays such good, strong qualities but also shows their mishaps, teaching children that people have things they are great at and some things that challenge them.

Both the books are set in a period when dinosaurs were alive, so instead of horse and cart there were Dino Riders. Not all dinosaurs were friendly in the books but Josh and his friends always found a way to escape harm from the scarier ones.. Your probably wondering what harm there may have been, or if they managed to tame a triceratops but that I cannot tell...although I am happy to chat about it once you have read it of course!

I loved these books. I spent an afternoon reading them from start to finish and knew straight away they were going to be a hit for children. I can see this series becoming very popular for 7 year olds and above. I applaud Will Dare and his imagination for putting together such a fun series. Can't wait for more.

What a great concept for a series of children's books. The stories take place in a wild west setting, but with dinosaurs. Who wouldn't enjoy that. The short chapters make this series perfect for those beginning chapter book readers from age 7 and up.

Josh and Charge (his triceratops) are getting accustomed to each other. In this book, Josh has decided that he and his friends are going to catch a giganotosaurus. The main problem is that no one has seen on around for years. This does not stop Josh, he researches them to find out as much as he can before coming up with a plan. Once again bully Amos and his sidekick Arthur, show up and tease Josh and his friends. Josh does not give up and ends up putting Amos in his place.

This is a great book for anyone who loves dinosaurs. It is an early chapter book that late primary, early junior students would be able to read with help or independently. The black and white illustrations are wonderful. They have great detail and I love the expressions that are shown on the characters. This book would make a great addition to school, classroom and family libraries.