Working in a library, one of the most common requests is for books ideal for children who are a little less keen on reading. We also regularly get parents in telling us about books their children loved, commonly with the phrase “It got them into reading!” Well let me introduce you to a book that fits this bill pretty perfectly. This is Dino Knights, written by Jeff Norton, illustrated by George Ermos and published by Awesome Reads and I’m thrilled to kick off the blog tour today with my review of this epic short novel which is happily released today!!
Dino Knights takes us back in time to an alternative Medieval Times, where dinosaurs never become extinct. In comes stable boy Henry, an unassuming young man, who manages to stop a vicious T Rex attacking his master. As an apparent dinosaur whisperer, Henry is invited to join the most elite group in Brecklan, the Dino Knights. However, before Henry even gets the opportunity to prove himself, he’s sent out on a daring rescue mission when Lord Harding is kidnapped by the enemies of Brecklan!!
Dino Knights has been described as perfect for fans of Beast Quest and How to Train Your Dragon and I would absolutely agree with this statement. It most definitely has the feel in terms of detail, content and layout of the Beast Quest books, and I can see children who enjoy those diving into this book with as much enthusiasm! This story has a similar writing style, simple, but not partonising, full of adventure, excitement, twists and turns. It’s really a wonderful read.
The idea for Dino Knights came about when the author was playing toys with his son and sat a knight on top of a dinosaur. I love this so much, as a child who loved to merge toy genres, even attaching my plastic horses to my brother’s toy off road cars, and getting a little toy sheep lost inside the Millenium Falcon this is how children’s imaginations ignite and stories are made exciting and different. The most perfect way to come up with ideas, get into children’s heads and write about what they love. And boy do children love dinosaurs. They have an intense fascination with them, whether it’s because they will never see them in real life, whether it’s the size or variety of different dinosaurs that does it, something about them excites children, and this is how you get them reading, spark their excitement. Dino Knights is a fantastic merge of themes including dinosaurs, knights, battles, friendship and loyalty, things children can identify with, alongside unique and exciting fantasy, it’s as perfect as it gets for enticing young readers.
I particularly love how well Dino Knights has been thought about, it’s not just another quick fiction book for children, it has all the elements of a brilliant story and potentially wonderful series, it’s rounded and complete, challenging to read without being daunting, it is completely accessible. There are a host of characters in the book, all genders, all ages, all strong, unique and wonderful individuals meaning the book has reach and interest for any child that picks it up.
Awesome Reads have done a fabulous job at producing this book to ensure it’s as engaging and accessible as possible. The text is very nicely laid out, with large line breaks and a clear type, making it good for children with dyslexia, or who may just struggle generally with large blocks of text. The spacing means progress through the book is fast, which is always encouraging for those children who quickly loose heart with reading. The front cover is fantastically illustrated by George Emros, with bold graphic artwork that will without a doubt attract children wanting an exciting story and it very much reflects the content inside.
Children’s delight when they engage with a series of books is one of the most brilliant things, and Dino Knights has all the appeal for young and in particular more reluctant readers, so much so I can really see it following in the footsteps of similar, much loved series but also standing in its own right as new and different.
Dino Knights is released today, June 6th 2019, and is available from all good book shops and libraries.
To find out more about author Jeff Norton please visit his website:
– http://jeffnorton.com
You can discover more about illustrator George Ermos right here:
– http://sadhanaillustration.blogspot.com/
And publisher, Awesome Reads have lots more to offer on their website:
– https://awesomereads.com/
Thank you to Awesome Reads for sending me a copy of Dino Knights to review, and thank you for reading this roarsome Book Monster review.
