Dino hunter by Mac Park

D-Bot squad  book 1. Allen and Unwin, 2017. ISBN 9781760295974
(Age: 5+) Dino Hunter is the first book in a new series, D-Bot squad by Mac Park. Hunter is the main character who loves dinosaurs and through the surprising actions of the school librarian, Mrs Stegg, ends up in a cave completing a test created by the D-Bot squad.
This is an easy to read book, and as stated on the rear cover is 'a world kids will love, using words they can read'. This is certainly true. I read this with my son who is 6.5 and in year 1. He was able to read chunks of text independently, seeking minimal assistance, whilst still being able to comprehend the storyline of a longer book than he is used to reading.
Each page has good spacing between the lines, and there are lots of pictures to break up the text. This makes the book very accessible for younger readers, providing confidence and a text format that is easy to follow.
As a series, D-Bot squad reminds me of Zac Powers. The plot is simple to follow, with a basic introduction, problem and (almost!!!) a solution allowing the younger reader to gain confidence through predictability and consistency. The pictures are clear, with a similar structure to those in Zac Powers giving young children a good chance to use them for comprehension and additional understanding.
The ending is a cliffhanger which is a little different, however meant the Mr 6.5 immediately asked for the next book so he could see what happened with the Pterodactyl - this makes it a winner in my eyes!
An easy to read story that would suit dinosaur mad boys or girls from ages 5+
Lauren Fountain