My Daniel: A Nostalgic Novel About a Nebraska Childhood, Fossil Hunting, and Sibling Dreams - For Children

by Pam Conrad

"All I want to find is one dinosaur," Daniel was saying. "And I'll find it right here. Like I do all my fossils." Wandering through the Natural History Museum with her grandchildren, Julia Creath feels the presence of her dead brother, Daniel, she remembers a time when fossil fever hit everyone, old and young -- a time when people would kill for those old bones under the ground. Julia becomes the Nebraska farm girl she once was, as she weaves together the story of the great dinosaur rush -- an adventurous tale of love and treachery, but most of all the story of her own childhood, and of the older brother she loved more than anything. Daniel had a dream that Julia shared -- and the she alone would see come true.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Juvenile, Young Adult, Historical

144 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

About the author

Pam Conrad (1947-1996) was an author for children. Her book Our House: Stories of Levittown was a Newbery Medal finalist.

Ms. Conrad was born in New York City and graduated from the New School for Social Research.

Reviews

[Rnd · Rating 5 out of 5]

When I was a kid, I absoultely loved this book. I still remember the range of emotions it brought out in me, and I remembered thinking that it would always be a favorite book of mine. Haven't read it in years, but it brings back good memories.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

80 year old Julia is visiting her son and his family. Her wish is to take her two grandchildren to the museum to see a dinosaur and tell the story behind it. This story goes between past and present to tell this touching story.

My 9 year old grandson gave me this book to read after he'd read it and loved it and wanted to share with me. I'm so glad he did, I really enjoyed it.

[Melissa Snyder · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this as a child and really enjoyed it, eventhough it kept making me cry.

[EllieVreads · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great read aloud.

[Gale · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Baptism in Mud and Memories”

Prairie girl Julie Creath adores her older brother, Daniel as a girl and beyond when she is a grandmother.. These two siblings enjoy a unique and intense bond of love as they are only surviving offspring of a Nebraska farm family. Despite living in a primitive soddy the plucky youth has grate dreams: to find a dinosaur skeleton and sell it for a small fortune—enough to save the family farm. Bones and Bravery are all he needs---although he does not factor in the devotion and quick wit of his little sister.

Noble aspirations, truly, but naïve Daniel is soon to be initiated into the dirty business of dinosaur hunting, excavating and profiteering. He is unprepared for unscrupulous men who lie, deceive, cheat and are even willing to commit murder for gain and fame. Three gutsy kids try to protect their amazing creek side discovery, but beware of the snakelike antagonist with deadly dreams of avarice.

Consisting mostly flashbacks the book engages in time shifts—a literary seesaw which keeps readers alert as we slip between the Present and Past in the same chapter. Young Julie’s passionate memories of that fateful summer are intertwined with her long-savored trip to a city museum with her own grandchildren, two whom she confides the entire tale. Yet this spunky Grandma has a private agenda, as she saves Dinosaur Hall for the last exhibit she shows off. Will she bring a little souvenir of her girlhood, as she seeks to put closure on a painful wound, which has haunted her all her life? What emotions and memories will be revived as she confronts the reconstructed skeleton which cost her family so much! This YA book proves an exciting and dramatic read--pervaded by a grim foreboding which should be of equal interest to boy and girls. Who knows—you might have hidden dinosaur bones in your own back yard…

(February 28, 2012. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pam Conrad was a writer with such a superb voice - you knew her characters, you lived with them, went willingly on their journey after the first sentences wrapped around you. This story about siblings, about pursuing dreams, about honoring those you love and loved, is a wonderful read.
librarians - it has a girl on the cover but boys will respond as well to the story about Daniel, his passion for dinosaurs, a dinosaur dig, etc. (So often boys shrug off a book when they see a girl on the cover).

[Anne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so beautifully eloquent! I just love it more every time I read it (about 5 times now). I use it every year to teach metaphor to my fifth graders. I am so gratified when they appreciate the fine, fine writing and the beautiful imagery!

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I cried and cried. Beautiful book and well-written.

[Irfan Iqbal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Phenomenal

[Mimi · Rating 5 out of 5]

I teach gifted third graders using this text and have used it multiple years. It is a book that connects with kids at a deep level, and I always marvel to watch this happen. (Last year when 4th graders saw that 3rd graders were reading it, many of them exclaimed how much they loved this book.) It's a powerful book. Readers empathize with the heartbreak and loss of young Julia's family. They also delight in the humor of different subplots: a young boy misbehaving in a museum, a grandma who asks her obedient granddaughter "where is your mischief?" etc. My students and I read large parts of this book aloud. This helps kids understand the rhythm of the flashbacks and the dual storyline and become more savvy readers. What I love most about this book, however, is that it is such a fine example of the craft of writing. It provides a springboard to talk about WHAT makes writing excellent. Many times we are reading and we MUST stop to talk about that pair of exquisitely crafted sentences or that poignant rich imagery. In my class we read these passages again, sit back and savor the skill of a wonderful author and a masterfully told story.

[Judy E. · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine historical junior novel that focuses on a young girl who was part of the "dinosaur fever" that took place in the 1880s. Set in the Nebraska prairies, Julia and her older brother Daniel are fascinated by the newly discovered science of fossils and dinosaurs and become determined to find bones on their own farm. The elderly Julia tells her story to her two grandchildren when she takes them to a natural history museum to see dinosaur skeletons. This way of presenting history is very appealing, for as the grandmother looks back in time, we become more invested in her emotional memories.

[Victoria Morrison · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is going to be our first novel study in my combo fifth and sixth grade advanced reading class. Needless to say this book needs some trigger warnings and it’s going to be an immense challenge to get my students to connect to this book since it was written in the 1980s, but also the way in which certain people are labeled is definitely not how we identify others today. The story itself is quite unique and nothing I’ve ever read before, but I definitely feel like we could do better regarding patterns of change and specific reading material.

[Kristie Leaphart · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was fascinated by the back of this book as I was preparing to shelf it in my school library. I decided to take a few days and read about Julia, Daniel, and their adventure on their fatm in Nebraska when they found Dinosaur bones.
Julia retells the story from her childhood to her grandchildren. As they walk through the Natural History Museum, Julia takes them on a journey that neither of them expected.
This is a sweet story but slow going. Quick easy read.

[Rachel B. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall, a sweet story about a sibling relationship - dreams and realities of living on the American prairie through the eyes of a young girl juxtaposed with her "current" storyline as a grandmother recounying her youth eith her grandchildren. There were some slow parts and some language that is now considered un-PC.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

After the first chapter, I wondered if I would finish this one, but My Daniel proved a satisfying read. I would say it is a bit raw. The story is told by an aging grandmother, not the cute, cookie baking, sweater knitting grandmother I've come to expect, but a cigarette rolling, shoe removing, museum rule breaking grandmother. It's a serious story and exciting. I highly recommend it.

[Jackson · Rating 1 out of 5]

This is by far the worst book I’ve ever read in my life. I really am more of a scifi reader, so it’s not really a book meant for me, but if a book tells a good story it doesn’t really matter to me what genre it is. This book did not tell a good story, if you value your self or your time I highly recommend against reading or looking at it.

[Hanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh man I haven't read sonlight style historical fiction in so long

Things Liked-
-oh man I didn't expect for it to be so dramatic + exciting??
-also I work in a museum so yay relatable!

Things Disliked-
-the flashbacks were kinda confusing? the story was good but it wasn't told the best

[Erin Webster · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this book as a child. Read it this year with my 11 year old and a few odd things stuck out this time around. I still like it and think it is an interesting and unique story and enjoy that we hear the story as the grandmother tells her grandchildren.

[Hilary · Rating 3 out of 5]

Listened while on a road trip, interesting story.

[Barry Joseph · Rating 1 out of 5]

What a dated piece of drek.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story within a story; poignant. Author could easily have left out the swearing.

[Heather Hedderman · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was a thought provoking book. I think some students would find the two periods confusing.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh

[Charlotte Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two siblings on dust.

Fossil hunt will be the end.

Lightning be real bad.

[Lacey Toth · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOVE THIS BOOK I SOB EVERY TIME!!!!!!

[Michelle Wasiuta · Rating 5 out of 5]

A recommendation from my mother in law and it was a good one! So sweet and tender hearted.

[Baudshaw (Aadi Indradevi) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Astoundingly boring.

[Raygina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this as a kid. It was sad but good. I still have it. I recommend it.

[Marcie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading My Daniel was a really satisfying reading experience that I wasn't anticipating. Also enjoyed the dual storyline.

[Cricket Muse · Rating 5 out of 5]

Prairie stories abound of indomitable settlers trying to eke out a living in the endless ocean of grass and wind. My Daniel hints of the hardships and travail suffered on the Nebraska plains, yet the joy of the marvelous, enduring bond between brother and sister is the true story. And woven in with that story is a dinosaur and how it brought back memories to share with her grandchildren.
Historical value for the classroom, and an appreciation for Conrad’s wordsmithing.