FICTION

Dinos Are Forever

by Greg Trine
2012. 112p. 978-0-54776-341-5. 12.99.
COPY ISBN
Gr 2-4–Jo Schmo is a budding fourth-grade superhero, ready to continue her family’s long line of crime fighting. With the help of a superhero cape from her Uncle George, her retired policeman grandfather, and her sidekick/dog Raymond, Jo thwarts a number of crimes in these first two books in this series. From learning combat tricks like the Knuckle Sandwich to fighting reanimated dinosaur bones and historical outlaws, Jo’s adventures are fresh, funny, and relatable to early chapter-book readers. Both titles strike the right mix of silliness, action, and real-world concerns like crushes and mean girls (“Superman had Kryptonite; Jo Schmo had David, Mitch and Kevin.”)  The writing is fast paced and full of puns, which make this series a great choice for fans of Dave Pilkey and Mo Willems. Nicole Waskie-Laura
Superhero fourth-grader Jo Schmo and her faithful mutt Raymond are endowed with special powers in time to stop a villain who is terrorizing San Francisco with dead dinosaurs. Next, Jo and Raymond travel in a time machine to the Gold Rush days to find infamous outlaw Wyatt Burp. Dormer's wry illustrations of the duo's antics are especially amusing in this winning new chapter book series. Review covers these Adventures of Jo Schmo titles: Dinos are Forever and Wyatt Burp Rides Again.
A cleverly written and engaging story, with a fast-paced plot. The crime-fighting action is leavened with ample humor. Kids will appreciate that Jo is a normal fourth-grade girl, despite her newly acquired superhero power. She likes to skateboard and has crushes on three—no, six—boys. When her turbocharged Schmomobile causes a stir, she has to set aside her newfound popularity to work through the school day. Jo turns to her grandpa Joe, a retired sheriff, for training assistance. Hilarity ensues while they work their way through the Superhero Instruction Manual and Jo practices stopping a moving train (“It really was all in the wrist.”). Frank W. Dormer’s lively illustrations are a good match for Jo’s adventures.

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