From School Library Journal
Grade 3–6—The Black Dinosaurs are four African-American boys from Ohio who enjoy science adventures. In this fourth outing, Ziggy and his friends attend Space Camp at the Huntsville, Alabama Space Center. Initially, Ziggy hopes to uncover evidence of aliens, but he quickly finds the program even more interesting. The book describes the camp in detail, from the Habitat dorms to the training equipment to the simulated shuttle mission and the graduation ceremony. The Dinosaurs are teamed with four sixth graders from a small Southern private school. The eight diverse young people work together well and Team America becomes the most successful group at camp. Draper seamlessly incorporates information about space science and astronautics into the text, with a distinct focus on the contributions of women and minorities. There is considerable humor and even a light touch of mystery, but the real emphasis here is on cooperation and respect. The book includes review questions and Web sites, although two of the URLs are not directly accessible. Although the plot has minimal conflict or suspense, the Space Camp theme, short text, and likable characters make this title worth considering.—
Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
About the Author
Sharon Draper is a two-time Coretta Scott King Award-winning author, most recently for
Copper Sun, and previously for
Forged by Fire. She's also the recipient of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe Author Award for New Talent for
Tears of a Tiger and the Coretta Scott King Author Honor for
The Battle of Jericho and
November Blues. Her other books include
Romiette and Julio,
Darkness Before Dawn, and
Double Dutch. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio, where she taught high school English for twenty-five years. She's a popular conference speaker, addressing educational and literary groups both nationally and internationally. For more information visit her online at www.sharondraper.com.
