Danger at the Dinosaur Stomping Grounds

The Wild World of Buck Bray #2

by Judy Young

Buck and Toni, along with the rest of the Wild World of Buck Bray TV crew, head to Utah's Canyonlands National Park to film an episode about the canyons and rock formations as well as the ancient people who once lived there. When they learn about dinosaur fossils nearby, they decide to include that in their filming. But soon, Buck and Toni find themselves in danger at the Dinosaur Stomping Grounds, as they try to discover who is behind the vandalization and theft of the area's ancient artifacts.

Genres: School

240 pages, Hardcover

Published September 15, 2017

About the author

Judy Young is the author of 30 children's fiction, nonfiction and poetry books. Her books range for all ages of childrens, from board books, picture books as well as middle grade novels. Her books include the Digger and Daisy early reader series and The Wild World of Buck Bray middle grade novel series.
Judy's books have received numerous awards and accolades, including the Mom's Choice Gold Award for "R is for Rhyme, A Poetry Alphabet" and LaVar Burton's reading of "A Pet for Miss Wright" for Reading Rainbow Video.
When not writing, Judy is usually outdoors—hiking, camping, fishing, and snowshoeing in the mountains of Idaho where she resides with her husband and three dogs.
Judy offers exciting virtual author visits for elementary and middle schools. For more info, visit her website.

Reviews

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Buck Bray and Toni Shoop, both eleven, continue to travel with their fathers as part of the television program, The Wild World of Buck Bray. The youngsters met during the first book as they hiked in Denali National Park in Alaska, and now they have arrived at Canyonlands National Park in Utah. The unique terrain of the canyons makes the area fascinating in its own right, but once Buck learns that there are dinosaur fossils nearby, that's all he can think about. As in the earlier book, mercenaries are at work in this area too. In this case, though, it seems as though parts of the pictographs may have been vandalized until Buck and Toni stumble on the real culprits. As might be expected in such close quarters as the Green Monster in which they travel and over the course of long road trips, Buck has conflicted feelings about Toni, sometimes resenting her for being a know-it-all and a rule follower while he's much more impulsive. I had figured out what was going on and solved the mystery of the artifacts early on, but I still enjoyed the story. As was the case in the first book too, Buck is not a perfect character at all. He makes mistakes and takes risks, and sometimes he behaves like a jerk, but usually his heart is in the right place, and he owns up to his mistakes, which makes him all the more human. I am enjoying these books and hope the author plans to take her characters to some other national parks. The snippets of information at the start of each chapter and threaded through the dialogue in Buck's online scripts provide plenty of interesting facts for the curious-minded reader.

[Cindy Mitchell *Kiss the Book* · Rating 3 out of 5]

Young, Judy Danger at the Dinosaur Stomping Grounds (Wild World of Buck Bray #2), 263 pages. Sleeping Bear Press, 2017. $17. Content: G (some danger)

For his next series installment, Buck, his director/producer dad, his friend Toni, and her cameraman dad are headed off to Canyonlands National Park in Southern Utah. The episode is supposed to be about the ancient Puebloans, but when Buck hears about dinosaur tracks and fossils, he derails the episode for his own purposes. When they discover that petroglyphs have removed from walls and dino footprints have been vandalized, Buck and Toni decide to investigate on their own – running full tilt into the path of danger.

Buck is only 11, and in this book his cockiness comes out in full force. As an adult, I only found it irritating, because his brashness is not mitigated by any sort of noticeable charm or expertise. Here’s hoping the next volume in the series goes back to the basics of character building and plot, not just action.

EL – OPTIONAL. Cindy, Library Teacher
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...

[Webster · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have always loved visiting National Parks. The Wild World of Buck Bray books, one and two, take you to Denali and Canyonlands in suspenseful mystery stories that keep you on the edge of your seat. These books are also packed with facts that both adult and young readers can enjoy.
~ Mrs. Webster

[Brianne · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars