Rex has been released!
Join Cody B. Stewart, Adam Rocke, and Mark Rogers on an unforgettable modern day dinosaur adventure!
Synopsis
When eleven-year-old TJ finds a weird looking egg in the Florida
Everglades after a tropical storm rips through, naturally he takes it home for
identification. It could be the egg of a mutant duck or something, which would
be awesome. Problem is, the egg doesn’t look like it came from a mallard, even
a mutated one—it’s too big and heavy and…strange. So he hides it away in his
closet and continues on with his life as usual, doing his best to ignore the
creepy men constantly banging at his front door and the significant rise in
military helicopter sightings in his typically quiet neighborhood.
Then one day he comes home from school and it’s as though a hand grenade
has gone off inside his bedroom. Suddenly, TJ knows he’s dealing with something
a little more interesting—and a little more deadly—than a duck.
Review
Rex is a novel for middle grade readers packed with action, adventure, and friendship. TJ not only experiences a great and terrifying escapade, he learns about love, sacrifice, and how to be a secret agent.
TJ is a lonely kid. His mother works two jobs and his dad left a long time ago. He spends most of his time with Sam, his best friend. Though when she's home with her family, TJ tinkers and dreams of having a pet -- a friend that's always there for him. TJ's a relatable kid, though a little heavy on the science fiction fueled imagination. Readers will understand his loneliness and his need for companionship. They'll sympathize with his predicament and immediately form a connection with his character.
When TJ finds the dinosaur egg, his dreams of having a pet and experiencing a fantastical situation come to fruition. But TJ's daydreams would never have pitted them up against the US Army, a mad scientist, and a commander who wants to use dinosaurs as weapons. Okay, maybe.
As soon as Rex hatches, TJ falls in love with his new friend. It doesn't even bother him that he destroys and/or eats absolutely everything. All TJ knows is that he must keep Rex safe from the men in black humvees and helicopters. I think the best part of the book was reading about how TJ formed his own connection with Rex. It was incredibly entertaining to witness a young boy try to tame a dinosaur, while keeping him hidden.
The connection I felt to the dinosaur was the most surprising. I think readers with a soft heart for pets will get that same feeling. Though it seems impossible, readers will want TJ to find a way to save Rex.
The plot begins with TJ's discovery of the egg and the hatching of Rex. The book gains a high level of suspense as the military tries to find him while keeping the community in the dark. TJ goes to great lengths to keep Rex from being found, but when he takes him to school disguised as a robot the result is nothing short of chaos. The action and adventure will keep middle grade readers intrigued and entertained as they join TJ's mission to keep Rex out of the hands of the government. Though the book can be a little frightening at times, I think middle graders will enjoy Rex, resulting in the dream of having a pet dinosaur of their own.
Review
Rex is a novel for middle grade readers packed with action, adventure, and friendship. TJ not only experiences a great and terrifying escapade, he learns about love, sacrifice, and how to be a secret agent.
TJ is a lonely kid. His mother works two jobs and his dad left a long time ago. He spends most of his time with Sam, his best friend. Though when she's home with her family, TJ tinkers and dreams of having a pet -- a friend that's always there for him. TJ's a relatable kid, though a little heavy on the science fiction fueled imagination. Readers will understand his loneliness and his need for companionship. They'll sympathize with his predicament and immediately form a connection with his character.
When TJ finds the dinosaur egg, his dreams of having a pet and experiencing a fantastical situation come to fruition. But TJ's daydreams would never have pitted them up against the US Army, a mad scientist, and a commander who wants to use dinosaurs as weapons. Okay, maybe.
As soon as Rex hatches, TJ falls in love with his new friend. It doesn't even bother him that he destroys and/or eats absolutely everything. All TJ knows is that he must keep Rex safe from the men in black humvees and helicopters. I think the best part of the book was reading about how TJ formed his own connection with Rex. It was incredibly entertaining to witness a young boy try to tame a dinosaur, while keeping him hidden.
The connection I felt to the dinosaur was the most surprising. I think readers with a soft heart for pets will get that same feeling. Though it seems impossible, readers will want TJ to find a way to save Rex.
The plot begins with TJ's discovery of the egg and the hatching of Rex. The book gains a high level of suspense as the military tries to find him while keeping the community in the dark. TJ goes to great lengths to keep Rex from being found, but when he takes him to school disguised as a robot the result is nothing short of chaos. The action and adventure will keep middle grade readers intrigued and entertained as they join TJ's mission to keep Rex out of the hands of the government. Though the book can be a little frightening at times, I think middle graders will enjoy Rex, resulting in the dream of having a pet dinosaur of their own.
Rating: 3.5/5 Cups
Meet the Authors
Cody B. Stewart
Cody B. Stewart was born in the Adirondacks, in Upstate New York. His love of stories began in those mountains as he vanquished trolls, fought in the American Revolution and discovered his latent mutant powers. Stories have continued to consume his life, but he now plucks them out of his head and puts them down on paper in the form of novels and comic books. He left the Adirondacks to grow into a man, did so, and has since returned with a wonderfully supportive wife and two sons.
Cody B. Stewart was born in the Adirondacks, in Upstate New York. His love of stories began in those mountains as he vanquished trolls, fought in the American Revolution and discovered his latent mutant powers. Stories have continued to consume his life, but he now plucks them out of his head and puts them down on paper in the form of novels and comic books. He left the Adirondacks to grow into a man, did so, and has since returned with a wonderfully supportive wife and two sons.
Adam Rocke
Adam Rocke Slutsky never met an adventure he didn’t love. From swimming with great white sharks without a cage, to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, Adam’s adrenaline junkie tendencies play a major role in his writing. Throw in a secondary degree in CryptoZoology and it’s anyone’s guess where Adam’s literary travels will take him.
Adam Rocke Slutsky never met an adventure he didn’t love. From swimming with great white sharks without a cage, to jumping out of a plane without a parachute, Adam’s adrenaline junkie tendencies play a major role in his writing. Throw in a secondary degree in CryptoZoology and it’s anyone’s guess where Adam’s literary travels will take him.
Mark Rogers
Mark’s career as a travel journalist has brought
him to 56 countries and counting. These trips have fed his imagination while at
the same time provided authentic experiences and sensory detail that find their
way into his novels and screenplays. Mark’s won multiple awards for his travel
writing, including an award for his Hurricane Ivan coverage in Jamaica. His
work regularly appears in USA Today and other media outlets. Mark lives in Baja
California with his Sinaloa-born wife, Sophy, where they recently built a rock
house overlooking the sea.
