Oliver Dibbs, with the aid of his fifth-grade classmates, spearheads a successful movement to have Stegosaurus declared the state fossil of Colorado. Stegosaurus really was discovered in Colorado by high-school students in the early 20th century, and really was declared the state dinosaur in 1982 at the instigation of a primary-school class. The author credits them and their teacher as her inspiration in the dedication of the book.

Based on fact as it is, it's a pretty good primer for community action. (Contact your representative! Do interesting things that look good in the news media! Call the governor!) There's also a subplot in which Oliver deals with a bully. The book is not complex but it is interesting enough to hold the attention of middle schoolers and they'll learn a few things about fossils, politics, and dealing with difficult classmates. ( )