Fly Guy's Ninja Christmas

September 26, 2016
Arnold’s big-eyed hero’s 16th outing is a Christmas tale, and over this book’s three chapters Fly Guy learns what Christmas is all about (“Prezentzz!”), sends Santa careening into the Christmas tree with some well-placed karate moves (“Fly Guy saw a big stranger in the house! He had to save the day”), and manages to set things right before his young human owner, Buzz, wakes up. As usual, Arnold’s punchy sentences are well-targeted to beginning readers, and his scribble-textured cartoons play up the story’s physical comedy as much as possible—Buzz’s parents look with confusion at the bedraggled tree on Christmas morning, though Buzz is too busy opening presents to notice. Fly Guy’s zzz-laden exclamations, his chaotic encounter with Santa, and plenty of “ninja action” to go around should keep this bug’s fans happy. Ages 4–7. Agent: Faith Hamlin, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates.

Fly Guy buzzes in for his 16th outing, with a funny story combining ninja magnetism with the arrival of Santa, all wrapped up in a sparkly, silver cover.Fly Guy's owner, a white boy named Buzz, is reading a book called Night of the Ninja, sparking the talking fly's curiosity about all things ninja. When Fly Guy spots Santa (white, white-bearded, and red-suited) in the living room, the intrepid insect flies into action with a karate kick and his battle cry: "Ninjazzzz!" After knocking Santa into the tree, Fly Guy befriends the man in red and asks for his help with a gift for Buzz. On Christmas morning, Buzz opens his last present to find Fly Guy inside, along with a ninja knight costume, and Fly Guy receives a red ninja outfit from Buzz. The humorous story is short and accessible to new readers, with just a few lines of text per page, interspersed with Fly Guy's pithy comments, usually ending in lots of Z's. Cartoon-style illustrations are drolly comical, with all the characters sporting bulgy eyes similar to those of their favorite pet fly. And Fly Guy himself is quite an appealing character (especially for a traditionally pesky insect), always coming across as cute instead of gross, even when he's eating Santa's cookies. Coming up with an easy-to-read, original Christmas story with a funny plot is a tall order, but the addition of the popular ninja theme sends this one soaring. (Early reader. 4-8) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

October 1, 2016

PreS-Gr 1-A big-eyed boy named Buzz and his lively (and talkative) pet fly, Fly Guy, are back in this zany Christmas Eve adventure. While feasting on milk and cookies, Fly Guy, having just heard a ninja bedtime story, channels his inner ninja and valiantly protects the house from a late-night intruder in a red suit. When Fly Guy discovers he has attacked Santa, he helps set things straight and even gets some gift assistance from the jolly old elf himself. VERDICT Fans of this incredibly popular easy reader series will thoroughly enjoy the seasonal antics of this installment, especially with its sparkly cover and ninja action.-Madeline J. Bryant, Los Angeles Public Library

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