Night Buddies, Impostors and One Far Out Flying Machine

Buddy stories have always been popular among children and adults alike. The idea of two (or more) friends joined together on a journey, facing challenges and learning new things, is one that will never go out of style. Night Buddies, Impostors and One Far Out Flying Machine is story of a group of friends, who although very different from one another, share a special bond that takes them on some wild adventures.

Night Buddies is the story of a little boy named John and his friend Crosley, the red crocodile. These characters were introduced in previous books in the Night Buddies series, so fans will have an idea of the backstory. Crosley is an imaginary friend who shows up on any night when John is having trouble sleeping. He brings with him some amazing magical items that can make things invisible, stop time, and do all sorts of awesome sci-fi tricks.

Mischief is always afoot when Crosley and John meet up, and it’s no different in this latest installment of the series. There’s been an outbreak of vandalism in the Borough, and the suspect has been identified as a red crocodile. As far as anyone knows, Crosley is the only red crocodile about town, but John knows his friend is innocent, so they set out to find out who the impostor is. Along the way they meet more interesting animal friends, including Muriel the buffalo, Ollie the baboon, and Crosley’s brother Crenwinkle. These creatures are all Night Buddies, which means they are imaginary nighttime friends to kids in the Borough. Crenwinkle is the leader of the Night Buddies Amalgamated, an organization that unites these bedtime friends.

There are also quite a few colorful human characters on board as the story unfolds, including Rodney Oglesby the hot dog vendor, Finnegan the policeman, and Fanny Farnsworth, the owner of the All Night Racing Blimp Emporium. A blimp ends up being an exciting part of the story line as the friends pull out all the stops to solve the mystery, clear Crosley’s name and make the Borough safe from vandalism.

Night Buddies, Impostors and One Far Out Flying Machine is written in a unique and creative style that introduces children to more complicated and abstract literary styles. The author includes some made-up words for Crosley to use, and also employs some French phrases throughout the book. Crosley and some other characters speak in a casual dialect that resembles southern American English, and some words of dialogue are spelled phonetically to reflect that. Although the author includes a note at the beginning of the book that states the purpose of the phonetic spins on common words and phrases, some parents might feel that children who have just learned the correct way to spell these words may be confused by the misspelled versions.

Despite these concerns, the vocabulary used in Night Buddies is of a higher caliber than what one normally finds in a children’s’ book. For example, kids will be introduced to words such as “purloin”, “excelsior”, “hyperbole” and “nuance.” There is a glossary included that tells the meaning of these words, as well as the made-up words and French phrases.

Author Sands Hetherington is a North Carolina resident with a passion for telling creative and interesting stories to children. He was inspired to write the Night Buddies series by bedtime stories he used to tell to his son John. They enjoyed expanding on the themes and tossing ideas around until their stories grew and took on a life of their own. Hetherington states authors like Roald Dahl and JRR Tolkien are his literary heroes, so it’s no surprise he’s not afraid to think outside the box when it comes to characters, story-lines, and writing style.

To learn more, visit www.nightbuddiesadventures.com