Rex: Dinosaur in Disguise

By Author / Illustrator

Elys Dolan

Genre

Funny Stories

Age range(s)

Publisher

Walker Books Ltd

ISBN

9781406397703

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

02-06-2022

Synopsis

A comedy of errors starring the instantly-loveable Rex - the first book in a fantastically funny series for 7+ readers, from Lollies Prize winning author-illustrator Elys Dolan.

Rex is king of the dinosaurs: carnivores want to be him and herbivores want to be eaten by him... That is, until a pesky Ice Age comes along and he winds up frozen solid in a glacier. When he wakes up, 65 million years later, human beings rule the roost - and if they get their hands on Rex, he'll wind up in a zoo. (Or, worse: a MUSEUM.) Lucky for him, Rex isn't the only undercover creature in town. He's whisked out of danger by the one and only Bigfoot, who has been surviving among the humans undetected for years. Bigfoot and his friends show Rex how to get by in the humans' world, and soon there's only one thing left for him to do: GET A JOB. But that's easier said than done... and with a meddling nine-year-old neighbour to deal with, and the constant risk of discovery, life couldn't be harder for a dinosaur in disguise.

Find out more from author Elys Dolan

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Reviews

Well! Children definitely won't want to be putting this book down until it's finished! Rex, king of the dinosaurs, was loving life until one day it got a bit cold, Ice Age cold, and he froze solid. Millions of years later, as it started to warm up, his giant ice lump cracked open and he floated across miles of water until he reached land. This land had no volcanoes, no forests and no massive insects. This land is scary and worst still there is a dinosaur exhibition at the museum he has stumbled across. Luckily for Rex, Bigfoot (who once found himself in a similar situation) spots him curled up in the museum and whisks him off back to his flat. There, he begins teaching him all he needs to know to survive in the human world, starting with a disguise!

As Rex navigates his way around humans, money, food and jobs, far too many near misses happen in this laugh-out-loud adventure. Worse still, there's a curious nine-year-old girl living nearby who is becoming increasingly suspicious. Will he survive in this world, or will he be recognised as being a dangerous carnivore?

This is a great read for independent readers who have the stamina to read longer texts. It also makes a great class read and will be sure to start much conversation around the story events and characters. The cartoon style illustrations, which also include maps, plans and speech bubbles, keep the reader engaged and add extra humour to the story. All round, a great text for more able young readers.

240 pages / Reviewed by Maria Faithorn, teacher