by S. P. Somtow
First published 2024
Billy faces a terrible choice when his parents drag him to Opera Festival week. Rex the Raptor, his beloved velociraptor companion, gets dumped at the Dino-Pound while Billy endures what promises to be seven days of boring grown-up entertainment. But something magical happens when the curtain rises. Billy's imagination transforms the stage into a prehistoric wonderland where dinosaurs take over every production. Aida becomes a tale of royalty buried in pyramids, singing so loudly they use up their oxygen. Billy discovers that most operas follow the same pattern: someone loves someone else, passion ignites, voices soar to impossible heights, and the heroine dies. Through playful verse and comedy, Billy learns that opera might not be so different from his dinosaur adventures after all. This third entry in the Dinosaur Classics series combines Somtow's signature humor with musical education, showing how a reluctant young audience member can find wonder in the most unexpected places.
Genres: fiction, fantasy, comedy
Vibes: thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
78 pages · Paperback · Diplodocus Press