The Long-Lost Secret Diary of the World's Worst Dinosaur Hunter

This is the first of Tim Collins' "long-lost diary" series I have read, and this was a fun little book. The storyline isn't anything too amazing - but I enjoyed the fact that it was inspired by real-life people and events. I especially liked the nod given to Mary Anning. I quite enjoyed the "facts" interspersed throughout the book - although given this title would attract dinosaur enthusiasts, many of them seemed a little basic and contained information the target audience would already know.

I didn't really understand why Mary was "the world's worst" dinosaur hunter...she seemed pretty good at it to me!

This was over all a fun read, though at times felt a little slow.

In my opinion, it felt like it was missing a lot of details and actions. I could not get a clear picture of the surroundings or characters. However the descriptions of the bones and dinosaurs was handled really well.

I liked the main character. She was spunky, spoke up for herself and knew what she wanted to be and didn't let stuffy scientist guys stop her.

This is a fictional take on what if a little girl discovered some of the most known dinosaurs. The story was cute, there was segments that told the true facts of the dinosaurs she discovered, which I found really neat.

Any dino loving kid sound read this and hopefully it turns into a series of kids doing great things.

But, let's forget about age; anyone who enjoys middle grade may like this book. It is well written and if you like diary format, that is a plus. I also want to point out that I loved the artwork by Sarah Horne.

I just loved this book. I will definitely recommend it the children I teach. Factual yet fictional - brilliant!. The book is ideal for Key Stage 2 readers and will easily hold their attention.
The book is set in the time period of the discovery of dinosaurs and tells the story of a child and their father who finds fossils both in the UK and America.
I love that it''s fiction with historically accurate facts thrown in to give the reader further information.

This book packs in so much information in an engaging way! It talks not just about the fossil-hunting main character (a girl), but also about famous fossil-hunters and their finds, plus we see the prejudice against women and many aspects of life at that time (carriages, trains, ships, etc.). The story is interesting and there is a lot of learning included; my students would enjoy it. I highly recommend this book.

Can You dig It? I Knew That You Could.

This is a fine addition to Tim Collins' series of "Long-Lost Secret Diary..." books that include Knights, Astronauts, and Pirates, (I most liked the Pirate book). This time around we are in the company of Anne. Her character is inspired a bit by Mary Anning, a real person who prospected for fossils in the famous coastal fossil beds around Lyme Regis in England.

Our young Anne also looks for fossils on the coast of her little fishing village, but what she really yearns for is a chance to prospect in the Western United States, which was, in the 1870's in which this book is set, a hotbed of dinosaur fossil hunting. Taking a cue from the cut-throat competition between real life fossil hunters Edwin Cope and Othniel Marsh, our author has young Anne brave the sabotage and shenanigans of other fossil hunters during the course of her western adventure.

As in the other "Secret Diary" books, there is a nice mix of action, sly humor, slapstick, and suspense. There is also a good deal of real info, (historical bits, biographical sketches, and of course descriptions of great dinosaur fossil finds), that add a bit of weight and legitimate interest to the tale. The Collins heroes are plucky and determined, but often tend toward deadpan and even a bit put upon. It is left to supporting characters, (in this case Anne's Dad, some grumpy old scientists, and a monologuing villain), to provide the more obvious humor. I sort of liked having Anne be the most responsible and grown-up character in the bunch, and that gave the story a good deal of dignity and I guess what you could call light-hearted seriousness.

So, these are very interesting books, and they sort of break out of the usual antic or silly adventure mold. I would expect that they would be appealing to kids who like a bit of meat on their fictional bones, and they certainly are directed to kid friendly topics. (The illustrations are light and lively and help keep the book kid friendly as well.)

(Please note that I received a free advance ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)

Ann is a young girl living in a coastal British town during the Victorian era. She spends her days digging fossils, which had father tries to tell to tourists, from the coast. When a man of science comes across Ann's fossils, he sets in motion an adventure that will result in travel to America for Ann and her father, danger, and the discovery of multiple new dinosaurs. This book, which seems to be part of a series, melds cute, easy reading fiction perfect for children 8-11 or so with actual historical facts. A charming, slight and educational novel. Thanks to NeGalley and Jolly Fish Press for the ARC.

This was my first time reading a Tim Collins book and even though I don't fall into the age range for its intended readers I did really enjoy it. It was an easy, fun and light-hearted read that gave you a little thrill as the book progressed. I did start off pretty lost as to the when and where at the beginning of the book, but a simple stating of the year and the location at the start of every diary entry within the book is a quick fix for that. It was fun reading about a young girl getting excited not about the fame or the money of finding fossils and bones but just about finding them and learning as much as she can about dinosaurs from these bones; I also felt like I learnt more about Dinosaurs and fossils at the end of every chapter which is always great. I enjoyed the protagonist and her almost analytic recounting of events, and that she didn't let her youth or gender (especially for the time) deter her from pursuing her goal.
Thanks to Net Galley and the author for giving me an ARC (e-book) of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I picked this book after a string of serious reads, and I should admit how much this book relaxed my nerves, meanwhile engaging me to bits.
This book is well developed on a simple plot that portrays beautiful themes like father-daughter love, Ann’s never give up attitude, and this also deals with worldly politics. I liked how honest Ann is about everything. I was moved when Ann’s father was ready to spend all his savings for Ann’s talent and how much he wanted her to prove herself to the world. Though he doesn’t look very serious and responsible person, he definitely is a very supportive parent every kid needs to shine.
Ann’s character impressed me very much. I loved the fact that she is very cool and takes things light. The way she handles her failures and how she never gives a second-thought to take the next possible step is so adorable. This book is a mini pack of humour and life lessons that we tend to overlook in our daily life.
I enjoyed the narration so much that there were places I re-read to have another good laugh. The info bits in between scenes were very interesting.
This is definitely a feel good read of the month. I loved the cute illustrations so much.
This book would be a perfect read for kids and adults who still cherish the kid part of them.