Dinosaur Stakeout

The Dinosaur Adventures #3

by Judith Silverthorne

Following the adventures of Dinosaur Hideout and Dinosaur Breakout, twelve-year-old Daniel Bringham once again travels back to the time of dinosaurs to learn more about the prehistoric creatures he loves. This time he has an unexpected companion. Daniel decides to travel to the past one more time. He wants to find out if a dying female dinosaur he saw on his last trip is Roxanne, the fossil he and Pederson found in Dinosaur Hideout. Daniel figures he'll be going alone, but he's figured without Pederson and his friend Mildred Roost, another paleontologist.

Mildred insists on coming with him. Daniel thinks it'll wreck everything -an old lady will just slow him down, and if she gets killed, he'll blame himself. But he's reckoned without a tough old bird with lots of tricks up her sleeve, tricks that could save both their lives.

Dinosaur Stakeout includes a glossary of names and technical terms and a book list kids can use to expand their knowledge of dinosaurs.

Judith Silverthorne is a multiple-award winning Regina-based writer. She is the author of seven Coteau novels for young readers, including: The Secret of Sentinel Rock, The Secret of the Stone House, Dinosaur Hideout, Dinosaur Breakout, Dinosaur Stakeout and Dinosaur Blackout.

212 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2006

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This third title in the Dinosaur Adventure series takes up where Dinosaur Breakout left off, as the Bringham family, their neighbors the Lindstroms, and old Mr. Pederson all prepare for the arrival of their first tourists. As the families become increasingly busy with their guests and the Nelwin brothers become involved at Mr. Pederson’s dig site, Daniel is faced with his own inner conflict. Although his previous travels back in time were fraught with danger, a part of Daniel still longs to return to the prehistoric past and learn more about the creatures of the Cretaceous Period.

A well written, engaging time-slip adventure story, firmly grounded in the scientific research concerning prehistoric life, Dinosaur Stakeout is a worthy sequel to its predecessors, and will keep readers involved. Like the previous titles, it includes a glossary of terms and a bibliography, and should please intermediate dinosaur-fantasy fans.

[Janine Pulford · Rating 4 out of 5]

It must be 30 years or more since I read a book packed with so many dinosaurs. It was when my sons were little boys and obsessed with the subject. They would have loved this story.
Dinosaur Stakeout has the added bonus of an informative dinosaur glossary at the end of the book for anyone interested in the facts.
It’s the third of a four-book series, so I was at the disadvantage of not knowing the backstory, but this soon became clear.
The build-up leading to Daniel’s decision to return to a very scary land may be a bit slow, but it gives time for the reader to get to know the characters and see the changes that take place with the Nelwin brothers.
It comes across that the author has researched a dinosaur-inhabited earth quite thoroughly and has worked hard to create an atmosphere, which we can only imagine existed.
Not wishing to give too much away, it’s the connection between fossilized remains and a real dinosaur that drives Daniel’s mission forward, despite the danger.
He’s a likeable character and I grew to like cane waving Dr. Roost too.
I felt Dinosaur Stakeout could appeal to younger children from around the age of four. However, the vocabulary makes it clearly for older children, which I felt was a shame for the little ones who may thoroughly enjoy a story like this.
After all, what child wouldn’t love the idea of going back in time to the age of the dinosaurs with a camera and notebook to hand?

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the previous books Daniel, a child paleontologist, went back in time by accident. This time, he is eager to go to the cretaceous period, but Mildred Roost, an old lady paleontologist, insisted to go with him. They had quite an adventure but when they came back, they had some consequences for their decision to go to the dangerous adventure.

In this third book, Daniel was so quick in making right decisions that I was thrilled and quite amused. Like the previous books, this story tells me that staying calm when making quick and critical decisions is important.