Daniel has just moved to a new house and is feeling very upset. Having left all of his friends behind was bad enough, and now it seems that his new bedroom is haunted, too. He keeps hearing a voice in the attic bedroom - a very sad voice. There are also mysterious puddles forming all around the attic which nobody can find an explanation for. Soon, though, Daniel finds out that the 'ghost' is actually a very sad and lonely bat, and they quickly become friends. With the help of his new neighbors, Daniel develops a plan to send the bat safely back home to the rainforest where he belongs.
AGE RANGE KIDS
THEMES
Animals
Comedy
Loneliness
Moving
Bats
Friends
OVERALL RATING 9.5/10
I really loved this book! It may mostly be because the bat is extremely adorable, but there are some other reasons, too. I think this book deals well with the emotions of both Daniel and the bat, while providing perfectly-timed comic relief. It is a great story with a perfect ending. There was one part of the book that I did not like, though, and that was the role of one of Daniel's neighbors, Jamie. Jamie was always trying to trap and hurt the local pigeons, and then also the bat. When his sister asks him not to hurt the bat, he says he will only obey if she becomes his servant for a month. She is mentioned to be cleaning his room, doing his laundry, and even filing his toenails, which just seemed really wrong to have a girl doing for her brother in a book for little kids. Jamie was never redeemed in any way, and he had no actual motive to do the awful things that he did. Also, somehow, Jamie's parents either never noticed or didn't care that his sister was acting as his 'servant' every day, all day.
PROS
Adorable
Funny
Good emotions
Great plot
CONS
The villain has no motive
Really strange sibling relationship and sister being a servant??