I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Daniel Misumi has been forced to leave his friends and his old home when his family moves…and he is not happy. He hates their new house and he especially hates his bedroom up in the attic. To make matters worse, he is pretty sure his room is haunted. He hears a sad, disembodied voice calling out for “buttermelons" and a mysterious puddle keeps appearing on the floor.
It turns out that Daniel's ghost isn’t a ghost at all. It is a sad, scared, homesick fruit bat. Daniel decides to help the bat—whom he names Megabat—get home. Along the way, he makes new friends and he and Megabat finally find their way home, but perhaps not quite in a way they initially imagined.
Megabat was a fun story. The book is funny and has a dose of Star Wars tossed in. Megabat himself is adorable. I love bats and I don't like it when they are portrayed as disgusting and dangerous. Megabat is neither of those things and he is an excellent ambassador for his species. Readers who have moved to a new city and who have struggled to meet new friends will relate to Daniel. Antagonist Jamie is a little intense at times, but the suspense never gets to be too much and the situations resolve quickly.
Megabat is great beginning chapter book, especially for reluctant to read boys…an audience I struggle with finding beginner chapter books for.

A talking fruit bat who like Star Wars. A talking fruit bat who is far from home. A talking fruit bat who is best friends with a lonely boy, the girl next door, and birdgirl, the local pigeon.

All this makes for a fun, silly book about loneliness, and making friends, with bats and people.

Daniel has had to move to a new house from Toronto.

Megabat has accidentally moved to the new house too, by way of Borneo.

With the help of Talia and Birdgirl, Megabat and Jamie find what is important in friendship.

It is silly. It is fun. It is just right for early readers.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

This is the story of a boy and a fruit-bat. Both are sad and lonely yet it's their loneliness that brings them together forming a common bond.
The boy, Daniel Misumi has just moved from Toronto to a new house. The house is big and old and far away from his friends and his life before. Right off Daniel senses something is not right about the house. Is it haunted?
The bat, who calls himself Megabat was just napping on a papaya one day when he was stuffed in a box and shipped halfway across the world. Now he's living in an old house far from home, feeling sorry for himself until he meets a Daniel.
Daniel soon realizes the house is not haunted, rather he is sharing his room with a talking bat.
Despite Megabat's sadness and baby talking, he's actually kind of cute.
Daniel's quest to return his new friend to his home in Borneo is met with numerous obstacles making the story exciting and a bit suspenseful.
The reader will find them-self wrapped up in butter melons, juice boxes, a lightsaber, a common enemy, a cute little bat and an annoying pigeon and suddenly you've got a new friendship in the making!
I feel this short chapter book will be quite effective in engaging the young reader, male and female.

What child would not want to find a talking fruit bat in their attic bedroom? Daniel has moved to a new neighborhood and he is not happy. He does not like his house or the bedroom attic he was given, that is until he discovers what is making the puddles on the floor. When Daniel meets Megabat, he discovers that he is from Borneo and accidentally was shipped to the US in a crate of papayas. He wants nothing more than to go home. Daniel, with the help of his new neighbor Talia, tries to come up with a way to get him back to Borneo. Star Wars, pigeons, little brothers and juice box straws used as light sabers all add to the story.

This is a cute early chapter book for kids who love animals, adventures, making new friends and solving problems. Having a good imagination helps as well. The chapters are short, interesting and have just enough black and white illustrations to keep the story interesting and add detail. A great book for schools, classrooms, public libraries or a family library.

Absolutely loved this book. From page 1 I was fully in. So adorable. Can't believe I have to wait so long to stock it. It'll be an easy sell.

Update FYI: Had my second grade daughter do a read, and she polished it off in a very short sitting, laughing and being charmed by Megabat! Who wouldn't be? I can't wait.

This was an absolutely adorable read! The story of Daniel meeting a lost bat - Megabat - in the attic of his new house was enchanting! The two of them become fast friends and even though this book is geared toward children, I found myself rooting for Megabat to return home while at the same time wishing and hoping he would stay with Daniel forever. The illustrations were so cute and made me want to look in my own attic for a chance of Megabat being there. I'd recommend this book to everyone who's looking for a wonderful read about friendship.

This is probably one of the cutest books I've read in a long time! I have a weak spot of bats anyway, but this one is especially adorable. Megabat came to Canada by way of a crate of papaya from his homeland of Borneo. Daniel just moved to town and hasn't made any friends yet. It's a great little early chapter book, with lots of great descriptions. Highly recommend for younger readers!