T-Wreck-Asaurus. (Dinosaur Rescue). Kyle Mewburn. Illustrated by Donovan Bixley. Toronto, ON: Scholastic Canada, 2011. 96 pp., pbk., $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4431-1358-8. Grades 2-4 / Ages 7-9. Review by Tara Stieglitz. **1/2 /4

excerpt:

A loud T. Rex screech sent goosebumps down Arg’s furry neck. He shook his head. “You’re not going to fool me again, Shlok.”

But it wasn’t Shlok this time. Shlok was standing upright (well, as upright as he could), listening carefully. The screech came again. It was definitely a T. Rex this time. A big one. And it was coming from their village.

Arg and Shlok looked at each other. They could tell they were thinking exactly the same thing. All the hunters were away. It was up to them to save their village!

T-Wreck-Asaurus is the first book in Mewburn’s and Bixley’s “Dinosaur Rescue” series. T-Wreck-Asaurus introduces Arg and his family and friends. Arg is a Neanderthal, but he is special because his unusually large brain makes him much smarter than his dim-witted family and friends. The book relies heavily on bathroom humour and jokes derived from the comparisons between Arg’s intelligence and his much more obtuse family. In T-Wreck-Asaurus, Arg must turn his smarts to preventing a T. Rex from ravaging his village and killing the inhabitants

     The book is well illustrated, the illustrations acting as a good supplement to the text and often adding funny details to the story. Throughout the book, there are illustrated asides, such as one humorously depicting Arg’s clothing and accessory choices or one that describes the varied uses for brontosaurus poo, something which Arg is on an expedition to collect when the story begins.

     T-Wreck-Asaurus is a funny and action packed story with likable characters. While this book is not a necessary purchase for school or public libraries, it would be a good read for any young reader looking for something with lowbrow humour.

Recommended.

Tara Stieglitz is a librarian at Grant MacEwan University in Edmonton, AB.

To comment on this title or this review, send mail to cm@umanitoba.ca.

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Published by The Manitoba Library Association ISSN 1201-9364

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