Dinosaurs Before Dark is the first installment of Mary Pope Osborne's Magic Tree House series. In the story, siblings Annie and Jack discover a tree house that contains numerous books on a variety of subjects. While skimming through a book about dinosaurs, Jack makes a wish that transports them back in time over sixty-five million years ago. While Annie and Jack explore the land, Osborne subtly incorporates information about various types of dinosaurs that Jack and Annie encounter.

I recommend this book for young readers who are just beginning to read chapter books independently. Osborne breaks the book down into ten chapters, each containing a black-and-white illustration. While I myself have never been that interested in dinosaurs, the Magic Tree House series appeals to a wide range of readers in that Osborne writes about all different time periods and people.