Kristin Guay, former youth services has reviewed Book One in the Class X series; Arlo, Mrs Ogg and the Dinosaur Zoo, by Alice Hemming;
There is another side story to this book besides the children going on a dinosaur field trip. Arlo documents in his journal some of the problems that this class has had in the past as far as being accepted and understood by others at the school. What has happened on this field trip is that Mrs. Ogg has helped the children each find their hidden talents so that they feel positive about themselves and as a class. This is seen when the new teacher arrives and she states that Mrs. Ogg had many positive comments about this class.
This is a great book for children who are learning to read larger stories. There are 139 pages divided into 22 chapters which makes it manageable to read as little or as much at a time. There is some artwork and journal entries that break up the text to be a little more palatable.
Anything you did not like about the book. Nothing.
To whom would you recommend this book? This book is perfect for children in the early elementary grades–either to read independently or to be read to by an adult. The story is engaging and there is enough suspense to keep a child wondering what will happen next.
Who should buy this book? Public and elementary school libraries.
Where would you shelve it? Juvenile fiction
Should we (librarians) put this on the top of our “to read” piles? Yes