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| Dinosaurs Before Dark (Magic Tree House, No. 1) | 
 enlarge | Author: Mary Pope Osborne
Creator: Sal Murdocca
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Category: Book
List Price: $3.99
Buy New: $0.01
You Save: $3.98 (100%)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (80 reviews)
Sales Rank: 10433
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Unknown), English (Published)
Media: Paperback
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 80
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.4 x 5 x 0.3
ISBN: 0679824111
EAN: 9780679824114
ASIN: 0679824111
Publication Date: July 28, 1992
Release Date: July 28, 1992
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Customer Reviews:
Reviews From 4 of my Second Grade Students (What's better that reviews from the kids themselves!) May 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Several of my second graders read this book, then wrote and typed their own book reviews. Enjoy!
Sara---4 stars
I like Annie because she is always ready when danger is near. I like Jack
because he always has ideas. I like when Annie petted the Pteranodon and said it felt like Henry. I like that there is a lot of adventure. I liked the part when Jack told Annie "promise you won't kiss it, promise you won't hug it, promise you won't talk to it!"
It was short and I wish it was longer because it had a good ending and I want it to go on.
I think that 2nd graders to 4th graders would like it because it is too easy for 5th graders.
Daniel ---4 stars
I liked when the Tyrannosaurus was chasing Jack and Annie and I liked the
adventure in it. I liked the part when Jack said "Don't hug it, don't
kiss it, and don't pet it!"
It was to short because it only had 10 chapters. I wish Mary Pope Osborne added more parts when they where in the Cretaceous Period, like them meeting more dinosaurs.
Kids from 2-4 year olds should have this book read to them but not them reading it. People older than that should not read it by themselves but they can still listen to it. Older kids like 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders would like it because it is in between long and short.
Matthew---3 stars
I liked the part when the Tyrannosaurus Rex was standing in between Jack and the treehouse. My favorite part was when Jack rode the Pteranodon.
I think that the book should be longer because at the end they didn't write if they had breakfast, lunch, or dinner. I wish they met another dinosaur.
I recommend this book to kids from 2nd grade to 3rd grade. It should not be for 4th or 5th graders because it would be too easy. If you are learning about dinosaurs, you should read this book.
Nathan-4 stars
I liked that the author really put a lot of research into it. I also liked the adventure that she put into it. Example: When Jack and the T-Rex have a "chase!" I like it that Mary Pope Osborne could put some good "meat" in the book.
I didn't like that the book was short. They could have an "adventure" with dinosaur fossils. They could do many things that I could not think of in the book.
I think kids from 2nd grade to 6th grade would like this book. If people other than that are not in this range want to read it, they may.
Not a bad intro to chapter books. April 8, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I think these books are a pretty good intro to the chapter book concept. You CANNOT expect these books to be literary masterpieces. We are not dealing with Charlotte's Web or A Cricket in Times Square. In fact, we're not even quite dealing with Nancy Drew or the Hardy Boys series. But ... when your child is getting a little too advanced for picture books and is ready to read a few chapters, this is a pretty decent place to start. The text is pretty easy to read; there are black and white pictures about every 4 pages, and the plot is at the kids' level. Note - the plot is NOT at the ADULT's Level. It is not sophisticated - but it is not bad -and there is some continuity between books which is nice. My only real complaint is sentence structure. The author loves to write in sentence fragments. Like this. And like this. And it is annoying. Especially for children. Because incomplete sentences goes against what they are taught in school. (Actually I think the sentence fragments are an attempt at a casual literary style that might mimick one's thoughts ... but it just isn't necessary and it gets annoying.)
Aside from the sentence fragments - just be aware that much of the text is in conversation form. That might annoy some parents - but it makes for fairly quick and easy reading. Generally speaking, the treehouse topics are fairly gender neutral - but may especially attract boys who sometimes need to be "won over" with "cool" topics like dinosaurs. Overall, I think the books are pretty enjoyable - just don't expect a masterpiece, and you might be surprised to see that your child likes the series. A final caveat - these books are not meant for an adult to read aloud to a child - there are much better books for that purpose. These are meant for the early reader to read all by him/herself
 Great starters -- especially for the imaginative kid February 26, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was surprised at the poor reviews I read. Yes, if you are old enough to read on your own, these books are not for you. But here is my take on it: My son (who was able to read these on his own at age 5, but with a little help on new or longer words -- just to give you an idea of the reading level for these) read these at age 5/6/7 and he has a great imagination. He really enjoys these books BECAUSE they are so simple -- ok, the book is read and now he can go act it out and he adds all sorts of aspects to his own play plot. That is exactly what should be encouraged in a kid that age. Not only that, but when he pulls another friend in -- one who may not be familiar with the series -- he can explain the storyline quickly and simple enough to keep them interested.
And what is wrong with "nice"? Isn't that what we want to teach our kids? We tried another couple of chapter books and there were monsters and bad guys and violent people. I don't avoid that stuff altogether, but at bedtime I'd rather not have to scare my son into nightmares later. Like I said -- a good imagination.
So are these as good as tolkien or lewis? No, please. But they are good simple readers for kids just getting into chapter books. Plus they so far have seemed to hit upon a lot of topics that interest my son. Like the Titanic, the Moon, Pompeii...
And the subliminal message .. that books take you on adventures ... is a great thing to teach! :)
 Creative Paraphrasing Needed November 18, 2007
It is exciting for my son to imagine two children flying off on wonderful adventures in a treehouse filled with books. Yes, the writing is painful to read but what 4-yr. old doesn't love dinosaurs, knights and pirates? I creatively paraphrase as I go along and sometimes omit entire sentences during storytime. It really annoys me that the author didn't do a better job but my son sits rapt with attention and asks a million questions. The Magic Treehouse books provide a good basis for further research, lively discussion and fodder for the imagination but again, I paraphrase. I would rate the age range more in the pre-K to Kindergarten.
When he is ready to read chapter books on his own, I will steer him toward different authors. For now, he laughs when he tells me that no story sounds the same twice.
So-So at Best August 9, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
My son is a very advanced reader for his age (a 7 yo consistently reading at a 4-5 grade level) and I was looking for a series of books to challenge him and get him interested in reading chapter books. My son prefers non-fiction over fiction, so I thought this would be a good series since it weaves factual learning into the fictional storyline. However, I must say that I am extremely disappointed. This book did not hold my son's attention at all, and it was extremely boring to read out loud together. Most disappointing to me was the horrible writing style. The book is full of short, even fragmented sentences. I feel this sets a terrible example for children just learning to read and write. An example from page 19:
"Jack stepped forward. He put out his arm. Very cautiously. He brushed his hand down the creature's neck."
Another example from page 22:
"The creature fixed his eyes on Annie. His long jaws were opening and closing. Like a giant pair of scissors."
I mean, come on. Why couldn't the author just combine the last 2 sentences into one grammatically correct sentence?
I do agree with other reviews that this series may attract those children who are reluctant to read. If you are looking for books with substance that will be cherished for years to come, this may not be the best choice.
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