Shadows of Caesar's Creek (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Just Us Books)) [Paperback]

Sharon M. Draper (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Series: Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Just Us Books)

When Ziggy gets the word that the trip to Camp Caesar is on, he can't wait to tell his friends, the Black Dinosaurs. But the four pals couldn't know what excitement awaited them. In this third adventure, the boys learn a lot about American, Naive American, and African-American history.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-5AZiggy, Rico, Rashawn, and Jerome's weekend camping trip at Caesar's Creek State Park is far more exciting than they ever expected. Their counselor turns out to be an expert on the history of the park, which once belonged to the Shawnee Indian tribe. Mysterious tales about coming-of-age rituals and shadows that walk at midnight start the boys off on their own nighttime adventure, and soon they are lost in the surrounding woods. Rescued by an equally mysterious man named Hawk, who turns out to be a Shawnee chief, the boys' adventure ends safely, and they all learn valuable lessons as well. The connection between the Native American adults and African American kids is real and believable. The children occasionally come across a little too good and too nice, but Draper makes up for it by showing that it's plausible for 10-year-olds to respect other cultures and the land. The plot is predictable and slim at times, but this addition to the series should generate thoughtful questions about the past in general, as well as what information makes it into history books and what doesn't.ALinda Bindner, Athens Clarke County Library,
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Just Us Books (September 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0940975769
• ISBN-13: 978-0940975767
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.7 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,441,666 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More 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.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great read aloud for teachers!, July 12, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Just Us Books)) (Paperback)

I had the pleasure of meeting the author, Ms. Draper, shortly before she was voted Teacher of the Year, and she shared her motivation for writing Ziggy: she wanted something for her African-American son to read that he'd enjoy. Well, he got it in this book. And, my second grade, white, boys and girls LOVE this book. It is a fast-moving mystery about Jamaican Ziggy and his crew of pals, their secret clubhouse, and some bones... The students get a kick out of the "Hey, mons" too! Well worth the 5 bucks. Buy it now!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Especially great for boys!, February 15, 2010

By 

GrannyX7 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shadows of Caesar's Creek (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Aladdin Paperback)) (Paperback)

While this book is great for boys and girls, I think it's especially fun for boys. Ziggy is a cool, funny kid with quirky eating habits. His buddies are equally engaging and personable. Together, they have formed a little club called 'The Black Dinosaurs' and they seem to end up in the middle of mysteries, mysteries they just have to solve. The author has thrown in interesting little tidbits of history so the kids learn while enjoying themselves. In this episode, these city kids end up at an over-night camp, afloat in a canoe (without an oar) and running from.... something.

My little grandson (5-but an excellent reader) is on his third Ziggy book. He really enjoys the fact that they are about boys. It's great to have a series for when he finishes one and wants another of the same. I think would be interesting for kids 4-9.

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent children's series, October 18, 2011

By 

Glenda D. Hunter (Illinois) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Shadows of Caesar's Creek (Clubhouse Mysteries) (Paperback)

My 7 year old son really enjoys the Clubhouse Mysteries series. He reads the book without any prompting from me. He even asked me to order more of the books.