About Ol' Sands
Sands Hetherington, creator of the Night Buddies series of chapter books, credits his son John for being his principal motivator. Together they developed the Crosley crocodile character during months of bedtime story give-and-take. Sands majored in history at the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) and has an M.F.A. in creative writing and an M.A. in English from UNC-Greensboro.
Fantastic and delightful fun filled new chapter book for kids.
Night Buddies and the Pineapple Cheesecake Scare by Sands Hetherington is an after lights-out adventure story that will delight young readers and middle graders who relish roller coaster fantasy and fun, filled with unforgettable characters and an astonishing and inventive collection of magical whatchamacallits.The book is all about the nighttime adventures of a young boy named John, who is not ready to go to sleep, and his friend, a bright red crocodile named Crosley who turns up under John’s bed.
They sneak out of John’s house using Crosley’s “I-ain’t-here-doodad” which makes them invisible to John’s parents. They then embark on an adventure chasing down enemies and cleaning up one mess after another as they solve the earthshaking mystery: who stole all the pineapple cheesecakes from the only factory in the world that makes them!John, Crosley, and the amazing get-anything-free card.
The investigation starts out fine but things get a little crazy when Crosley, who is allergic to water, gets wet. Hilarious things happen when Crosley’s allergy to water kicks in, and when they get to the pineapple cheesecake factory and meet Big Foot Mae, the investigation gets more complicated and zany than either of them bargained for.Night Buddies is an astonishing and inventive adventure with unforgettable cast of characters that will make you laugh and win over your heart. The book has lots of thoughtful, multi-layered twists, giggles, and perils -- things kids can relate to and enjoy.
My Thoughts
John loves Pineapple Cheesecake and he was not ready to go to bed because he had not had his fill of the Pineapple Cheesecake his parents had served for dessert. He complained about everything including a stomachache. After he was tucked into bed and lights were out he kept hearing something. So he grabbed his flashlight and listened closely to hear where the sound was coming from. There was definitely something under the bed. It turned out to be a red alligator wearing a bright yellow jacket. Yes, I said red not green.
The alligator's name is Crosley and he wants John to go with him to the Pineapple Cheesecake Factory because there seems to be a problem that needs to be investigated. With the help of an "I-ain't-here-doodad" that Crosley had among his Whachamacallits which made them invisible so they were able to sneak out past his parents.
John meets some of Crosley's friends and end up having a great adventure at the Pineapple Cheesecake Factory.
The characters were very unique in themselves. Crosley had a special language of his own and it was quite amusing. The stories leaves plenty of room for the child to use their imagination. The illustrations gave funny depictions of the characters.
What a great story! Let's just hope none of our kids decide to take off during the night with a red alligator. That is unless they take us with them. I love cheesecake!
I highly recommend this book.
I rated this book a 5 out of 5.
Disclosure
I received a free copy of this book from Dune Buggy Press/WOI for review. I was in no way compensated for this review it is my own opinion.
Thank you for reviewing Sands Hetherington's book and sharing. My girls love it and have me read a chapter each night. They keep waiting for their Night Buddies to show up for an adventure too.
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