What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

I remember this book series, a boy goes into a tree (into some sort of portal), and transports back into a land of dinosaurs, he has some dinosaur friend, perhaps a Diplodocus, then also encounters Pterodactyls etc in ongoing adventures, while slipping back and forwards to the real world. The details are vague but I remember the broad outline.

Tracking The Diplodocus (2008) or Tracking the Diplodocus (2022) by Rex Stone? The portal is through a cave or tunnel, but a ginkgo tree with smelly fruit is one of the first things the boy sees when crossing over into the dinosaur world. The original series was called Dinosaur Cove but was updated recently with a more diverse character cast and current technology mentions as The Dinosaur Club (the plots and content are the same).

Orsolya Könyvtáros (formerly Memp) wrote: "Tracking The Diplodocus (2008) or Tracking the Diplodocus (2022) by Rex Stone? The portal is through a cave or tunnel, but a ginkgo tree with smelly f..."

The plots are indeed similar but the story I was thinking of was far earlier, could be 1970s or more likely 1980s. Perhaps they copied it to an extent.

Oh, I missed where you said 1980s! Zero reading comprehension points for me. Dinosaur World is too late then, as well. Do you remember if the dinosaurs talked? Was the boy quite young (typical age of youngsters interested in dinos) or was he older teens? Were the adventures perilous, or cute?

Orsolya Könyvtáros (formerly Memp) wrote: "Oh, I missed where you said 1980s! Zero reading comprehension points for me. Dinosaur World is too late then, as well. Do you remember if the dinosaurs talked? Was the boy quite young..."

Hmm as I remember it was written but had had illustrations also, so I would say for maybe under 12s. Yes the boy was fairly young I think. I can't remember if they talked or not.

I do remember he would go into the tree and it was a long passage through roots etc, then he came out into like a tropical prehistorical time.

Could it be Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House series)? I think it was published about 1992 so probably too late!

Have you had a chance to check Listopia? There are a couple of lists about trees as portals to other places that might have your book.

Inside (or through) the tree - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Fiction: Portal is in Forest or Trees/Hedge - https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...

Worldcat.org search
land dinosaurs subject:"juvenile fiction"
Year range 1970-1989

Dinosaur dream
Author:Robin Michal Koontz
Summary:A boy who loves dinosaurs is taken on a journey to their land one night
Print Book, English, ©1988
Publisher: Putnam, New York, ©1988
https://www.amazon.com/Dinosaur-Dream...
For reviews.
https://www.librarything.com/work/118...
Ruled out: wordless picture book.

None of those so far, though the list of books about tree portals was interesting. It's possible it was only in the UK rather than USA, so may be harder to find.

How many books do you remember being in the series?

Short stories so maybe not. For the cover.
Past Times by Poul Anderson https://www.librarything.com/work/501532
Stephen Leigh's Dinosaur world series published too late, 1992.
What year did you read it, in the 1980s?

Bischoff. Search for dinosaurs.
Lerangis. The last of the dinosaurs.
Razzi. The land before time.
Durrell. The fantastic dinosaur adventure.
Nixon. Danger in dinosaur valley.
Hyndman. Nine lost days.
McMurtry. The bunjee adventure.

Rainbowheart wrote: "How many books do you remember being in the series?"

I think there was more than one, but hard to say. At least the story progressed as the boy would go back and forward, and things would change over time.

bookel wrote: "Bischoff. Search for dinosaurs.
Lerangis. The last of the dinosaurs.
Razzi. The land before time.
Durrell. The fantastic dinosaur adventure.
Nixon. Danger in dinosaur valley.
Hyndman. Nine lost day..."

Some interesting ones there, and the time period could be right. But no time machine, he would go through a tree and a passage. It was more like an alternate reality (though possibly a time door).

It's not one of those choose your own adventure type books either? Have you searched dinosaur children's fiction in the British Library?

Not choose your own adventure. I didn't check the British Library, I may give it a go. If they would allow to search by years it would narrow it down a lot. I think the book is from Britain, but it was fairly generic about his home location as I remember, so not 100% sure.

Did you read this book in the UK?

Yes in the UK, so it could be a UK only title.

The below found on abebooks advanced search by restricting to UK.
Dinosaurs children's fiction.
Probably also eliminated:

Jacob Two-Two and the Dinosaur by Mordecai Richler
https://www.librarything.com/work/240...

The village dinosaur by Phyllis Arkle https://www.librarything.com/work/696963

The Tail of the Trinosaur: A Story In Rhyme.
Causley, Charles
The story in verse of what happens when the Trinosaur from the Amazon jungle arrives in a mighty transporter in the little town of Dunborough. Buried for ninety million years in the clay of the Amazon jungle the Trinosaur is revived by the heat of the reception for its unveiling, and causes chaos as it bounds back to life.

Henry Hollins & The Dinosaur (Previously called The Summer of the Dinosaur).
Hall, Willis
Henry Hollins finds a priceless and perfect specimen of a dinosaur's egg! Henry's father is rather sceptical. Little does Henry's father guess the incredible and hair-raising adventures in store for Henry when the egg is smuggled back to 23 Nicholas Nickleby Close.

Those are interesting but not those, in fact it's a bit like time travel as the boy actually goes back into the dinosaur era. But he he also often goes back to his present era, the dinosaurs aren't able to go with him though.

Yes, been trying to find it! An elimination list is useful (and in case similar queries occur).

Does anything on the Timeslip in Children's Fiction list look familiar?

80s book series https://cliqueypizza.wordpress.com/20...
- The Case of the Dancing Dinosaur – Rose Estes (Alfred Hitchcock and the three investigators)
- Wyeth, Sharon Dennis
Skylark (PB) 1. The Dinosaur Tooth 1990
- Mystery of the Laughing Dinosaur 1983 (The new Bobbsey twins)
- Cam Jansen and the Mystery of the Dinosaur Bones – 1981
- Bruce Coville. The Dinosaur That Followed me Home (Camp Haunted Hills)
Stuart looks forward to another adventurous summer at Camp Haunted Hills, but he gets more than he bargained for when he and his friends inadvertently travel back to the time of the dinosaurs.
https://www.librarything.com/work/134496

More also eliminated:
- Escape from Tyrannosaurus by Eve Bunting (museum displays are time machines)
- Tunnel Through Time by Lester del Rey
- Dinosaurs Don't Die by Ann Coates https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dinosau....

The Time Tree by Enid Richemont was similar, but not a match.

Im not 100% sure but think the dinosaurs could talk, he had a friend dinosaur, either a triceratops or a brontosaurus I think, there was also a diplodocus and pterodactyl.

Try search inside on openlibrary.org using the phrase in quotes.
"Talking dinosaurs".
There are pages of results.

I had a look there, and nothing. I think the British Library might be the best bet as it has every book published. Their website is down right now though. I will try and check it later on.

I think it's probably a UK only title so would be harder to find on something like a website search.

Two dinosaur stories by Scott Corbett. https://openlibrary.org/search?q=Scot...
The foolish dinosaur fiasco sees a boy and dog going through a tunnel to dinosaur land.
What was the earliest year you recall reading it in the 1980s?
What is the minimum year it could be published?

Hmm that's a hard one, I don't know where it came from, possibly the library. It was a book mostly text but had some illustrations.

It's hard to say what year it was published but I would guess not before 1984, though could have been a re-print.

The Foolish Dinosaur Fiasco is pretty close, and the time period could be correct, but not a match, there was no wizard or anything like that. But that's probably one of the closest so far.

You may want to browse dinosaur books on worldcat.org. Similar to British library in that it has most books published. Still searching. Just noting another chapter book as many are picture books or non fiction (even though juvenile fiction and a year range are selected).
The tar pit by Tor Seidler (1987). Ruled out from plot (mentioning for you to double check). I've been browsing all day.
Richard and the Vratch by Beatrice Gormley also eliminated (dinosaurs in present day).

Could it be the magic Treehouse, Valley of the Dinosaurs?
But there is an girl there too...

Not the Magic Treehouse, nor the Tar Pit. I will take a look at worldcat.org as the British Library website is still down. nor the Tar Pit.

I suppose it's possible it was a picture book, just not how I recall it, I remember it as mostly text with some illustrations. As a book more than a picture book. It possibly came from the library.

I suppose it could be harder to find as most websites have a USA starting point, it could well have been a UK only title.

Some good suggestions so far. it's an interesting search at least.

About how many pages long was each book?

Hmm, I really don't remember, in my memory it was fairly long, with the boy going backwards and forwards, but hard to say.

I REMEMBER THESE BOOKS! I think we had it on cassette in the car, and he definitely crawled through the roots of a tree to get to the valley of the dinosaurs! I cannot for the life of me remember the kid's name though, which would help...

You could try checking worldcat.org for dinosaurs in audiobooks on cassette (use filter). Juvenile fiction English and year range 1980-89.

Beckie wrote: "I REMEMBER THESE BOOKS! I think we had it on cassette in the car, and he definitely crawled through the roots of a tree to get to the valley of the dinosaurs! I cannot for the life of me remember t..."

That's great, at least someone else remembers them, and it wasn't just a dream. Was there a series do you recall? Yes I think the boy and the dinosaurs also had some sort of names.

Being on cassette should narrow it down some. I will take a look, though again think possibly only in the UK.

I looked on worldcat, the closest there maybe Patrick's Dinosaurs, but that's not it. I've a feeling it may not have 'dinosaur' in the title which makes it harder.

The British Library catalogue is still offline.

I will try again with different search terms.

Something makes me think of Sheila K. McCullagh, who wrote several British series for schools during that time period.

https://www.goodreads.com/series/list...

But I doubt those would have been on audio tape, and I don't think she did dinosaurs, just dragons.

I did not put dinosaurs in title on worldcat, put it in keywords. However when I searched nothing popped out, but you are best to double check. It should have most books published.

Explorers in Dinosaur World by Geoffrey T. Williams, kind of similar but not it. In the Dinosaur's Paw, by Patricia Reilly Giff, also not it. The dinosaur trap, Even Bunting, also not.

All the stories on there are North American, which I think is the problem. The British Library catalogue is still offline after the cyber attack several months ago. If it was back might be able to find it.

Shonshu, does the boy always travel alone back to prehistoric times?

I copied some book details to the topic header. Feel free to edit it.

https://www.alibris.co.uk/booksearch?...

I looked here, and were quite a few, but still no joy.

If you search worldcat for dinosaurs London su:"juvenile fiction" 1960-89 you'll get books published in London.
Eg. Dinosaurs don't die
Authors:Ann Coates, John Vernon Lord
Print Book, English, 1970

The fantastic dinosaur adventure
Authors:Gerald Durrell, Graham Percy
Summary:Two children travel back through time with their great uncle in his time machine, intending to rescue baby dinosaurs from evil villains

Henry Hollins and the dinosaur
Authors:Willis Hall (Author), John Griffiths (Illustrator)
Print Book, English, 1978, ©1977

Kris wrote: "Shonshu, does the boy always travel alone back to prehistoric times?

I copied some book details to the topic header. Feel free to edit it."

Yes alone, which rules many of the possible titles out.

I remember (as does my mum 😂) it being a series, but it's so strange that there's no sign of it anywhere...

Beckie wrote: "I remember (as does my mum 😂) it being a series, but it's so strange that there's no sign of it anywhere..."

I remember it, it's good other people do to, but yes it seems to have vanished. I'm guessing it was a UK only title, but I thought that it must have been widely available at that time. Probably in the mid '80s.

There's a new Dinosaurs list for early chapter books through YA.

Might be worth a look?

Rainbowheart wrote: "There's a new Dinosaurs list for early chapter books through YA.

Might be worth a look?"

I didn't see it there, I looked at the British Library, I saw a few new ones there, but I still can't find the exact one:

https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com...