Book Review: Dinos Are Forever by Greg Trine

By the1stdaughter On July 27, 2012 · Add Comment · In Book Reviews, When I Grow Up

The Adventures of Jo Schmo: Dinos Are Forever by Greg Trine and Illustrated by Frank W. Dormer
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Pages: 112
Ages: 6-9
Buy It: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Alibris | Powell’s Books | Indiebound | Book Depository
Publishers Summary:

“I am retiring from my life as a superhero and have enclosed my cape. Use it well. Sincerely, Uncle George.”

Jo Schmo comes from a long line of crime fighters, but she’s just a normal fourth grade girl into boys and skateboards—until her uncle’s cape arrives on her San Francisco doorstep. Time to join the family business! Gramps shows Jo the tricks of the trade, and her dog, Raymond, becomes her slobbery sidekick. Just in time, too. Can Jo stop Dr. Dastardly and his deadly gang of dead dinos? Stay tuned for more adventures of Jo Schmo, complete with hilarious black-and-white illustrations.

Jo Schmo is your typical fourth grader. Her best friends are her dog Raymond, who also happens to drool enough to fill small pools, and her Grandpa who is a retired sheriff. When a superhero package suddenly arrives from the never before seen “Uncle George” she’s instantly donning a cap and tackling the cities biggest criminals all accompanied by her dog sidekick Raymond. When dinos attack the city only Jo and her newly discovered tricks can save the city and return things to normal.

It’s difficult to know where to start with the review for The Adventures of Jo Schmo: Dinos Are Forever by Greg Trine. Obviously Greg Trine is a very accomplished author and his Melvin Beederman Superhero series is hugely succesful, but this new series simply fell flat for me. Initially I was drawn to not only the illustrations by Frank Dormer, which were fantastic throughout the book, but I was also extremely excited to read an adventure superhero series for girls in the early chapter book age range. Sadly, outside of the illustrations this new series didn’t fulfill my expectations.

For one reason or another despite it’s short length it took me quite awhile to get into Dinos Are Forever and by the time I was invested in the story line some issues popped up with it that I wasn’t thrilled about. Not only was it a little disturbing that the grandpa encouraged his eight or nine year old granddaughter into a life of crime fighting, but it was also a bit odd that he enjoyed relaxing in holes made in the backyard by the dog Raymond, which he subsequently filled with slobber. Definitely something that would be appreciated by an eight year old (the slobber spas), but for me personally it grossed me out a bit. In addition to her grandfather being okay with her fighting thieves, drug dealers and terrorists her teacher also didn’t seem to think anything was wrong with her being gone to the bathroom for what could have only been hours at a time. Yes, it’s fiction, but this was beyond my ability to stretch and I also felt it wasn’t a great message to send to kiddos who may see this as an excuse to take extra long “bathroom breaks.”

My main issues with Dinos Are Forever again revolved around Jo’s grandfather. He’s a retired sheriff and her grandfather so Jo obviously feels inclined to turn to him for superhero advice, but where this goes wrong is in the real life danger he puts her in. She begins by training by reading through the “Superhero manual” that says she should fly and stop trains, and yes, her grandfather encourages this. My problem rests in the fact that Jo has no superpowers, none. What’s to stop a normal kid reading this from trying to actually stop a train!? I’m sure this is a worst case scenario situation, but still. In the final chapters Jo asks him for a few tips and tricks to take down the bad guys. The first moves he teaches are cute and definitely fitting with the story, a toe hold and an ear pinch, but the final move was too much, “a knuckle sandwich.” Yes, her grandfather actually punches her in the face. I’m not going to say much more than that, but lets just say it was a tad bit unbelievable and I truly began thinking her grandfather should probably be in a facility somewhere rather than out in the backyard with his granddaughter.

The Adventures of Jo Schmo: Dinos Are Forever by Greg Trine was filled with hilarious illustrations by the very talented Frank Dormer, but sadly the story simply didn’t work for this reader. Initially this was an illustrated chapter book I held high hopes for because of it’s heroine and ability to reach girl readers. Unfortunately the combination of a lack of competent parental and adult involvement coupled with some potentially hazardous actions made this a book I’d be wary of handing over to young impressionable readers. There is a sequel, Wyatt Burp Rides Again and I’ll be interested to see how these issues are handled going forward. Overall, The Adventures of Jo Schmo: Dinos Are Forever by Greg Trine wasn’t for me and sadly I would only recommend young readers read it together with a parent or adult who can explain why certain behaviors and actions aren’t safe or appropriate.

The1stdaughter Recommends: Ages 10 and up. Violence, reckless behavior and irresponsible adults make this a book I’d only recommend as a “read-together” with young readers.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, for providing a copy of this book for review! Connect with them on Twitter and on Facebook!
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