All About Middle Grade Review/Interview: Raising Rufus [Blog Tour]

Guys, I am delighted to welcome David Fulk to the blog to discuss Raising Rufus and which dinosaur he's glad no longer roams the earth. You can check out both my review of his book and interview below.

Raising Rufus by David Fulk, June 9, 2015. 272 pages. Published by Delacorte Press. Source: publisher.

In the unremarkable town of Menominee Springs, Wisconsin, lives a twelve-year-old explorer named Martin, who one day stumbles across something remarkable.

It’s an egg. But not just any egg—a dinosaur egg. And a week later, Martin becomes the proud parent of . . . a Tyrannosaurus rex!

As the summer unfolds, Martin finds it harder and harder to keep Rufus hidden from rest of the world.

And then it gets ugly.

Can Martin save Rufus from his parents, his neighbors, and most importantly, the owner of the town carnival? With the help of his best friend, Audrey, and his science teacher, Mr. Ekhart, Martin must uncover his inner hero and find Rufus a home, even if it means losing the one thing he’s come to really care about.

First Sentence:

The hunter would not be denied.

I've always been interested in dinosaurs. While it's not an interest that I generally talk about with others, mainly because they don't understand my interest in dinosaurs, I still find myself fascinated by these long dead creatures that once roamed the earth.

Where to start, where to start. Okay, so, other than the idea of Martin discovering the long buried egg of a T-Rex during one of his forays into the forest near his house, one of the things I liked best about Raising Rufus would have to be seeing him, Rufus, being mostly non-scary. Yes, I highly enjoyed the odd relationship that cropped up between Martin and Rufus as they bonded throughout the book.

One of the things that Raising Rufus captured so well, other than the bond that Martin and Rufus had, was the changing and difficult relationship between Martin and his parents. While there were times that I felt Martin and his father could have used some time to sit and talk things out, I enjoyed seeing how deep down his father really cared for him. He just didn't do a great job of showing/telling his feelings...until the end. On the other parental side, it was interesting to see how

I would be remiss if I failed to mention this. But, Raising Rufus took an, at least I found it to be, interesting look at bullying. While I would have liked to have had a concrete reason for why the bully tormented Martin, it was interesting to see how things played out in the end and how he and their class rallied for Martin and Rufus during a dark moment. That outcome was, well, it wasn't expected kind of like the final move by his father.

If you haven't noticed, I really enjoyed David Fulk's writing in Raising Rufus. I liked how well he wrote about Martin and Rufus, as well, as how Martin was nothing like I expected him to be. I enjoyed seeing how he cared for Rufus and how he slowly opened up to being friends with the new girl (okay, more like he caved into her hanging around). Even though he had some bratty moments, you know saying things he regretted, I enjoyed reading about him even though there were a couple times that I wanted to bop him over the head (and his father).

Final Verdict: Raising Rufus- One pre-historic pet, two kids, and a whole lot of trouble abound in this wonderful book! A story not to be missed!

Raising Rufus earns

Interview

1. In five words tell us about Raising Rufus. 

Shy. Boy. Raises. Growing. Trex*. (*Had to run "T. rex" together to make it one word.) 

2. What is one thing, not from the book, that you think Martin would love to find while exploring?

It sounds kind of sad, I guess, but I think what he'd really like to find out there is another young explorer he can make friends with and share discoveries with. He probably wouldn't admit it, though. He's convinced himself he's a misanthrope. 

3. Let's talk dinosaurs. What drew you to having Martin discover the egg of a T. rex? 

Well, it's quite a bit more interesting that him just discovering a pigeon's egg, right? It seemed to me like a great basis for a story with a lot of humor and edge. I'm a big fan of humor. And edge. 

4. Except for the T. rex, what is one dinosaur that you wish wasn't extinct and one that you're glad isn't around anymore? 

Hmmm... I think I'd kind of like to meet a triceratops. They're always portrayed as so sweet and cuddly, like big dairy cows. Of course, for all we know they may have been all ornery and mean like hippos and rhinos. But I'd take my chances. Least like to see? Probably deinonychus. Those suckers were nasty. At least with T. rex you'd know it was coming. Deinonychus could jump right out at you anytime, anywhere. You know those "velociraptors" in Jurassic Park? Nuh-uh. Those were deinonychus. Mr. Spielberg took liberties. 

5. Can you share with us a two-sentence teaser from Raising Rufus? 

Here's the end of chapter 1, when Martin finds the egg:

He knew what he would do: take it home, set it up in his backyard barn lab, and get going on some serious research. What he didn't know was that this strange, cold stone was going to change his life forever. 

6. If you could have tea with any author living or dead, who would it be? What would be the first question you would ask him? 

Being a drama guy, I'd have to say Shakespeare. For one thing, he was British, so the tea would probably be really good. For another, I would be fascinated to chew the fat with the guy who put out more brilliant stuff than any other writer, ever. But the first thing I'd ask him would be, "Was it really you that wrote all those plays? Or was it that Sir Francis Bacon guy?" 

7. The world has fallen into robot invasion, and only one heroine/hero can save the day, who would you choose?

Well, the easy answer would be Superman, because he's really fast and really, really strong, plus he's invulnerable, right? But if they're kryptonite robots, we'd need a Plan B. In that case, I'd say Robin, because like Martin, he just needs his chance to step in the limelight and show his stuff.

8. Last book that kept you reading into the night?

Gone Girl. Man, that Gillian Flynn can spin a yarn.

this book was received for review consideration. All thoughts are my own.