The Secret Dinosaurs - N. S. Blackman - Bog

A T-Rex in town? Raptors in the garden? ....Impossible!That's what Marlin Maxton thinks - until a trip to a museum, where he discovers life-size dinosaur displays with an incredible secret...At the museum Marlin finds a forgotten room with a dusty old dinosaur display. To his astonishment and delight his interest sparks the life-size models into life! But these are more than dinosaurs - these are Dinoteks - animals and metal machines combined. They are as awesome as their prehistoric predecessors - and able to talk, feel and work together to face danger. Best of all they befriend Marlin and together boy and dinosaurs embark on a series of thrilling adventures - the first being to escape from hunting humans who believe these animals are a menace to be destroyed.A new series: dinosaur books for kids, combining adventure with magic and humour. An engaging, chapter book for kids, with thrilling action, short chapters and vibrant illustrations - the perfect read for those moving on from picture books or, beginner reader books.Early readers, who enjoy: Jack Stalwart, Dinosaur Cove, A to Z Mysteries, will love this new series which consists of a trilogy of three books.Age Range: 6-8****EXTRACT*****Marlin woke up suddenly. It was the middle of the night and there was a noise outside his window. He sat up and blinked. He was dreaming. No! There it was again! TAP...TAP TAP...TAP...He slipped out of bed and crept over to the curtains. The floor was cold under his feet and the air was chilly but he hardly noticed. He reached out with one finger and nudged a crack in the curtains.WOOOOSH!Something very fast flashed past - silver in the moonlight - and was gone. Marlin jumped back, his heart racing. "What was that?!" He edged forwards again. He pulled the curtains open wider this time and peered out. At first he saw nothing, but then he noticed the strange marks on the lawn. All over, the grass was churned up and muddy as if something heavy had been racing around on it. Then he saw it. A creature standing at the end of the garden. Just under the apple tree, next to the back garden gate, was a little silver dinosaur with a long whip tail and a slender neck. It cocked its head to one side, blinked and looked right at him.There was no mistaking it.It was one of the Troodons from the museum.