The Last Synapsid by Timothy Mason

The Last Synapsid Reviews

• 
  Bethany

  Parts of this book are excellent (the opening line), and parts of it fall flat (the didactic environemtnal messages that read like interpolation). The premise is more complicated than most adventure books: two English-speaking prehistoric creatures from before the dinosaurs time-travel and land in a dying Colorado mining town. Two 12-year-olds encounter the two creatures and must fight to keep both alive despite the villainous efforts of a mysterious outisder. Only by returning the two creatures to their own time can the pre-teens save the world as they know it.
  
  Surprisingly, the time travel is the most believable and convincingly written aspect of the novel. The children's own time-hopping adventures don't impact their world because it's built on the premise that time travel happened.
  
  I had never heard of synapsids; we learned about dinosaurs in school, but never the precursors of mammals. An interesting lesson in prehistory, if nothing else!
• 
  Angela

  From the cover, I expected a twee little story about a puppy-sized dinosaur and the children who befriend him. That would have been fine.
  
  Instead, what I read was an adventuresome, compelling, surprising tale about two tweens who befriend a small synapsid (which isn't a dinosaur at all) and learn they must help him save the fate of the human race.
  
  I don't want to say much about the plot, other than there are some dark elements, which I love finding in a children's novel, there are some great lines (I bugged my husband by reading them aloud), and there are a few brilliant and indisputable dismissals of creationism. I cheered when I read them. Hooray for science, especially from a book that takes a few liberties with it.
• 
  Cat.

  This is a kids' book that is set in a mountain area VERY similar to Ouray, Colorado: one of my favorite places on Earth. It's a time-travel, historic fiction, "green" fantasy that somehow works. Basically, a fore-runner of all mammals has gotten lost in time and decided he likes our time better than his own. But, if he doesn't go back to his own, all mammalian life on Earth will never happen. Another 'synapsid' (these dinosaur-like critters) has also started to time-travel in order to make the other one come back and do its job to evolve into humans.
  
  Not a bad story, for the average 10-year-old. ;-)
• 
  Dave

  An adventure you can sink your teeth into no matter what age you are. The Last Synapsid is a fun, quick read with pretty strong and interesting characters.
• 
  Alan Wilcox

  This is a real page turner lots of action, adventure and suspense but a little too much blood, melodrama, profanity and too many humans. The best part about reading this book is that instead of dinosaurs it prioritizes and puts more emphasis on prehistoric creatures from the Permian period before the dinosaurs.
• 
  Alexis Neal

  An excerpt of my review for Children's Books and Reviews:
  

  If you thought that 8-year-olds were too young for Shakespeare, think again! Excerpts from The Tempest are sprinkled all throughout the climax of the book. Rob and Phoebe face off against the Gorgon during a community production of the Shakespearean play, which the Gorgon, in all his travels, has learned by heart. The Gorgon sees himself as Caliban, manipulated and mistreated by the selfish Jenkins, his Prospero. Indeed, it is his love for Shakespeare that tempts him to stay in the present day, and his love of Shakespeare contributes to his decision to return home (so that humans—including Shakespeare—will one day exist). This is an extremely appealing introduction to the Bard, particularly for young men: Shakespeare is not just long words and romance and tragedy—it has monsters! And (pre)dinosaurs love it! While this book is no guarantee that young readers will develop a taste for Renaissance plays, it should at least whet a few appetites.

  
  For full review, see "
  Shakespeare for Children: The Last Synapsid, by Timothy Mason," at Children's Books and Reviews.
• 
  Nancy J.

  I liked the premise of the book, and thought from the cover and beginning that it would be great for 8 to 12-year olds, as advertised, but it quickly became darker and much more complicated. I was a little disappointed in the didactic environemtnal messages that overwhelmed the storyline at times. When English-speaking prehistoric creatures time-travel into a dying Colorado mining town, 12-year-olds with pre-teen issues are drawn into saving the creatures by returning them to their time and thus save the world as they know it. The adventure becomes part time-travel, part murder mystery, and part pre-historic science lesson. Middle schoolers should love it if they are not thrown off by the more juvenile cover.
  
  
• 
  Cindy

  I really wanted to like the book as it started out really strong for myself but it didn't keep the pace. I found the parents to be a little out there and some of the stuff they did like never listening to the kids and such a little out of character.
  
  The two kids didn't seem to gel to me, not because I'm an adult they just rubbed me the wrong way. And the fact that every twist and turn in this book got the plot more and more complicated didn't help.
  
  When they added the time travel element I knew that was it for me just one too many elements that made the book seem a little disjointed to myself.
• 
  Holly

  Feb 10, 2009
• 
  Funnyone~alexa~scpa

  i just started reading the book today! ill keep u updated:)
• 
  Tonya

  easy reading for me but a lovely book. Well written and a whirlwind tour of evolution which was great :)
• 
  William Brooks

  "Another one of those feel good tales that will stick with you,"
• 
  Anna

  It was alright.. couldn't get myself to read past the 50th page though