Claws and Effect

Gr 5–8—Schoolmates Dominique, Eric, Josephine, and Ajay return from their first time-travel adventure to find that dinosaurs are alive and well in the modern age and roaming their neighborhoods. The kids head back to the Smithsonian to figure out why, and they find that the National Museum of Natural History has undergone a name change: it's now known as the Museum of Extinction. The only way to sort out the problems in the present is to travel to the past, so the schoolmates go to the 1876 Philadelphia Exhibition, where the Barris brothers are planning to profit from selling dinosaur eggs. Enlisting the help of notable historical figures such as Alexander Graham Bell, Nellie Bly, and William Foulke, the children set history back on course. The pacing is reminiscent of children's television programming. The artwork has a cartoon style that will appeal to the intended audience in its animation-inspired look and layout. The technology and time-travel rules are not fully explained in this volume, so readers will want to be familiar with the first installment. This is a series that should be read in order of publication and one that should be purchased in its entirety. The characterizations require readers to suspend disbelief a bit, as the children are all-knowing in many subject areas, from dinosaurs to historical figures. This graphic novel would be a great read-alike for fans of David Shapiro's "Terra Tempo" graphic novel series and may be a good fit for "Magic Tree House" fans to grow into.