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Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventure #1
Night of the Living Worms: A Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventure
What's a bird to do when his sibling is a big-time celebrity? It's a question Speed Bump has to deal with every single morning, because his brother happens to be the one and only Early Bird. You know, THE Early Bird, who ALWAYS gets the worm! Unfortunately, Speed Bump is a sleepy little bird with a big head and tiny wings who's worried he'll never live up to his brother. But he has a great buddy, the ever-hungry Slingshot, who knows how to lift his spirits. Together, they end up on an adventure deep in the nighttime forest, where they're forced to confront something more terrifying―and slimier―than they've ever imagined. It could all go horribly wrong . . . or it could just change Speed Bump's luck for good.
128 pages, Hardcover
First published October 20, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews
January 1, 2017
I received a copy of this title from PanMacmillan Australia for review.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Speed Bump lives in the shadow of his older brother, Early Bird, who always gets the worm. When Speed Bump and his friend Slingshot come up with a plan to beat Early Bird to the worm, things become more complicated than they expect.
Night of the Living Worms sits in that category of books between picture books and chapter books, wherein the author knows that for beginning readers - and indeed, for any reader who enjoys more context around their text - illustrations are essential. This book is a bit of a combination between chapter book and graphic novel, with no more than a paragraph of text on each page, some of which is encased in speech bubbles, and every page is adorned with eye-popping line art to bring the story to life.
Speed Bump is a good sleeper who lives in the shadow of his older brother, Early Bird. As we all know, Early Bird gets the worm and for this reason, Speed Bump has to content himself with nuts and berries for snacking on, until such time as he can beat his seemingly unbeatable brother to that elusive worm. Slingshot is Speed Bump's best friend and a more stalwart and supportive companion a bird could not wish to find. When the two decide to take up a foolproof strategy to beat Early Bird to the worm, things don't go as planned. There are worms available for the plucking alright, but it turns out that maybe these worms have a plan all their own to defeat Early Bird!
Helped by a collection of forest creatures, Speed Bump and Slingshot must find courage they didn't know they had and find a way to save the day, before Early Bird meets a nasty, worm-driven end.
This book was heaps of fun to read and the characters are vivid and full of personality. The nightwalker worms were actually pretty creepy when viewed all together, but there are plenty of laughs throughout the story that will please reluctant readers and those who just want to have fun in their reading. As an early chapter book, it's a quick read for an accomplished reader, but for those just starting out on longer books it should provide just enough challenge, as well as plenty of support through the illustrations and use of white space and speech bubbles. I quite enjoyed a selection of illustrated punny goodness early on in the tale, with various birds making various punny comments to elicit a guffaw or two.
The ending of the book is both exciting and quite fitting for the trouble that Speed Bump and Slingshot went to - as well as for the trouble they got themselves in! This book also contains a preview of the second book in the series, Night of the Living Shadows, to further hook in young readers and create anticipation. I'd say this intrepid duo are definitely one to watch if you have a mini-fleshling in your dwelling who is just beginning to tackle longer books, or indeed one that just loves a good comic adventure story with larger than life protagonists.
Ten Second Synopsis:
Speed Bump lives in the shadow of his older brother, Early Bird, who always gets the worm. When Speed Bump and his friend Slingshot come up with a plan to beat Early Bird to the worm, things become more complicated than they expect.
Night of the Living Worms sits in that category of books between picture books and chapter books, wherein the author knows that for beginning readers - and indeed, for any reader who enjoys more context around their text - illustrations are essential. This book is a bit of a combination between chapter book and graphic novel, with no more than a paragraph of text on each page, some of which is encased in speech bubbles, and every page is adorned with eye-popping line art to bring the story to life.
Speed Bump is a good sleeper who lives in the shadow of his older brother, Early Bird. As we all know, Early Bird gets the worm and for this reason, Speed Bump has to content himself with nuts and berries for snacking on, until such time as he can beat his seemingly unbeatable brother to that elusive worm. Slingshot is Speed Bump's best friend and a more stalwart and supportive companion a bird could not wish to find. When the two decide to take up a foolproof strategy to beat Early Bird to the worm, things don't go as planned. There are worms available for the plucking alright, but it turns out that maybe these worms have a plan all their own to defeat Early Bird!
Helped by a collection of forest creatures, Speed Bump and Slingshot must find courage they didn't know they had and find a way to save the day, before Early Bird meets a nasty, worm-driven end.
This book was heaps of fun to read and the characters are vivid and full of personality. The nightwalker worms were actually pretty creepy when viewed all together, but there are plenty of laughs throughout the story that will please reluctant readers and those who just want to have fun in their reading. As an early chapter book, it's a quick read for an accomplished reader, but for those just starting out on longer books it should provide just enough challenge, as well as plenty of support through the illustrations and use of white space and speech bubbles. I quite enjoyed a selection of illustrated punny goodness early on in the tale, with various birds making various punny comments to elicit a guffaw or two.
The ending of the book is both exciting and quite fitting for the trouble that Speed Bump and Slingshot went to - as well as for the trouble they got themselves in! This book also contains a preview of the second book in the series, Night of the Living Shadows, to further hook in young readers and create anticipation. I'd say this intrepid duo are definitely one to watch if you have a mini-fleshling in your dwelling who is just beginning to tackle longer books, or indeed one that just loves a good comic adventure story with larger than life protagonists.
March 24, 2018
Speed Bump, is determined to beat his brother, Early Bird to a worm, but it seems hopeless as the Early Bird always gets the worm. Along with his best friend Slingshot, he leaves the nest at night, and they uncover a plan by the night crawlers to set a trap for the Early Bird. Speed Bump must devise a plan to save his brother. Along with Slingshot, and new friends Hoover, and Soda Pop, a plan is hatched to save his brother, and not upset the "Very Serious Rule."
January 18, 2023
A cute book, well suited for those kids who have graduated past easy readers but aren't quite reader for full chapter books.
Speed Bump lives in the shadow of his brother, Early Bird, but when he discovers an evil plan by the nightcrawlers to hurt his brother he steps up and saves the day.
Full of puns and action, with cute illustrations and speech bubbles!
Speed Bump lives in the shadow of his brother, Early Bird, but when he discovers an evil plan by the nightcrawlers to hurt his brother he steps up and saves the day.
Full of puns and action, with cute illustrations and speech bubbles!
January 19, 2022
Given the big deal a patron made over finding this book and saying it’s the best kid’s book he ever read, not that impressed
October 27, 2015
NIGHT OF THE LIVING WORMS by Dave Coverly is the first book in the new Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventures series.
With potty humor and endless puns, this wacky new series will keep chapter book readers howling. Speed Bump never gets up early enough to get the worm. However one day, Speed Bump along with his sidekick Slingshot decide to get up before dawn. The pair soon discover that the worms have something awful planned for Speed Bump’s brother Early Bird. Our heroes save the day, but their reward doesn’t turn out to be the treat Speed Bump expected.
The book’s combination of sketches, speech bubbles, and attractively displayed text will drawn in young readers.
While some of the jokes may be missed by younger children, librarians will find that the wacky illustrations and silly story will appeal to the target audience. Add this to the library’s collection of humorous chapter books for the primary grades.
Learn more about the author at http://www.speedbump.com/.
Published by Christy Ottaviano Books from Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan on October 20, 2015. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
With potty humor and endless puns, this wacky new series will keep chapter book readers howling. Speed Bump never gets up early enough to get the worm. However one day, Speed Bump along with his sidekick Slingshot decide to get up before dawn. The pair soon discover that the worms have something awful planned for Speed Bump’s brother Early Bird. Our heroes save the day, but their reward doesn’t turn out to be the treat Speed Bump expected.
The book’s combination of sketches, speech bubbles, and attractively displayed text will drawn in young readers.
While some of the jokes may be missed by younger children, librarians will find that the wacky illustrations and silly story will appeal to the target audience. Add this to the library’s collection of humorous chapter books for the primary grades.
Learn more about the author at http://www.speedbump.com/.
Published by Christy Ottaviano Books from Henry Holt, an imprint of Macmillan on October 20, 2015. ARC courtesy of the publisher.
May 5, 2017
Cute Chapter Book for Kids
This is a cute book that kids are sure to love. It is a 2017-18 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (SSYRA) nominated book for grades 3-5. I'm sure even our most reluctant readers will read this one. We ask our students in grades 4 and 5 to read at least three nominated books each year. Then they are able to vote for their favorite.
This is a cute book that kids are sure to love. It is a 2017-18 Sunshine State Young Reader's Award (SSYRA) nominated book for grades 3-5. I'm sure even our most reluctant readers will read this one. We ask our students in grades 4 and 5 to read at least three nominated books each year. Then they are able to vote for their favorite.
November 29, 2016
I read through this quickly while I was at work, and oh man, it was actually pretty funny. I mean, this book is probably aimed at elementary schoolers, and I'm 24. It made me laugh anyway. The author's got a real talent for humor.
Definitely check this out.
Definitely check this out.
July 7, 2017
This is definitely a book that will get the boys reading! Short, full of intelligent humor, and nicely illustrated.
December 21, 2017
puns are basically everywhere. and the book is so cute!!
October 19, 2023
2.49/5 Rounded down.
Night of the Living Worms is an early reader's chapter book filled with illustrations and cheesy bird puns. It won the Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYR) for the 2017-2018 school year. I picked it up since I'm trying to read more children's horror.
The plot primarily focuses on younger brother, Speed Bump (SB for short) feeling lesser than his older brother, Early Bird. Yes, the proverbial early bird is his older brother. So naturally SB feels lesser than his very talented brother. This is a great premise kids can relate to.
So SB and his bestie Slingshot, who has a slingshot (at this point I feel Coverly breaking my ribs he's nudging me so hard) decide the only way SB will get his very first worm, this bird has never even tasted a worm for himself, is if he stays up all night to beat his brother to the worm. Not a bad set up.
My biggest gripe about this book is the illustrations. Illustrations are wonderful in helping kids transition into chapter books. They provide visuals for readers to better understand what's going on in the text. Coverly seems to have wanted to write a graphic novel but had too many words. His illustrations aren't just depicting what the words describe but are plot beats themselves. If you took out all the illustrations, you would be missing chunks of the story much like a graphic novel. In general, I found the writing to be bumpy, and easy to disengage with. For example, at the end of chapter four; Hoover the owl decides to help SB and Slingshot, and then next paragraph SB and Slingshot are agreeing Hoover's tailwind is nice. The whole story has jumps like that littered in.
The ending had a nice message. Overall, the story is not terrible, but I think it could have been executed better.
Night of the Living Worms is an early reader's chapter book filled with illustrations and cheesy bird puns. It won the Sunshine State Young Readers Award (SSYR) for the 2017-2018 school year. I picked it up since I'm trying to read more children's horror.
The plot primarily focuses on younger brother, Speed Bump (SB for short) feeling lesser than his older brother, Early Bird. Yes, the proverbial early bird is his older brother. So naturally SB feels lesser than his very talented brother. This is a great premise kids can relate to.
So SB and his bestie Slingshot, who has a slingshot (at this point I feel Coverly breaking my ribs he's nudging me so hard) decide the only way SB will get his very first worm, this bird has never even tasted a worm for himself, is if he stays up all night to beat his brother to the worm. Not a bad set up.
My biggest gripe about this book is the illustrations. Illustrations are wonderful in helping kids transition into chapter books. They provide visuals for readers to better understand what's going on in the text. Coverly seems to have wanted to write a graphic novel but had too many words. His illustrations aren't just depicting what the words describe but are plot beats themselves. If you took out all the illustrations, you would be missing chunks of the story much like a graphic novel. In general, I found the writing to be bumpy, and easy to disengage with. For example, at the end of chapter four; Hoover the owl decides to help SB and Slingshot, and then next paragraph SB and Slingshot are agreeing Hoover's tailwind is nice. The whole story has jumps like that littered in.
The ending had a nice message. Overall, the story is not terrible, but I think it could have been executed better.
April 10, 2021
The first in a series of madcap adventures starring best friends Speed Bump and Slingshot.
Speed Bump is frustrated. And he has a lot to be frustrated about with his little wings, his short tail feathers and his rather large head. And his frustrations don’t end there…he is frustrated that he cannot fly fast, that he cannot wake up early and that he cannot beat his brother Early Bird to catch the worm. In search of an early worm, Speed Bump and his best friend Slingshot head out into the night where they not only uncover a field of terrifying nightcrawlers but a plan to put an end to Early Bird and his worm catching ways…
This is a ridiculously funny read that will have readers hooked from the start. Speed Bump and Slingshot are a delightful bird-brained duo whose antics will have readers howling as the pair go about trying to secure Speed Bump a worm that he feels worthy of eating. Along the way, they meet birds who live up to their names and provide some very amusing dialogue, and their own worm-hunting endeavours are supported by another funny duo in Soda Pop the mouse and Hoover the owl.
The story is told through a combination of traditional narrative and oversized illustrations with speech bubbles. Comedic moments are non-stop, whether it be slapstick humour, clever wordplay, a funny one-liner or one of the many puns.
Brilliantly bonkers bird-brained fun!
Recommended for 7+.
Speed Bump is frustrated. And he has a lot to be frustrated about with his little wings, his short tail feathers and his rather large head. And his frustrations don’t end there…he is frustrated that he cannot fly fast, that he cannot wake up early and that he cannot beat his brother Early Bird to catch the worm. In search of an early worm, Speed Bump and his best friend Slingshot head out into the night where they not only uncover a field of terrifying nightcrawlers but a plan to put an end to Early Bird and his worm catching ways…
This is a ridiculously funny read that will have readers hooked from the start. Speed Bump and Slingshot are a delightful bird-brained duo whose antics will have readers howling as the pair go about trying to secure Speed Bump a worm that he feels worthy of eating. Along the way, they meet birds who live up to their names and provide some very amusing dialogue, and their own worm-hunting endeavours are supported by another funny duo in Soda Pop the mouse and Hoover the owl.
The story is told through a combination of traditional narrative and oversized illustrations with speech bubbles. Comedic moments are non-stop, whether it be slapstick humour, clever wordplay, a funny one-liner or one of the many puns.
Brilliantly bonkers bird-brained fun!
Recommended for 7+.
January 14, 2018
My daughter and I read this story together. It is about a bird who is always out of luck when it comes to getting to taste a juicy worm. His brother, Early Bird, is always there first. His friend, Slingshot goes on an adventure with him in the middle of the night to finally get a worm. He realizes that night crawlers fill the night and they are planning an attack on Early Bird. Now this little bird must put siblings differences aside and decide that saving his brother from a horrible fate is what he must do, even if he never gets to taste a juicy worm.
June 15, 2018
For more reviews, check out my blog: Craft-Cycle
A very amusing and entertaining read. This is the first Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventure book I have read and I enjoyed it. I really liked the format of the book. It blends traditional block text with speech bubble dialogue. It is one step closer to full chapter books from Mo Willems books. A good introduction to chapter books.
This is a fun read with lots of puns and silly scenarios. Very entertaining. I also enjoyed the humorous drawings.
A very amusing and entertaining read. This is the first Speed Bump & Slingshot Misadventure book I have read and I enjoyed it. I really liked the format of the book. It blends traditional block text with speech bubble dialogue. It is one step closer to full chapter books from Mo Willems books. A good introduction to chapter books.
This is a fun read with lots of puns and silly scenarios. Very entertaining. I also enjoyed the humorous drawings.
October 24, 2017
Dave Coverly cracks me up. I loved Dogs Are People, Too so I grabbed this one when I saw it. I'd recommend it for fans of Bird & Squirrel graphic novels who are ready to move on to more text. My favorite part as an adult reader were the chapter opening panels including the dedication, and the occasional jokes for adults who may be reading this aloud to their children. The artwork is fabulous, too.
July 11, 2017
Fabulous! You thought different birds could be "the early bird [who] gets the worm"? In this story, Speed Bump is the bumbling, late sleeping, slow flying brother of Early Bird. But the night crawlers are planning revenge against Early Bird. Fun mix of regular reading and a sort of graphic novel. My whole family loved reading it aloud - more than once - before it had to go back to the library.
Read
September 15, 2020This is a great chapter book for early elementary kids. It’s hilarious, has very appealing illustrations and moves along quickly. It was hard for my son and I to stop when it was dinnertime! We’re looking forward to reading more Speed Bump and Slingshot (and my are their names perfect for them!). There is also some great wordplay that adults and kids will love.
February 2, 2017
This was a fun and goofy read for bedtime with my kid. It was particularly enjoyable for us since we have a nightcrawler composting box, so my little one found the worm's revenge particularly amazing.
June 30, 2017
Not my sense of humor but this rating is because my 10yo thought it very funny and my 8yo non-reader (has FragileX) sat with me the entire 30-ish minutes it took me to read it to him and then walked around with it the next two days still enjoying the pics/going through on his own.
March 18, 2018
This is another of our Sunshine State Young Readers Award, Jr. books. It was a quick & easy read (like most beginning chapter books). I found it definitely geared toward a young audience with its humor type (lots of puns), but the illustrations were fabulous. I also love how the story has a moral.
October 15, 2018
Nothing special about this book, but it's hard to find something solid in the emergent reader's realm. There was enough there to make it mildly entertaining and after I was done I didn't feel like I'd done anything worse than if I had just watched a pointless cartoon.
June 10, 2019
My favorite part of this book was when Slingshot and Speed Bump went for a midnight snack because it was dark. The cover was so detailed and funny. The sad part was when Speed Bump’s brother ate the wrong worm.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 4, 2017
My son and I had a great time reading this book
June 9, 2017
So cute! Kids are going to love it! I think this might be the winner!
June 13, 2017
Eh... not a bad book, but not my thing.
July 7, 2017
Cute story- boys would love it. Almost like a graphic novel
July 16, 2017
Very funny
It was super funny a comedy more then anything
Good children's book I finisher it very quickly for a sunshine state book
It was super funny a comedy more then anything
Good children's book I finisher it very quickly for a sunshine state book
August 2, 2017
What a cute book! Kids will love reading this one.
August 27, 2017
Good, quick read for reluctant readers.
September 24, 2017
Pretty cheesy-Young readers will like it though.
October 21, 2017
Recommended for fans of Bunjitsu Bunny, Mercy Watson-- looking for something a little harder.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 76 reviews