Megabat Is a Fraidybat

Daniel and his friend Megabat are going to sleepaway camp for the very first time! It is Daniel’s second week of summer vacation, and he is playing the “Would You Rather?” game with his best friend, Megabat. Daniel complains about being bored and wishes that something exciting would happen, and then his parents tell him that he is going to Camp Wildwood for a whole week.

Daniel is terrified. What will the camp experience look like? Will the cabin be old and leaky? Will the food be “gray slop?” How will it feel to be alone at camp? Megabat comes to the rescue by telling Daniel that he will join him at camp: “Nonething is fearsome when Megabat’s nearsome!” Daniel reluctantly boards the yellow bus on the journey to camp. He meets a friendly and encouraging bus driver as well as Irwin Appleman, an experienced camper who befriends Daniel and Megabat.

Camp Wildwood turns out to be not so bad! Daniel’s fellow campers in Cabin 8 are friendly, and his counsellor, Vijay, is a famous prankster. The activities are fun, and the food is tasty, even if the ghost stories are scary! Soon Daniel concludes, “I kind of like it here.” Meanwhile, Megabat makes his own friend – a tiny wild bat with a rather large and scary mother. They start having adventures together, but Megabat is afraid of their late night travels. “Megabat didn’t like strange, dark places…but he didn’t want to sound like a fraidy-bat either.

Megabat Is a Fraidybat is the third book in the Megabat series by Anna Humphrey. This time, Daniel and his best friend Megabat are facing a new challenge by going away to sleepaway camp. They are also facing their fears about dealing with new adventures. This story is a wonderful introduction to the camp experience for young readers since it describes camp life and interactions. It is also a very good story about dealing with fears. Sometimes, fears can be based on real dangers, but, in many circumstances, fears are not based on reality. In this unusual COVID-19 time, young people are experiencing fear, stress and uncertainty because of their new reality. Megabat Is a Fraidybat would definitely help them talk about the feelings they are experiencing and explore ways to deal with these feelings.

Kass Reich’s illustrations are wonderful. They add a striking visual element to the storyline which will help young readers to relate to the characters and their experiences. Megabat’s missaid words add a great deal of humour to the storyline. As well, Daniel is a very realistic character who loves to play the game “Would You Rather?” with his friend Megabat. He also loves to read graphic novels about the superhero Diamond Foot. The information section at the end of the novel, “A Little Bit about Bats”, will give readers additional interesting information about real-life bats.

Young proficient readers will be able to read this early chapter book novel on their own. Megabat Is a Fraidybat would also be a good choice for a read-aloud. There are several compelling topics explored in this novel: friendship, summer camps, fears, ghost stories and challenges. There are several memorable messages in this novel, including, “Everyone’s afraid of something” and, “Doing stuff together always make it easier.” Young readers will definitely look forward to the next novel in the Megabat series!