Hopscotching Through a Series: Lair of the Bat Monster

After reading Ursula Vernon's Cybil-nominated Dragonbreath book, Attack of the Ninja Frogs, X ordered up the rest of the series from the library. I had found the anti-girl theme a little repellent so I ignored the books until their due-dates threatened and then I cracked and read all three. To my pleasant surprise, without the presence of a girl to elicit comment on what strange and alien creatures females are, the books slid down much more easily.

I grabbed Dragonbreath: Lair of the Bat Monster first, although it turned out to be number 4. Danny Dragonbreath and his friend Wendell Iguana have the same dynamic, with Danny racing heedlessly towards adventure and daydreams while Wendell follows along predicting disaster. Wendell also gets to gawk at the mystical parts of Danny's far-flung family, all connected along a superior bus line, which amuses me because I consider talking iguanas equally fantastic. This book also slid in some nature facts about bats, although I hope everyone is clear that the ecological part of the book ends when the tree-sized bat monsters starts. Wendell gets to step up to the hero plate, and also garners some good blackmail material on Danny, so I'm glad to see the books working to keep their friendship equal. I'll remind X to get the latest one when the library buys it.