Dinosaurs that say ‘atchoo’

How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon?

Jane Yolen, illustrated by Mark Teague

Scholastic/Blue Sky: 40 pp., $15.95

Those boisterous, larger-than-life stars of “How Do Dinosaurs Say Good Night?” are back, but this time they’re a little under the weather. “What if a dinosaur catches the flu? / Does he whimper and whine in between each Atchoo?” In a series of rollicking rhymes, Jane Yolen explores a number of possible naughty scenarios for the ailing beasties (“Does he hold his mouth closed when he’s told, ‘Open wide’? / Does he scream? / Is he mean? / Does he run off and hide?”), before demonstrating how well-behaved they really are (“He drinks lots of juice, / and he gets lots of rest. / He’s good at the doctor’s, / ‘cause doctors know best”).

Mark Teague’s droll artwork heightens the humor of Yolen’s light verse. As in their first collaboration, he wrings every last drop of comedy from the matter-of-fact presentation of humans with dinosaur offspring. Harried-looking parents tote steaming bowls of soup to their exotic progeny, who languish in bed with coloring books and crumpled tissues, their enormous tails draped across bedroom floors littered with absurdly tiny sports shoes, backpacks, hockey jerseys and the like. Endpapers serve up a rogue’s gallery of the tongue-tickling cast, including tropeognathus, tuojiangosaurus and dilophosaurus. For dinosaur fans of all ages, this inspired silliness is just what the doctor ordered. Ages 2 and up

*

To the Edge of the World

Michelle Torrey

Alfred A. Knopf: 240 pp., $15.95

“I require two years of your life, Mateo Macias de Avila. Two years that I cannot say will be easy, for we go to a destination unknown.” With those words, Portuguese explorer Ferdinand Magellan’s master-at-arms recruits a penniless 14-year-old orphan as cabin boy. Narrator Mateo sets off the summer of 1519 from Spain on the historic search for a “westward passage” to the Spice Islands. Launched with dreams of riches and glory, they soon discover that life at sea is dangerous and unpredictable. Mateo grows to manhood while learning the often bitter lessons of loyalty, friendship, honor and “the courage of endurance,” through seasickness and storms, the sweet taste of first love, a brutal winter at the tip of Cape Horn, hostile natives and a stint as a castaway, as well as tensions in the armada that explode into bloody mutiny. “I have been forged with fire,” he says upon his return to Spain -- one of only 18 who survived of the expedition’s original 277 men.

Michelle Torrey’s absorbing narrative, with its appealingly clipped, slightly formal cadence, suits the period. She describes crew members suffering from scurvy and starvation (“Some men were mere bones, thumping the deck whenever they rolled over, a hollow clacking, sticks upon a drum”) and the night sky (“stars white as salt”) with equal ease. Drawing on 16th century journals for historical detail, Torrey deftly maintains the taut thread of adventure that, along with the cast of memorable characters, keep the pages turning. Ages 12 and up

*

Wandering Warrior

Da Chen

Delacorte: 304 pp., $15.95

Da Chen (“China’s Son”) turns from memoir to fiction with mixed results in this uneven fantasy set in ancient China. Eleven-year-old Luka lives with his guardian, the monk Atami, hiding from Mogo invaders and begging for food. Atami, explaining that Luka is destined to be China’s next holy emperor, schools the boy in Jin Gong, a type of kung fu. Things look bleak when Luka is imprisoned and sentenced to death, but he is befriended by Gulan, another monk, who tunnels into his cell like in “The Count of Monte Cristo” to train him in the art of Yin Gong, the highest art of Xi-Ling. It turns out that Gulan and Atami both belonged to the Xi-Ling warrior brotherhood, and after Luka and Gulan escape, they embark on a series of adventures that eventually reunite them at the Xi-Ling temple. There Luka undergoes further training and butts heads with a rival as the tale rushes toward a climactic battle against the forces of evil.

Plying themes reminiscent not only of Dumas but also of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (channeling his energy, for instance, Atami’s dagger flies at his bidding) and “Star Wars” (“Go with the flow and use the force to your advantage,” Atami tells Luka), Chen’s sprawling tale strains under the combined weight of breathless adventure, clunky prose (“Big thoughts swelled like waves in his heart”) and a parade of anachronisms (“I’m out of here”; “Wow, Grandmaster”). Still, there is much to enjoy, particularly the unusual kung fu backdrop, which makes an intriguing setting for a fantasy adventure. Ages 12 and up

*

The Impossible Journey

Gloria Whelan

HarperCollins: 256 pp., $15.99

Gloria Whelan once again brings to life the beauty, sadness and rich culture of Russia’s past in this evocative sequel to “Angel on the Square.” Set a generation after the revolution, this installment opens in 1934 Leningrad and focuses on the children of Katya and Misha, who find themselves alone and desperate after Misha is arrested and Katya is exiled to Siberia.

Thirteen-year-old narrator Marya has little hope of finding her father, but she is determined to reunite with her mother. Armed with a map torn from her schoolbook, she and her younger brother, Georgi, set off on a 1,000-mile journey north, “an impossible distance.” Suspense runs high as the children, traveling without passports or adequate funds, encounter numerous obstacles as well as some surprising acts of kindness from strangers before reaching their mother’s village. A frightening confrontation with a Samoyed tribe proves to be as advantageous as a chance meeting with a prison doctor, who provides a connection between the children and their father. While maintaining a delicate balance of tragic and joyful moments, the author paints a vivid, realistic picture of a newly formed communist state, where government officials have the power to turn lives upside down. The book’s wistful open ending will leave readers eager for another episode. Ages 10 and up