Full of exciting adventure and violence. ( )

Weird, but highly engaging adventure in an alternative universe Civil War with Dinosaurs. It's an amazing meld of fast paced plot, great characters (who doesn't love an entire orphanage of heroes?) and some hard hitting history in between the fantasy elements. Be aware that there is a lynching, that the language is Colored Orphans Asylum, and that the fight is against the very real threat of freed persons being kidnapped and sold into slavery. There's a lot to talk about in this book, regardless of the thin veneer of wild adventure.

I particularly enjoyed that the orphans share many backgrounds -- Magdalys is Cuban, Amaya, half Apache and half white General's daughter, there is a trans pirate and a rainbow of fiercely appealing freedom fighters. I also delighted in the surreal collection of language -- from the Crunk's Shakespearean quotations, to the 1860's New York slang, to the modern phrasing that stitches through. Great read, great ride.

The only thing that bothered me was the chimney sweeping gig -- guerrilla sweeps that go chimney to chimney randomly sweeping would never be paid later. If you don't warn someone that you're about to sweep their chimney, you flood their entire home with soot.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss. ( )

I loved the fact that it is part historical fiction, about a part of history that we don’t learn much about in school, and part fantasy. Dinosaurs during the civil war?—hats off to the author for exploring that combination. The characters are a diverse group, some inspired by real people, but with significant chronology liberties taken. It is a good adventure, and I recommend it highly.

I read it because it is part of March Book Madness 2019, where 16 books are put in brackets by reading level (this is middle-grade, but there are picture and YA brackets, too.) and people can vote on them. My daughter and I are working through the books, very fun! ( )

diverse children's middlegrade alternative-history adventure (Cuban-American orphan rescues fellow orphans from kidnapping slavers in Civil War-era NYC; also there is lots of dinosaur action).
Yes! More, please!!!!
I loved the characters (each with his own quirks), the mixture of dinosaur action and social justice. I appreciate that it included a trans-male character (Redd), without making a big deal out of it. ( )

Solid start to the series. I love the inventiveness and possibilities of the world he has created. It's a little clunky/forced at times, but that may be something I pick up more as an older reader. ( )