On the Right Track (Dinosaur Detective) [Paperback]

B. B. Calhoun (Author), Daniel Mark Duffy (Illustrator)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0716765306 | ISBN-13: 978-0716765301 | Publication Date: April 1994

Features clues in the text and illustrations which make it possible for readers to solve the mystery along with the characters.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Eleven-year-old Fenton Rumplemayer, who loves to study dinosaurs, whiles away free hours in the Museum of Natural History in New York City, where his parents work as paleontologists. When each parent is given an opportunity to spend a year at a dig site, his mother travels to India, and Fenton and his father set up shop in a small town in Wyoming. There a team of paleontologists discovers some puzzling dinosaur footprints, but only Fenton (with the help of his two best friends) is able to fit the clues together. Dinophiles will definitely want to track down this energetic new series (the second installment, Fair Play , is being released simultaneously). Calhoun easily integrates fascinating dinosaur facts into a brisk story, and brings her characters to life via authentic dialogue and expressive narration. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5-Fenton feels truly displaced when his family uproots from the Big Apple, his mother to study dinosaurs in India, he and his dad to track down fossils in Wyoming. His father isn't much of a cook, Fenton has had to leave his best friend behind, and he can't find a decent place to skateboard. Gradually, he discovers some things he likes about life in the West. He makes a new friend, Willy, and becomes involved in helping his father identify some mysterious footprints. At the book's conclusion, he's acclimated to his new home. This is a formulaic story that uses dinosaurs as a hook. Willy's Native American heritage seems like a device to score multicultural points. A book with a plot that never veers from the pat and narrow.
Cathryn A. Camper, Minneapolis Public Library
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 127 pages
• Publisher: W H Freeman & Co (Sd) (April 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0716765306
• ISBN-13: 978-0716765301
• Product Dimensions: 7.4 x 4.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,892,500 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Dinosaur Detectives, April 24, 2000

By 

mehmet (Ankara, Turkey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Right Track (Dinosaur Detective) (Hardcover)

When I read " On The Right Track " I was bewitched. The story was about dinosaurs and also it was a detective story.Fenton and Willy were searching about the absent finger of the dinosaur track. They were clever and also they knew very much abaut dinosaurs. So they solved the mystery easily. It was marvellous to read a detective story about dinosaurs. I'll be happy to read B.B. Calhoun's other books about dinosaurs.

5.0 out of 5 stars reading to my seven year old, April 21, 2003

By 

esmerelda (Sydney, NSW Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: On the Right Track (Dinosaur Detective) (Hardcover)

I read this book to my seven-year old who is very interested in dinosaurs. It addressed his stage and interests very well. He loved the practical details of Fenton's life, much of which might be less revelatory to an older child ( e.. why you need thick tyres on a mountain bike), the self-sufficiency of Fenton's search for the answer, and the process of solving the problem. I was impressed by the way the author avoided coincidence and stuck to an exploration of research method as a way of solving the problem.