Four fifth-graders become involved in local mysteries. In Bones, they uncover bones near their clubhouse; Tunnel finds the gang trapped in a tunnel that was part of the Underground Railroad; in Caesar's, a camping trip turns into a Shawnee manhood ceremony. The mysteries aren't all that suspenseful and the black history lessons aren't subtle, but the readable texts are diverting.

An inaugural release in the Ziggy and the Black Dinosaurs series, this tale focuses on four African American boys who make up the Black Dinosaurs Club. On a class field trip to the Ohio River, the friends are captivated by two stories. A raconteur describes his grandfather's arrival in Cincinnati via the Underground Railroad and also explains that tunnels used in that operation are located under the school the kids attend. And their teacher relates a local legend about a Shawnee woman who helped slaves escape to freedom and whose ghost allegedly haunts the area. When Ziggy and pals attempt to explore the underground tunnels, the walls collapse. The trapped boys are comforted by a breeze they attribute to the ghost's presence. Draper's (Tears of a Tiger) well-meaning attempts to combine fiction, folklore and history lead to some significant credibility gaps, among them the unlikely circumstances that middle class African American middle-schoolers have never heard of the Underground Railroad; and that Ziggy's dog manages to dig through the collapsed tunnel to rescue them. The result is a contrived, disappointingly meager novel. Ages 8-up. (Mar.)

Gr 3-6--Rico, his friend Ziggy, and their classmates have been looking forward to a field trip to the Ohio River. Accompanied by old Mr. Greene, they welcome the break from school, but also find themselves fascinated by the man's stories about the Underground Railroad. Intrigued by the fact that runaway slaves hid in tunnels under their school, the boys (all members of the Black Dinosaurs Club) get a map of the tunnels and plan a search. All goes well until one of the tunnels collapses and they are trapped deep below the deserted school. Inspired by the bravery of the escaped slaves who survived similar ordeals, the boys cope with their fear until rescued. This is the first entry in a projected series about a likable group of African American friends. The characters are realistically portrayed, and the history lessons are interestingly conveyed. Full- and double-page pencil sketches appear throughout.--Anne Connor, Los Angeles Public Library