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Melonhead and the Later Gator Plan
The sunshine state seems the perfect place for a short vacation for best friends, Melonhead and Sam. Fun in the sun is the order of the day in this funny and heartwarming story about friendship, community, and the special connection between kids and those young at heart.
Melonhead and his best friend, Sam, are off to Florida to stay with Melonhead’s grandparents for a few days . . . in a place called Paradise. From the Ponce de León Clubhouse, where everything is “for the convenience of the residents” (in other words, free!), to barking tree frogs and marshmallow-shooting Alligator Distractors, Paradise is living up to its name.
Sam wants to bring a Floridian pet back home with him. The boys set their sights on an alligator, convinced that it would be easy to carry an egg on the plane, and then hatch it once they’re home. The only problem is that Paradise is supposedly “alligator-free.” What happens next even the boys don’t expect, and suddenly they’re the talk of the community. Even Melonhead’s grandparents are impressed—and ultimately thankful. Paradise will never be the same again!
Melonhead and his best friend, Sam, are off to Florida to stay with Melonhead’s grandparents for a few days . . . in a place called Paradise. From the Ponce de León Clubhouse, where everything is “for the convenience of the residents” (in other words, free!), to barking tree frogs and marshmallow-shooting Alligator Distractors, Paradise is living up to its name.
Sam wants to bring a Floridian pet back home with him. The boys set their sights on an alligator, convinced that it would be easy to carry an egg on the plane, and then hatch it once they’re home. The only problem is that Paradise is supposedly “alligator-free.” What happens next even the boys don’t expect, and suddenly they’re the talk of the community. Even Melonhead’s grandparents are impressed—and ultimately thankful. Paradise will never be the same again!
Hardcover
First published March 1, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
March 17, 2015
With his mother away on a vacation with some friends and his father having to unexpectedly do damage control for his boss, ten-year-old Adam (Melonhead) Melon and his best friend Sam head to Florida where they stay with his grandparents in their retirement villa. Melonhead and Sam have been plotting to persuade their parents to let them have a dog of their own, and they decide that one of the wild inhabitants of Florida might make a great pet. Thus, they have ambitions of bringing home an alligator, an armadillo, even a parrot. What makes the book especially charming is the naïve ways of the two boys--certain that anything that is available in the retirement villa is free for the taking, and the guileless way in which they make friends with many of the residents, providing their grandparents with a host of new friends as well. As they work to create what they call an Alligator Distractor that uses marshmallows as bait, they meet up with some unlikely characters, including someone who once worked for NASA, and they have an unexpected alligator sighting right in the backyard. Through it all, they correspond with some of their friends back home, who have a big surprise for them when they return home. The scenes in which the two friends keep pestering the stewardess on their flight to Florida are hilarious, simply because the boys are so clueless about what they are doing and think someone else is bothering her. (I think I've traveled with these boys before on a couple of my own flights.) This one tickled my funny bone, and I would imagine it would have even more appeal for readers who are nine, ten, and eleven.
December 1, 2015
Melon Head is on his way to Florida in this sequel with his best friend Sam. While there the boys hope to bring back an animal and they decide that Florida is filled with alligators. Knowing they would have a hard time bringing back one on the plane their plan is get an alligator egg and hatch it when they get home. They just want to have fun and they do accomplish that part of their mission. The story involves a community, children and how they relate in a warm very human way. The text is not difficult to read and the author uses different fonts to highlight different parts of the text such as letters. This is a good fifth book in the saga of Melon Head so fans of this character will enjoy reading more about a very engaging boy as he continues through life.
July 28, 2015
bookaday #113. What a hoot - Watch out Paradise Retirement Community - Melonhead and Sam are headed your way with their usual hilarious situations!
February 9, 2016
Asher (9yo) read.
May 21, 2023
Read this with Hank a few chapters a night. Cute book! I enjoyed the kids sense of humor.
July 1, 2023
Funny, enjoyable, and a few twists.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews