How to Track a Pterodactyl

I really enjoy this series of children's books. The stories take place in a wild west setting, but with dinosaurs. Who wouldn't enjoy that. This is the 4th book in the series.

Trihorn Settlement is having a fair when the pterodactyls attack. When they fly off with Josh's hero, Terrodactyl Bill (T-Bill) he and his friends set off to save him. Can they make it up the mountain? Will T-Bill be okay? Will they get attacked again? Read to find the answers to these questions and more.

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 illustrations are wonderful and add to the story. A great addition to school, classroom and family libraries. Definitely a winner with dinosaur lovers.

Will Dare's "How to Track a Pterodactyl" is an excellent story for any young child with an interest in dinosaurs. A great introduction to chapter books for early readers, with just enough illustrations to hold their attention. A tale full of action and adventure with some laugh out loud funny parts thrown in for giggles. As soon as my son and I finished reading this together he asked if we could please read all the others in the series. Highly recommended! 9 year old approved!

It’s the wild west with dinosaurs! What’s not to love?!

I enjoyed reading this book so much that I’ve just finished it for the second time. With adventure, action, humour, potential danger, friends and foes, and a childhood hero in the mix, this was always going to be a fun read. Once you add the dinosaurs and cowboys you’ve got yourself a book that I imagine would pique the interest of even the most reluctant of readers.

Summer is almost over and Josh is meeting his friends Sam and Abi at the annual Trihorn County Funfair for some fun before they go camping. The trio are watching when a group of pterodactyls arrive and carry Josh’s hero and “the fastest, meanest, and bravest dino rider the Lost Plains had ever seen”, Terrordactyl Bill, away. It’s up to Josh, Sam and Abi to save T-Bill! They’re joined by Josh’s nemesis, Amos, and Amos’ sidekick, Arthur. I loved that everyone, even the kids, ride on the backs of dinosaurs and especially liked Josh’s triceratops, Charge.

The accompanying illustrations by Mariano Epelbaum are a mix of greyscale images in the same style as the front cover image, which are amazing, and diagrams on ruled paper that are intended to look as though a kid has drawn them, complete with short descriptions and arrows pointing out the important bits. I really enjoyed the main illustrations although found that the details didn’t always match the details of the story.

As soon as I discovered this book I knew I had to read it. Marketed as a new chapter book series I assumed it was the first in the series and didn’t bother to check prior to beginning to read. I’ve since learned it’s the fifth book in the series and the sixth is scheduled to be released before the end of the year. While I had no trouble following along without having already read the earlier books I loved this one so much that I now want to read the entire series.

New Favourite Phrase: “Holy dino dung!”

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Sourcebooks Jabberwocky for the opportunity to read this book.