Captain Raptor and the Space Pirates

Captain Raptor

by Kevin O'Malley, Patrick O'Brien (Illustrator)

Planet Jurassica is under siege. The sinister space pirates have raided the Imperial palace and stolen the famous Jewels of Jurassica. This looks like a job for . . . Captain Raptor!. . . hero of a thousand space missions; champion of truth, justice, and dinosaurs in space throughout the galaxy. If anyone can track down those marauding space pirates, it's Captain Raptor and the fearless crew of the Megatooth!

Genres: Picture Books, Graphic Novels, Science Fiction, Dinosaurs, Childrens, Pirates, Adventure

32 pages, Hardcover

First published August 21, 2007

About the author

There is more than one author by this name on Goodreads.

Kevin O'Malley is the co-author and illustrator of the popular Miss Malarkey series as well as the award-winning Once Upon a Cool Motorcycle Dude and the national bestseller Gimme Cracked Corn and I Will Share. He lives in Baltimore, Maryland.
He also has visited hundreds and hundreds of schools.

Reviews

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thirty-two pages of pure, beautiful bliss for the mad seven year old that still lives inside me.

LOOK.AT.THAT.COVER.

So awesome. I actually turned the page in this book and exhaled "whooooaaaa!" at one point. Seriously I recommend this book for ages 5-10, and then from like 10 to infinity-years-old if you love Pirates, Dinosaurs, Dinos with lasers, Pacific Rim, not taking yourself too seriously, sick art, or general awesomeness.

[The Bookclectic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book, but it is definitely my least my favorite in the Captain Raptor series. It didn't have the humor or charm as the other two, and the art wasn't as colorful or crisp. It looked grainier. Perhaps the print quality has something to do with that? I couldn't say. At any rate, I'd still recommend it, but I'd suggest reading this one last!

[James Pugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

8 year old James: You read the other one, you cannot NOT check this out!
Adult James: Yeah...

[Katie Banasiak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable.

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yet another fun adventure! The only sad thing is that I've now read all of the Captain Raptor books.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Damn, this was great.

[HattieB · Rating 5 out of 5]

My new favoritest book ever

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book title is the 2nd in a series of science fiction titles for kids. Although it's a picture book in nature it reads similar to a graphic novel. It tells the story of Captain Raptor and his crew who must save the planet Jurassica from space pirates. The plot lot was lacking in depth and interest, but kids will enjoy the detailed illustrations and silly humor. It is not text heavy so it makes for a good choice for reluctant readers. I would recommend this for students in grades 2-5 who enjoy dinosaurs and comics.

[Amie Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Illustrator: Patrick O'Brien

Copyright Date: 2007

Number of Pages: 32

Book Format: Hardcover

Grade or Reading Level: Kindergarten - 2nd grade

Genre: Fantasy

Lit Requirement: Picture Storybook

Topic Tags: dinosaurs, pirates, space, battles

Summary & Review/Response:
When the planet of Jurassica is under attack, Captain Raptor and his crew must work together and save the day. A group of space pirates have come to Jurassica to steal some valuable pressure, but it will not happen if Captain Raptor can help it. His crew sets off to capture the space pirates. However, it is not just smooth sailing for them, they have to overcome some challenges in their path. Can they stop the space pirates and save Jurassica?
I enjoyed this book. It is not usually a type of book that I would read, but I was pleasantly surprised.
I had a hard time understanding what exactly was going on in the beginning because of all the names and terms I was not familiar with. Once I read a little more, I started to understand the plot. From then on, I was engaged the whole time and wanted to keep reading to find out what happened. Overall, I would recommend this book to young readers that are interested in dinosaurs, pirates, spaces and battles/fights.

[Ashley Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Genre: Picture books- Graphic Novel/ Comic Strip
Awards: None
Audience: 6-10 years old
A. There are not too many words on each page. The text boxes remain small throughout the book. The book is also only 32 pages long.
B. The colored illustrations included fine details that make the Dino-like creatures seem realistic.
C. I would have this book for independent reading time. The vocabulary is a little more advanced, so I think it would be perfect for those students that may get bored with everyday picture books.
D. What was the name of the pirate creature?

[Amber · Rating 3 out of 5]

    The best part of this book is the illustrations, I think this book would be an excellent book to have in an elementary classroom. It would get all kinds of children excited about reading with these pictures. The pictures transformed a cliche plot into an epic science fiction. The themes of the book combine the interests of many children into one story. Themes include dinosaurs, space, pirates, adventure and heroes. I think it was a good book and I would absolutely use it in my (future) classroom. I also think the story has good themes of teamwork and leadership.

[Kest Schwartzman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't believe that I read the first one, loved it SO MUCH that I looked up the series, saw that I owned the only two books, went into mourning, recommended them to everyone I knew in the hopes of more books, etc- and ALSO FORGOT TO READ THE SECOND ONE.

So, I just fixed that. These books are so ludicrous, so fantastic, so absurd, and so much fun.

[Andrea Riffle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book took me by surprise! The artwork and comic book type style were excellently utilized! The story was engaging and kept my attention for the duration of it's length. I felt as though, however, the story and wording used may have been a bit difficult for a younger child to understand. Though for older children, this story is a go-to!

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a fan of the comic book style of picture book. But, since this book has dinosaurs, pirates and space - all of favorite subjects for my little boy, this book is getting a lot of air time at our house. The story is imaginative, the words are advanced (which I like and appreciate in children's books) and scientific terms are spattered throughout.

[Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just discovered these books at the library and my three years old loves them! There is a cliff hanger repeated throughout any time the characters are in trouble “Could this be the end of Captain Raptor?” and he loves to laugh and tell me No! The idea of a heroic space dinosaur acing his home planet’s treasure from space pirates is exactly as ridiculous as you’d expect and it’s just great.

[Matt Sheffield · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Captain Raptor books are such fun to read with my 5-year-old son. It's just too bad they didn't make more than two. The illustrations are amazing and the stories are exciting and filled with action. We'll be returning to them again and again.

[DaNae · Rating 2 out of 5]

This series has lived in my picture book section since I opened our school 12 years ago, without tempting me to read it. It does get checked out regularly. I didn't realize it was a solid graphic novel adventure. I can see the appeal for my adventure readers. I was bored however.

[Ricki · Rating 3 out of 5]

This graphic novel is mostly just a funny joke ("What if dinosaurs were in space?") told with really amazing paintings. The plot and characters aren't complex enough to create something special beyond the joke though.

[Dan Hyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Second in the series about Captain Raptor. I enjoyed both this and the first one in the series.

"Is this the end of Captain Raptor"? Stay tuned.

I wish that these were longer, I can read them to my 5 year old girls in about 10-15 minutes.

[Dirk Stansbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

How is this under 4 stars???? This had great artwork, a thrilling plot for a 5 year old and it didn't include a bunch of stupid new dinosaurs that nobody likes. We will be tracking down the test of the series

[Jillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Still really fun - a bit more of a story here than the first book, but neither one really gives Captain Raptor's crew a whole lot to do.
Illustrations are absolutely fantastic!

[Tom M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sneaky pirates are no match for Captain Raptor!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinosaurs and Space Pirates --You seriously don't need me to tell you what a fun romp this book was. Yes, it is silly. Yes, it is supposed to be.

[Mmmhhmm · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's dinosaurs... in space... space dinosaurs. What's not to love? XD

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Super fun! I had never heard of this series until a Goodreads friend listed it. Thanks, Brenda! My youngest grandsons adored this ;-)

[Robin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dinosaurs, space AND pirates, how can you say no? Takes itself so seriously that the ridiculous concept works. Recommended for ages 4-7.

[Ms. McGregor · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kiddo’s first school library checkout ever, and it was a doozy.

[DúviAurvandil Ericsson e Pereira · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty fun art, but that’s about it, just fluff.

[Jake · Rating 5 out of 5]

Skallawag could never get a one up Captain Raptor
I wish I could take this book like a drug

[Cheryl · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hmm. No twist, nuance, depth, wit. I think that Hobbes' friend Calvin could've written a better story. Or maybe it's just not for me.