Friday, November 18, 2016

D.A.T.A. March of the Mini Beasts by Ada Hopper, illustrated by Sam Ricks

Gabe, Laura, and Cesar are known as the "DATA set". Gabe is the oldest and the leader - he knows all about dinosaurs. Laura is their engineer and inventor, even though she's only a 2nd grader. Cesar is the historian, with a photographic memory and a penchant for tasty treats.

While the three are selling chocolate to fund raise for their science club, they meet mad scientist Dr. Bunsen. He claims to have invented a growth ray and tries it out on their plastic animals. It's a flop - the animals don't grow at all - but something else happens.... the kids are faced with some knotty problems and decide it's time to make their unofficial club into a real group facing Danger! Action! Trouble! and Adventure! along with science. The book ends on a cliffhanger as the kids run into problems with another one of Dr. Bunsen's wacky inventions.

I have mixed feelings about this new series. On the one hand, it's funny, great sense of adventure and excitement, science aspect, and features a cast of Hispanic kids! Not as the sidekicks, as the main characters! On the other hand, science takes a back seat to the adventure/humor and Dr. Bunsen is the stereotypical man in a lab coat scientist.

Verdict: I think the pros outweigh the cons and I'll be adding this series next year. I'm looking forward to trying it with my Bookaneers book club.

ISBN: 9781481457286; Published 2016 by Little Simon; Borrowed from another library in my consortium

No comments: