Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae

Captain Flinn and the Pirate Dinosaurs by Giles Andreae, illustrated by Russell Ayto

Rating: 2.5 stars

Since we were on the hunt for dinosaur books for my twin nieces' upcoming birthday, and because we are fans of Giles Andreae, we couldn't not check out this book from the library.

Captain Flinn himself

Here's the plot: Flinn, a dinosaur-loving kid, goes into the supply closet at school to get more markers when he finds a sniffling Real Pirate and is magically transported to the high seas (along with some of his classmates).  The Real Pirate tells the kids that his precious pirate ship was hijacked by some pirates that were especially fearsome and tough.  The kids, now pirates themselves, help the Real Pirate find his ship and find the culprits--who aren't just any old pirates but DINOSAUR pirates!  There is a great battle, and Flinn and his buds come out on top.  They find a trap door that becomes the supply closet, so they return to school without their teacher missing them.

But, alas, it's not for us.  I can see some kids liking it more than us--I mean, the fact that it's got dinosaurs and pirates in the title will be a selling point for many.  In my opinion, I think it takes too many pages to get to the actual pirate part of the book.  I know fights are sort of part of life, but battles with swords and cannons and fierce fighting aren't my favorite for my kids right now.  I think the fact that they're dinosaurs is really random but...maybe dinosaur-obsessed kids like my nieces wouldn't care at all.  And I know that there are a few sequels to this book, so obviously some kids liked it!