Review - Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover

Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover (Fancy Nancy)
by Jane O'Connor
illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser
Date: 2016
Publisher: HarperCollins
Reading level: C
Book type: picture book
Pages: 32
Format: e-book
Source: library

When Nancy's parents win an all-expenses-paid vacation, Nancy and JoJo get to sleep over at their neighbor's home, Mrs. DeVine's. But JoJo is a little nervous to sleep at someone else's house—luckily Nancy is an expert on sleepovers and can help prepare her little sister. The big night arrives, and JoJo and Nancy have a blast at Mrs. DeVine's. But when it's time for bed, it turns out Nancy wasn't as prepared as she thought. Good thing there is nothing better than a sister to make you feel better.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

This might be my favourite of the Fancy Nancy picture books I've read so far (I much prefer the I Can Read! series for some reason). After Nancy's parents win a trip for two, Nancy and JoJo have to spend the night with Mrs. DeVine. Nancy anticipates that JoJo might have a difficult time, so she tries to prepare her little sister for the sleepover. When the time comes, though, JoJo does fine... and it's actually Nancy who has some problems! She hears noises. She can't sleep. She's hungry. She misses her parents. JoJo sleeps through it all, and eventually Nancy takes comfort in the arms of her little sister.

I thought the tables being turned was kind of cute. Nancy might think she knows how she and JoJo are going to react to a given situation, but she's just a kid herself. At least she got to find out that she doesn't have all the answers in a safe environment.

The pictures here are just okay for me. (I'm still trying to figure out why Mom has dark hair in the picture books and almost blond hair in the I Can Read! series.) Mrs. DeVine's house is interesting to look at, even though it almost looks like her interior designer is a time-traveller from the 1800s.

All in all, this is a decent addition to the Fancy Nancy library. I'd definitely recommend it to fans of the character.

Premise: 4/5
Meter: n/a
Writing: 3/5
Illustrations: 3/5
Originality: 3/5

Enjoyment: 3/5

Overall: 3.17 out of 5