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bookworm_rn's review against another edition
2.0
I just cannot read this any longer. Some nocturnal animals join up to find out why other animals are disappearing. It is so drawn out and boring. The only bright spot is Tobin the pangolin and Cora the wombat. This story easily could have been half the length. We’re tapping out.
Eliana’s review: “Tobin is my favorite he’s kinda cute.”
Eliana’s review: “Tobin is my favorite he’s kinda cute.”
nicolemhewitt's review
5.0
This review and many more can be found on my blog: Feed Your Fiction Addiction
This was a super-cute middle grade read that introduces kids to animals they might not otherwise have encountered. The three main characters are a sugar glider, a red fox, and a pangolin. Don’t know what a pangolin is? Neither did I. Which is one of the reasons I love this series. The author managed to incorporate lots of facts about these animals (and the others featured in the story, such as wombats, jerboas, kiwis, bats, coyotes and crocodiles) into the story relatively seamlessly. That makes the books educational without feeling educational–the best way for kids to learn! For instance, pangolin’s tongue is particularly fascinating–you’ll need to read the book to find out why. The website for the series also has fun videos for kids and educational materials for booksellers, educators and librarians (I personally love the science info about the animals), so it’s perfect for a classroom. I plan to share these books with other families in our homeschool co-op because they’re such a fantastic resource!
As far as the story goes, it was an intriguing mystery. Animals have been disappearing, and Dawn, Tobin and Bismark take it upon themselves to investigate. I enjoyed the fact that the mystery wasn’t too complex for middle graders, but it also wasn’t super simple and easy to figure out–I hadn’t guessed what was happening OR why, but there were definitely some good clues, so the answers didn’t feel like they came from nowhere. Personally, I wasn’t super excited about the part of the book that featured long descriptions of playing a sport that ended up being central to the mystery (I’m just not sports-minded), BUT I think this part of the story is probably perfect for many middle grade boys. I also thought that sometimes Bismark’s antics were a little over-the-top, but my 12-year-old daughter didn’t seem to mind at all—and again, she’s the target audience. So, for me the story itself hovered around 3.5 stars, but for my daughter it was a solid 4 (she wanted to read the next book right away), and I loved the educational aspects, so I ended up at 4/5 Stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
This was a super-cute middle grade read that introduces kids to animals they might not otherwise have encountered. The three main characters are a sugar glider, a red fox, and a pangolin. Don’t know what a pangolin is? Neither did I. Which is one of the reasons I love this series. The author managed to incorporate lots of facts about these animals (and the others featured in the story, such as wombats, jerboas, kiwis, bats, coyotes and crocodiles) into the story relatively seamlessly. That makes the books educational without feeling educational–the best way for kids to learn! For instance, pangolin’s tongue is particularly fascinating–you’ll need to read the book to find out why. The website for the series also has fun videos for kids and educational materials for booksellers, educators and librarians (I personally love the science info about the animals), so it’s perfect for a classroom. I plan to share these books with other families in our homeschool co-op because they’re such a fantastic resource!
As far as the story goes, it was an intriguing mystery. Animals have been disappearing, and Dawn, Tobin and Bismark take it upon themselves to investigate. I enjoyed the fact that the mystery wasn’t too complex for middle graders, but it also wasn’t super simple and easy to figure out–I hadn’t guessed what was happening OR why, but there were definitely some good clues, so the answers didn’t feel like they came from nowhere. Personally, I wasn’t super excited about the part of the book that featured long descriptions of playing a sport that ended up being central to the mystery (I’m just not sports-minded), BUT I think this part of the story is probably perfect for many middle grade boys. I also thought that sometimes Bismark’s antics were a little over-the-top, but my 12-year-old daughter didn’t seem to mind at all—and again, she’s the target audience. So, for me the story itself hovered around 3.5 stars, but for my daughter it was a solid 4 (she wanted to read the next book right away), and I loved the educational aspects, so I ended up at 4/5 Stars.
***Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher via #BEA16 in exchange for an honest review. No other compensation was given and all opinions are my own.***
leskit's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this book more. For one thing, it's adorable. The artwork is so appealing and it's not a bad story - just not as good as I was hoping. I don't always think adults are good judges of what kids will like so I'll see how it does in the library. I've had a couple of kids read it, but it hasn't been checked out a lot. I'm going to move it (and the rest of the series) to my early chapter book section though because I think younger kids might like it better than the older kids.
I thought I might read this aloud to a 3rd or 4th grade class, but I'm not sure I can keep up with all of the character voices. There is a lot to like about the book, but overall just was less than I was expecting.
I thought I might read this aloud to a 3rd or 4th grade class, but I'm not sure I can keep up with all of the character voices. There is a lot to like about the book, but overall just was less than I was expecting.
silea's review
2.0
I admit, this book lost me in the first few pages when the fox didn't eat the sugar glider. I mean, i understand that would have derailed the plot, but seriously, we're supposed to believe the fox wouldn't eat a tasty little snack like that?
And what sure didn't bring me back into the story was the sugar glider's obnoxious Pepé Le Pew approach to social interactions with those of the complementary gender. At first, the fox's failure to snack on it was just unrealistic, but after a few chapters i really wanted her to eat him just to shut him up.
Ultimately, the conclusion is... absurd, in the bad way. It's the kind of story where i hope the author was stoned out of their mind when they wrote it, because i can't think of any other way it could have seemed like a good idea.
And what sure didn't bring me back into the story was the sugar glider's obnoxious Pepé Le Pew approach to social interactions with those of the complementary gender. At first, the fox's failure to snack on it was just unrealistic, but after a few chapters i really wanted her to eat him just to shut him up.
Ultimately, the conclusion is... absurd, in the bad way. It's the kind of story where i hope the author was stoned out of their mind when they wrote it, because i can't think of any other way it could have seemed like a good idea.
jaime_of_gryffindor's review
3.5
This book had a great concept, but I struggled to read through it. Since it’s a children’s chapter book, maybe kids would like it better than I did. It just didn’t hold my attention as well as I had hoped.
yapha's review
3.0
Fun new animal adventure mystery, with fabulous spot illustrations for each chapter by a former student of mine. It features some interesting and unusual animals including a pangolin, sugar glider, wombat, kiwis, and jerboa as well as some more familiar ones. Recommended for animal lovers, grades 3 & up.
ARC provided by illustrator.
ARC provided by illustrator.
scostner's review
4.0
Imagine life as a nocturnal animal, sleeping by day and active by night. How different the world would be if you only saw it in shadows and silvery moonlight. What would you do if suddenly other animals started disappearing? Perhaps you hear rumors, a faint call for help, or even the sound of a scuffle. Who could be doing this and why? That is what happens to the characters in The Mysterious Abductions. Three very different animals - Tobin the pangolin, Bismarck the sugar glider, and Dawn the fox- work together to save themselves from a hungry snake on the very first night they meet. That success leads to the formation of the Nocturnal Brigade, with the three new friends ready to help others. And the brigade is formed just in time, because animal after animal is disappearing from the area near the river and no one knows who is taking them or why. Following the trail of missing animals, the brigade must face hungry crocodiles, swiftly flowing rivers, sharp rocks, and even sonar-addled bats. Will they be able to find the missing animals and return them to their families?
The Nocturnals features a wide variety of nocturnal animals - foxes, coyotes, sugar gliders, bats, pangolins, wombats, crocodiles, jerboas, kiwis, and tarantulas. It also features some wonderful vocabulary, especially from Bismarck (the sugar glider). He wants so much to impress everyone, even though he is such a small creature, that he uses very large words such as stupefying, precarious, and tardiness. Along with the extra-large words, he also sprinkles words and phrases from other languages into the conversation like absolument, ma cherie, amigos, and mio amore. Tobin is impressed by him, but Dawn sees through the theatrics and just gives him a look or a sigh to show that she isn't falling for his charm. The relationship between the three friends and the other animals has many humorous moments, even while they are on their mission to find and rescue the missing creatures.
Readers who enjoy animal adventures such as The Guardians of Ga'Hoole may have a new series to add to their bookshelves. The Mysterious Abductions is merely the first book featuring the Nocturnal Brigade, and there will be plenty more danger and laughter for the friends to share.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher for review purposes.
The Nocturnals features a wide variety of nocturnal animals - foxes, coyotes, sugar gliders, bats, pangolins, wombats, crocodiles, jerboas, kiwis, and tarantulas. It also features some wonderful vocabulary, especially from Bismarck (the sugar glider). He wants so much to impress everyone, even though he is such a small creature, that he uses very large words such as stupefying, precarious, and tardiness. Along with the extra-large words, he also sprinkles words and phrases from other languages into the conversation like absolument, ma cherie, amigos, and mio amore. Tobin is impressed by him, but Dawn sees through the theatrics and just gives him a look or a sigh to show that she isn't falling for his charm. The relationship between the three friends and the other animals has many humorous moments, even while they are on their mission to find and rescue the missing creatures.
Readers who enjoy animal adventures such as The Guardians of Ga'Hoole may have a new series to add to their bookshelves. The Mysterious Abductions is merely the first book featuring the Nocturnal Brigade, and there will be plenty more danger and laughter for the friends to share.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher for review purposes.
libscote's review
2.0
The actual story was fine--nocturnal animals are being kidnapped by a mysterious creature, and a group of friends form to solve the mystery. There's a fun take on a human game that is also appealing. I did find the language to be a bit didactic (animals explaining what their features are.) What I really didn't enjoy was the overly flirty sugar glider. Is that something we really need in children's literature? Perhaps I'm being unduly influenced by the political sphere, but I was irritated that the character with the most "personality" basically spent most of his time trying to woo a creature much larger than himself.
Thank you Auburn Public Library for letting me borrow this book.
Thank you Auburn Public Library for letting me borrow this book.
mom2qam's review
4.0
My daughter and I read this aloud which really gave life and voice to the characters beyond what you might get when reading it to yourself. Fun book.
andiebach's review
4.0
Benji and I read this together. It was a cute story and fun one to read aloud!