How is the novel, Dinosaur Summer, a coming-of-age story?

Dinosaur Summer is a coming-of-age story, a tale of a young person who makes the transition from adolescence to adulthood by overcoming a series of hardships. Peter's growth develops in three important ways: he learns how much hardship he can endure and learns not to fear hardship; he learns how to be a good friend by standing by his companions and sharing their burdens, lightening the load for all; and he discovers his father's humanity, in the process becoming more understanding of his own weaknesses. He becomes a manful companion to his father in part by realizing that his father loves him and in part by accepting his father's weaknesses in order to accept his father's strengths.

The process of Peter's coming-of-age gives Dinosaur Summer a human dimension that transcends the fanciful adventure of returning dinosaurs to their home, and it is responsible for the liveliness of the action; all the events become stories of human beings coping with tough lives, making all the events ones that derive their importance from how they affect people. Bear weaves a complex narrative that allows him to develop his characters.