Stephen Hillenburg (1961–2018)

This book collects four beginning reader stories featuring the quirky and beloved Spongebob Squarepants, along with his familiar friends. The stories are surprisingly enjoyable; I often cringe when I read beginning readers based on television series, as these are often poorly written and rely on the recognition value of the characters to sell the books. That factor is clearly still in play here, but the writing was clean and readable, it incorporated a lot of dialogue that felt true to the characters, and each one offered a nice and traditional plot arc that was funny and sometimes a little suspenseful. Maybe the show's clever writing is reason for these more quality stories that present various scenarios: Spongebob and Sandy creating a camp and recruiting counselors, the creatures of Bikini Bottom panicking over a UFO that turns out to not be a UFO, Spongebob leading a square dance without any prior knowledge or skill, and a mock noir story where Spongebob must defuse the situation when a customer at Krabby Patty is served a sandwich with no cheese. The silly stories are paired with bright and colorful drawings that faithfully duplicate the style from the television show. When my daughters choose more books based on their favorite characters, I hope the quality will be as acceptable as that found here.… (mere)