Lost in the Tunnel of Time (Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs (Sagebrush)) [School & Library Binding]

Sharon Mills Draper (Author), Michael Bryant (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

An inaugural release in the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series, this tale focuses on four African American boys who make up the Black Dinosaurs Club. On a class field trip to the Ohio River, the friends are captivated by two stories. A raconteur describes his grandfather's arrival in Cincinnati via the Underground Railroad and also explains that tunnels used in that operation are located under the school the kids attend. And their teacher relates a local legend about a Shawnee woman who helped slaves escape to freedom and whose ghost allegedly haunts the area. When Ziggy and pals attempt to explore the underground tunnels, the walls collapse. The trapped boys are comforted by a breeze they attribute to the ghost's presence. Draper's (Tears of a Tiger) well-meaning attempts to combine fiction, folklore and history lead to some significant credibility gaps, among them the unlikely circumstances that middle class African American middle-schoolers have never heard of the Underground Railroad; and that Ziggy's dog manages to dig through the collapsed tunnel to rescue them. The result is a contrived, disappointingly meager novel. Ages 8-up.

Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Gr 3-6--Rico, his friend Ziggy, and their classmates have been looking forward to a field trip to the Ohio River. Accompanied by old Mr. Greene, they welcome the break from school, but also find themselves fascinated by the man's stories about the Underground Railroad. Intrigued by the fact that runaway slaves hid in tunnels under their school, the boys (all members of the Black Dinosaurs Club) get a map of the tunnels and plan a search. All goes well until one of the tunnels collapses and they are trapped deep below the deserted school. Inspired by the bravery of the escaped slaves who survived similar ordeals, the boys cope with their fear until rescued. This is the first entry in a projected series about a likable group of African American friends. The characters are realistically portrayed, and the history lessons are interestingly conveyed. Full- and double-page pencil sketches appear throughout.

Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library

Copyright 1998 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 96 pages
• Publisher: Tandem Library (March 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0613891295
• ISBN-13: 978-0613891295
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #10,421,445 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.