Rex dinosaur in disguise by Elys Dolan

There are two narratives running side by side here that intersect throughout the story. The first character we meet is Rex; he's a dinosaur who has been frozen in ice for millenia but now finds himself defrosted and living in the big city. He is quickly spotted as an outsider by Mr Foot, a Yeti who is doing all he can to pass himself off as a human. Mr Foot convinces Rex that he'll never be accepted the way he is and that he must also pretend to be human. This sets off a humorous journey as Rex learns all the things he needs to be a human and does all the wrong things (he gets fired from three jobs, goes on a shopping spree with Mr Foot's credit card and becomes addicted to cheesy snacks). 

The other narrative thread is that of Sandra, a nine-year-old wanna-be detective with triplet baby brothers and friendship troubles. She is feeling a bit neglected by her parents, and her best friend has up and left her for two other friends and they are all being downright mean to her. She does, however, have a problem to solve (that of the mysterious Mr Rex...is he an alien?) and maybe she can make a good friend along the way. 

There are definite messages threaded within both narratives about belonging, social isolation and discrimination. In the end, Rex and his animal friends decide to stop hiding and come clean about who they really are and the parents and children who are forward thinking band together to protect each other and their new animal friends. Even Sandra realises that she is important to her parents even through they are very busy with the babies. While quite a long book it does have colour illustrations on nearly every page which will help with engagement. There are many funny moments, although some of the humour may be a bit inaccessible for the lower end of the target age group.

Themes: Belonging, Friendship.

Nicole Nelson