Time Buddies

by Matthew Cody, Chad Thomas (Illustrator), Colleen A.F. Venable

Buckle up your chrono-belt and get ready to explore another dimension of the Cat Ninja story! Time Buddies is a history-smashing, humor-packed new graphic novel from Epic Originals!

When Hoot, an adorable, impulsive owlet from the future, meets Bentley, a studious, rule-following kid from the present, neither one quite fits into their own time. But with the accidental click of a sparkly button (or is it a snazzy one?), the two are off on an adventure that winds through ancient Egypt, the Wild West, and even the Renaissance!

Will the history-hopping duo make it back to when they belong, or are these buddies officially out of time?

Genres: Graphic Novels, Time Travel, Childrens, Superheroes

160 pages, Paperback

First published June 25, 2024

About the author

There's a children's book author with the same name: Matthew Cody

Reviews

[Matt Glaviano · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kind of a mess.

[Ms. Yingling · Rating 3 out of 5]

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In this companion to the Cat Ninja series, Bentley is at the art museum with his class. There is an epic battle with Cat Ninja and some evil trucks going on outside, but Bentley isn't really interested in super heroes. He is interested in a hieroglyphic that he sees that seems to show him (the picture looks just like him, down to the details on the shirt he is wearing) being chased by a crocodile. In the future, we see Hoot, Cat Ninja's sometimes sidekick, who is supposed to be on a field trip with her class, but isn't there because she can't get her Chrono Belt to work. She ends up in Bentley's time, and takes him on an epic journey to prehistoric times, the West in 1849, where she ends up in a pie eating contest with Wyatt Burp, and the time of Leonardo da Vinci. Will the two be able to return to their respective time periods without disturbing the past?

This was a very frenetic jaunt through different periods of history. It's a little young for middle school but would be a great choice where the EPIC! books, especially Cat Ninja, are popular.

[寿理 宮本 · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the cutest (if not chronologically coherent) time travel stories I've ever read! Also a semi-crossover with Cat Ninja, haha!

I say this because my spouse and I have been taking in some time travel stories as of recently, and when the tone is "serious," the logical discontinuity of these tend to disrupt suspension of disbelief. Time Buddies is the sort of story that doesn't concern itself with that, because it's just supposed to be cute and funny, not taken seriously! Friendship surpasses continuity errors!

(Also, there's an appendix that explains all the "artistic license" decisions in the book, such as Mustachasaurus Rex, haha.)

Recommended for young time travellers!

[Bexa · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the same universe as Cat Ninja, Hoot accidentally uses his chronobelt to go on a wild ride with Bentley, a young student who tends to worry about everything and struggles to find friends. Jumping through time they meet dinosaurs, an Egyptian crocodile god, Wyatt Burp during the gold rush, and Leonardo Da Vinci. Together they learn to work as a team and that sometimes it's not about who's the sidekick but who's willing to stand next to you during trouble. Lots of silliness and fun, and some very basic facts to clear up any confusion one might have about time traveling talking owls. Excited for more of this series.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this at a local game/comic store and picked it up because the artwork was so darn cute. The collection of stories is adorable and heartwarming. Cute stories that reminded me of growing up on the Magic School Bus (especially with the not quite truths disclaimers at the end) and also of the Owl House -- weirdos have to stick together. Very cute

[Mary T · Rating 3 out of 5]

I might have rated this lower, but my 6 year old was really into it and kept requesting that I read it. It was a little all over the place and hard to understand if you didn't already have context for the different time periods.

[Cat Ninja Wiki · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I've been aware of time buddies since March 21, 2021, and hope it would be a book, and it is.
Such Great Author like Matthew Cody, Colleen AF Venable, and Marcie Colleen. Great Illustrator like Chad Thomas." Want to know more about Time Buddies find out in the Cat Ninja Wiki!
https://cat-ninja.fandom.com/wiki/Tim...