365G: Large dinosaur made from egg boxes for a school project in a garage

Can you please help me track down a book from childhood?
I read it sometime between 1985 and 1988 (I think!) whilst at primary school in the UK. Although it could have been an older book, maybe from the mid-70’s to the early 80’s?
Book title: It was a chapter book, but I can’t recall the name at all, sorry!
Front cover description: I remember it pretty clearly, it is a night time scene (a painted illustration) of the open garage door next to a house, with the large egg box dinosaur (t-rex?) visible inside, and the light spilling out from the garage illuminating the dark exterior driveway. It was quite an evocative image from what I remember.
Description of the book: It is about a group of school friends (a gang or club maybe?) who make a large / life size dinosaur out of egg boxes (a t-rex I think?) for a school project in the garage attached to one of the children’s houses. At some point I think a child from a rival gang / club spies on them, and the rivals (possibly?) end up making their own egg box dinosaur as well (that could be wrong, but I’m pretty sure about them being spied on by a rival though).

3 thoughts on “365G: Large dinosaur made from egg boxes for a school project in a garage

    1. peter slight

      It could be!
      I can’t find a plot synopsis online, and the front cover is different,
      but it feels right (after all how many books featuring egg box dinosaurs can there be?!)

      Also the version I read could have been a later edition, or a school / library version,
      which would explain the cover variation.

      I am looking forward to reading it and finding out, I will report back once I have!
      Thank you for your detective work on this! 🙂

      Reply
  1. Jack Lechner

    I’m wondering if this might be “The Mad Scientists’ Club” by Bertrand R. Brinley. They’re making a sea monster rather than a dinosaur, but otherwise it tracks.

    Reply

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