A Dinosaur Ate My Sister: A Marcus Rashford Book Club Choice

by Pooja Puri

A Dinosaur Ate My Sister is the first book selected in the Marcus Rashford Book Club.

'The perfect story to escape into and find adventure. Pooja is super talented and I'm a big fan!' - Marcus Rashford MBE

This brilliantly illustrated, laugh-out-loud, wacky adventure through time by Pooja Puri is the perfect blend of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and Jurassic Park.

Before you start reading, there are a few things you should
1. I, Esha Verma, am a genius inventor extraordinaire.
2. There is nothing I cannot invent. This includes words.
3. I did not mean to send my sister back to the Age of the Dinosaurs. That was HER OWN FAULT (Mum and Dad, if you’re reading this, please take note).

Esha Verma, her snotty apprentice Broccoli and his cunning pet tortoise have a dream. They are going to win the legendary Brain Trophy – the ultimate inventing prize. This year's A TIME MACHINE.

But the day before the competition, Esha's IGNORAMUS big sister hijacks the time machine and is lost in the Cretaceous age.

With help from a new recruit for The Office of Time, Esha and Broccoli will have to face hungry dinosaurs, mysterious black holes and malfunctioning inventions to get them back in time.

Genres: Adventure

302 pages, Paperback

Published June 24, 2021

About the author

Pooja Puri is a graduate of King’s College London and is currently on the MA in Writing for Young People at Bath Spa University. In 2014, she was chosen as a winner of the Ideas Tap Writer’s Centre Norwich Inspires competition.

Reviews

[Moksh Juneja · Rating 4 out of 5]

My daughter’s review -
The story was adventurous and a bit funny.

The funny thing that I liked about the book was that Broccoli and Secondus said that they were climbing Mount Everest, while they were climbing the ladder.

I liked the tortoise, Archibald that he looked like a normal tortoise except that his attitude was always too explore.

I have the same question as Broccoli, why did Esha use the spray and why did she not use the extend a hand?

I liked Secondus because he gave Ripple Sherbet to Broccoli and I even liked Broccoli’s attitude when he drank the ripple sherbet.

What I didn’t like that the Wormhole, the dead star ate Broccoli, Esha, Nishi and Secondus.

- Vedika Juneja

[Orchard Academy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Although not officially part of Marcus Rashford's Book Club our school was very lucky indeed to be able to read the book through The Reading Agency. Rashford and The Reading Agency are legends! Here are the children's reviews of the book.
I liked when the book told me how Nishi looks when she's in front of other people. I would recommend this to my friend who dreams of being an inventor. K O-B

I liked that they worked together to help each other, also she kept on trying when things didn't work. I would think children of 6 and over will be alright with it, to boost their imagination, and also those who like adventure. DS

I liked that James' nickname was Brocoli because when he's scared a a brocoli shaped bogey comes out of his nose. AG

This book is a combo of humour, adventure, mild action and science fiction. However I didn't like the siblings fighting, I thought it unneccesary. SP

I liked the way the book was written like a journal and the doodles on the pages-it reminded me of Tom Gates. Some of the made up words were a bit tricky. My favourite part was when they met the dinosaur. I would recommend it to my friends of 8 and 9. IF

A lot of the kids in my family like dinosaurs and time travel so it would be good for them. It's a bit like a comic and makes me want to read more. My favourite bit was the brocoli shaped bogey that dangles out of his nose when he gets scared. AO'G

I liked that this book is a funny adventure and it has dinosaurs. I would recommend it to 8 and 9 year olds. EO

This book was really detailed and had lots of unexpected events in it. I'm surprised I liked it as much as I did. I think my little brother who is nearly 10 and his friends would like it too. AB

It's got a great sense of humour. My friend would love it because it's the type of book they read. KS-L

I liked that it was a dinosaur adventure about surviving and there was a lot of comedy. JS

I liked some of it, but found it a bit difficult and didn't like those bits. NA

My favourite character was Brocoli. I think his personality and character is unique. I would recommend this book because it's so funny. The plot is good and I love that the author made up her own words like 'drong'. I love diary books so I'm happy I found this. FB

I liked the layout of the book, especially the bits where some words are printed going up or down instead of across as usual. One of my favourite characters was Secondus Secondi. I think it's quite a long book so would only recommend it to serious readers.My favourite bit was when they go back in time to the age of the dinosaurs. LB

I really liked that this is about time travel and would recommend it to young inventors. There are a lot of different emotions in the book and honestly the relationship between the main character and her 'drong' of a sister isn't great till near the end. It's full of crazy events, you won't believe what happens! HM

I think this book is suitable for 8-11 year olds. It starts with a diary entry and I'm not sure older readers would like that structure. MM

My friend would like this as he wants to build machines when he grows up. RR

This book is imaginative and has lots of unusual made up words. It features dinosaurs so I think it's good for children about 9 years old. YG

I haven't quite finished it, but it's really good so far. The start was a bit confusing. It makes children use their imagination. S-A B

I liked the brocoli turtle, that's a very unique character in a book about dinosaurs. People who like adventure will like this book. AC

[beckys_book_blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter has loved this hilariously funny new chapter book adventure.
Esha Verma is a genius inventor extraordinaire and she is determined to win the Best Inventor of the Year award: The Brain Trophy.
Unfortunately things don't quite go to plan as Esha invents a time machine and when her sister interferes, accidentally sends her back to the age of the Dinosaurs.
Will Esha and her friend Broccoli be able to travel back to save her time machine (and her sister) before she gets eaten?
The story is written by Esha as a journal and there are fantastic fun drawings throughout showing her discoveries along the way. The author writes with so much humour. We laughed our way through this book. My daughter loved the character of Esha's apprentice Broccoli with his pet tortoise Archibald and Secondus Secondi: a new officer of time (who comes with his Perombulator to find and stabilize her sister and deactivate the time machine)
This book is fast paced and action packed with an amazingly creative storyline. It's hard to put down! A great book for children aged 7+

[Jonathan Thornton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I appreciate I’m not the target audience, but this book really grated on me. None of the main characters are remotely likeable - the central character is obnoxious and arrogant, her “assistant” is a spineless shivering wreck, the character called Secondus is rude and irritating, and the sister is a brat. In addition, the text uses about fifty different fonts in a strange Walliams-ish attempt to over-emphasise every other word, and the general effect is very disorienting.

That said, my eight-year-old son is enjoying it, so… *shrug*

[Andrew Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this to my 10 year old. They were a bit underwhelmed. While it's good to have kids' fiction foregrounding people of colour, and girls as inventors, we both found the Leonara Bolt books a bit more pacey and engaging. Time travel is a great plot device, and who doesn't love dinosaurs, but it seemed to take a long time to get there. And I really could have done without the constant repetition of Secondus's "great o'clocks" catchphrase. It was like being stuck in a moment that you can't get out of.

[GraceEmReads · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this for my Year 3 class who’re studying dinosaurs this term. It was a fast paced fun adventure. I appreciated the different representation we got in the characters. I liked that the two sisters were both interested in sciences. I wasn’t a huge fan of the writing style, I found that some of the words that were made up/used incorrectly would confuse the kids into thinking that was the correct use for them.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
I read this book to my 8-year-old son and we both thought that the book was alright, if a bit boring at times.
Personally I found the writing and especially the vocabulary contrived and tiresome, for a children’s book.

[LudmilaM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Imaginative and fun.

[Humair Arshad · Rating 4 out of 5]

Esha builds a time machine, but when her sister presses the red button and gets sent to the dinosaur period she must save her with the help of her best friend and a member of the time police.

[Twixl~♡ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Honestly, it might be good for some but just wasn't good enough for me and I just couldn't get into the story enough.