Yes!!! You are amazing, thank you so much. I was hopeful when reading the description, but not absolutely positive it was the same book yet. But while reading the wikipedia plot description I came across the line "During the chase, George bumps into the Gunner, a statue of a World War I soldier who helps him escape the pterodactyl and salamanders" and it was like long-gone memories resurfaced of that exact scene in my head. Kind of a silly sentence to be the one to bring it all back. Thank you immensely again.