Jurassic Park: The Junior Novelization, Gail Herman’s Retelling of the Film for Young Readers
This science-fiction adventure tells the story of Jurassic Park, a world inhabited by all kinds of dinosaurs. It is the junior novelization by Gail Herman, based on the screenplay by Michael Crichton and David Koepp, which was itself based on Crichton’s novel: an action-packed book written for young readers.
Author: Gail Herman (born 1959), from the screenplay by Michael Crichton and David Koepp
Title: Jurassic Park: The Junior Novelization (1993)
Format: English paperback (Price Stern Sloan), 88 pages
Scope: Children’s adaptation of the 1993 film
Amazon: www.amazon.es/dp/044840172X (ASIN 044840172X)
Bringing Dinosaurs Back
A rich tycoon’s huge investment makes possible large-scale excavations from which the DNA of these Jurassic creatures is recovered. After countless investigations and hundreds of experiments, dinosaurs are created and become a major tourist attraction. The park arouses the interest of many researchers, and of rival investors who want to build a park of their own.
Something Goes Wrong
Not all the park’s workers can be trusted, and for one reason or another security is compromised. With visiting experts and children on the island, the park becomes a dangerous place, because here we find both plant-eating species and the fastest carnivorous raptors.
The Characters
The junior novelization keeps the film’s main characters: the palaeontologist Alan Grant, who is not fond of children; the palaeobotanist Ellie Sattler; the mathematician Ian Malcolm, who warns that complex systems always behave unpredictably; John Hammond, the wealthy founder of the park; and Hammond’s grandchildren, Lex and Tim, who end up lost in the park with Grant. The betrayal comes from Dennis Nedry, the park’s computer programmer, who shuts down the security systems to steal dinosaur embryos for a rival company, and sets the disaster in motion.
How the Dinosaurs Were Made
The story’s scientific idea is memorable: mosquitoes that bit dinosaurs millions of years ago were trapped in tree resin that hardened into amber, preserving the blood in their stomachs. Hammond’s scientists extract dinosaur DNA from that blood and fill the gaps in the genetic code with DNA from frogs, which has unforeseen consequences. In reality, DNA breaks down far too quickly to survive for tens of millions of years, so the method is impossible, but the idea gave a generation of children a first taste of genetics.
Real Dinosaurs
The book is also a good opportunity to talk about real palaeontology. The film’s Velociraptors are much larger than the real animal, which was about the size of a turkey; they were modelled on a bigger relative, Deinonychus. Scientists now know that many dinosaurs of this group had feathers, and that birds are their living descendants. Children who love the story might enjoy a good illustrated dinosaur encyclopedia as a companion.
From Novel to Film to Junior Book
Michael Crichton’s novel appeared in 1990, and Steven Spielberg’s film, with its groundbreaking computer-generated dinosaurs, followed in 1993. This adaptation, written for young readers by Gail Herman from the film’s screenplay, is much simpler and less frightening than the novel, which contains scenes too violent for young children.
The Right Age
Readers of about seven to ten. It is short enough to read in a sitting, and a good bridge to longer books.
Talking Points
Parents and teachers can use the story to ask good questions: should scientists bring back extinct animals just because they can, and who is responsible when things go wrong?
Note
Some scenes may still frighten very young children.
Who Is It For?
It is a short, exciting introduction to the story for children who are not yet ready for Crichton’s novel. Older readers should go straight to the original, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton.
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Part of the reading recommendations featured on books.sapiensverbum.com.
