Sometimes it feels like every original story has already been told and that those stories have to fit within the confines of their setting, characters, or story. But author Jake Evanoff has reminded me that sometimes you can make something new simply by throwing together a few unrelated concepts and creating a tossed salad of an original story. This is exactly what he’s done with his children’s book, Norman Space Bat. Below is my review of Norman Space Bat along with my interview with Evanoff about his book and his writing.
Norman Space Bat plot summary
Norman is a young bat who gets lost while playing “sonar tag” with his friends one afternoon. He ends up being kidnapped by an evil organization called the VIPD.
In an attempt to escape, Norman finds himself in outer space with a powerful “T-Chip” attached to his chest. He ends up hiding out in a space shuttle just before it takes off and finds himself in outer space. Norman arrives on a future version of Earth where he meets a group of futuristic creatures known as The Overwatchers. Together, they devise a plan to defeat the VIPD and get Norman home.
A space adventure for young readers
Norman Space Bat is the perfect early reader for sci-fi fans. This 50 page-book is broken up into short chapters that incorporates new vocabulary words without any made-up words or jargon usually found in space-themed stories.
Each page contains just a few sentences. So, despite its length, it’s not a long story to get through. I’m not sure the chapters were really necessary, but for a new reader, it provides a nice transition from picture books to longer chapter books.
I read this book on my Kindle, but every page is fully illustrated with colorful drawings that help to tell the story. The characters are full of expression, and the designs are simple but provide nice details that really drive the humor and the blended settings of space, Earth, animals, and science fiction.
The story
The story takes many twists and turns. Evanoff definitely pulls some imaginative scenarios that remind me of the make-believe games I would play with my friends as a kid where our storylines would pivot from one action sequence to the next.
Norman goes from playing a game of tag to blasting off into space to training to take out a dangerous organization in a futuristic timeline. It’s a fun ride that keeps the reader guessing at what will come next.
Because there’s so much to the story, it has a lot to cover in just 50 pages. So, some details end up getting glossed over, starting with how Norman escapes from his cage at the VIPD facility in order to coordinate an attack on the guard along with the other bats. Later in the space ship, it implies that the ship he’s in is just a ride or a game at an arcade, but he then does actually crash land on Earth 2.0.
Given that this is a fantasy story, I tried not to overthink the plot too much. But these little details still nagged at me.
The characters
I’m not usually eager to pick up a sci-fi story, but this being children’s fiction, I decided to make an exception. I was also intrigued by the fact that the main character is a bat, and I like how, despite the fact that he’s a talking animal, it grounds the story with a familiar-looking protagonist.
The friends that Norman makes throughout his story. Are equally cute and familiar. The group that make up The Overwatchers include an alien, a robot, and a sloth. They look like a group of toys that you’d find in any little kid’s collection. It’s an unorthodox crew but an imaginative one.
Along for the ride is Plop, a cyclops-like blob who doesn’t speak but who befriends Norman upon arriving on Earth 2.0. Plop doesn’t speak, but even if he did, there isn’t much dialogue in the story overall. Most of it is told through the narrator’s exposition. So, I would have liked to have seen their individual personalities come through, especially because they are made up of such diverse species.
My recommendation
I recommend Norman Space Bat to any young reader who loves animals, space, and adventure stories. The ending implies that there are more Norman adventures to come, and I think that Evanoff has a ton of imagination and a strong base to build from. I could see Norman Space Bat one day becoming a popular cartoon where readers turned viewers can watch their favorite hero bat go on half hour space adventures every week. But for now, it’s a great story to learn how to read longer work and build up a vocabulary for a lifetime of reading adventures to follow.
About the author and book
Author links:
Book Title: Norman Space Bat
Genre: Children’s Picture Book
Norman Space Bat book summary
Norman is an ordinary bat and he couldn’t be happier with his extremely average life. That would all change on one fateful day when he finds himself on the adventure of a lifetime! From giant black holes to ancient prophecies… With the help of some new friends, will Normal be able to make his way back home and perhaps discover his true purpose in this wild world?
Talking Shop
What do you want readers to take away from your book?
I think what I would like readers to take away is that children’s books don’t need to include a moral or deeper message in order to be enjoyable. Sometimes a book can just be fun, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that.
Name a fact or detail about your story that readers will never know is there.
There may or may not be a hidden clue in the book that points to a future Star Ship Press release.
Who is on your Mt. Rushmore of great writers?
Dav Pilkey, Judy Blume, A.A. Milne, R.L. Stine
How well do you handle criticism, either while writing, editing, or reviews? Do you ever use that criticism to change your story?
When it comes to criticism in reviews, I never take it personally. No matter how much you love your story, there will always be someone who doesn’t love it so much and that’s okay!
What is your most stereotypical writer trait? Your least stereotypical?
Coffee. So much coffee.
“What If” Scenarios
Your favorite character that you’ve written comes to life for one day. What do you do together for 24 hours?
It’s very hard to pick a favorite, but I would love to spend a day with Plop! He’s so easy-going and he’d be content with nearly anything from scaling a mountain to just lounging on a beach all day.
Your book becomes a best seller. What do you do next?
Start writing the sequel!
You have the means to hire a full time assistant to help you with your writing. What tasks do you give them to do?
Helping me keep track of my thoughts! Some days the pile of sticky notes gets a little bit overwhelming.
You have final say over who reads the audio book version of your story. Who do you choose?
It would either have to be David Attenborough or Morgan Freeman.
What famous artist or photographer would you want to create or capture your book cover image?
I would love to see Neil Buchanan’s take on the Norman Space Bat cover.
Just for Fun
Your favorite childhood book or story.
As a child I could never get enough of The Ghost’s Dinner by Jacques Duquennoy.
An item from your past that you’d like to have back.
My old trading cards that have disappeared during various moves over the years.
Your favorite book format.
I have a love for tangible formats. Nothing beats the feeling of cracking open a fresh book.
An activity you stopped doing but would like to start doing again.
I used to ride horses, even competed in a handful of shows. I would definitely love to pick it back up again.
Celebrity you’d want to be friends with.
I would have to go with Ryan Reynolds.
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Great interview! We enjoyed learning about the author and his fun facts.