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Find a Missing Star
Uncover the mysteries of Bikini Bottom with SpongeBob SquarePants and his friends in this all-new middle-grade series!
Featuring beautiful black-and-white chapter heading illustrations by award-winning comics superstar and New York Times bestselling creator Francesco Francavilla.
On the eve of a mayoral event happening at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob’s best friend Patrick Star goes missing! With no one willing to help find him, SpongeBob and Squidward put on their best detective gear and hit the case themselves. But as their investigation leads them to the darkest corners of Bikini Bottom, secrets about SpongeBob’s best friend are quickly revealed.
Energetic and fast-paced, with plenty of kid-friendly humor, David Lewman’s Find a Missing Star , the first in the SpongeBob SquarePants Mysteries series, is a great read for new and longtime fans of the hit Nickelodeon TV series.
Featuring beautiful black-and-white chapter heading illustrations by award-winning comics superstar and New York Times bestselling creator Francesco Francavilla.
On the eve of a mayoral event happening at the Krusty Krab, SpongeBob’s best friend Patrick Star goes missing! With no one willing to help find him, SpongeBob and Squidward put on their best detective gear and hit the case themselves. But as their investigation leads them to the darkest corners of Bikini Bottom, secrets about SpongeBob’s best friend are quickly revealed.
Energetic and fast-paced, with plenty of kid-friendly humor, David Lewman’s Find a Missing Star , the first in the SpongeBob SquarePants Mysteries series, is a great read for new and longtime fans of the hit Nickelodeon TV series.
224 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2022
4 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
July 31, 2023
A really fun book featuring mystery, humour, and really it just was like I was reading an episode of the show!
I haven’t watched SpongeBob in a while, grown out of it, but I used to really enjoy the show and I watched most of the movies in the cinemas. So when I saw this book was about to release? I needed it! I was curious about the mystery, about how it would be written, if it would really capture SpongeBob.
Well, I can tell you, that it definitely did! As I said in my opening sentence, it really felt like a SpongeBob episode! Pure chaos, lots of fun, SpongeBob being SpongeBob. It was just oodles of fun to read especially since things get even more fun with each new clue. From going to the Krusty Krab to costuming as Pirates to get into a very exclusive Pirate bar to being kidnapped by parents because your fake parrot chatted about treasure tot lots of bubbles to tick tock tick tock and Plankton als makes an appearance. There is just so much to read and I just was having fun trying to figure out the mystery alongside Squidward and SpongeBob. Of course, given how the story went one way and then the next, it wasn’t always easy, but I did have some clues and some suspects.
I loved how dedicated SpongeBob is to finding his friend. At times a bit over the top for me, but I still found it cute that he would go this far. And Squidward is of course roped in the whole thing, thanks Mr. Krabs. I loved that these two even went so far to wear private eye detective outfits to make it all better.
I loved the illustrations in the book and I also loved the little intros into the chapters! Those were fun and really gave it that noir/mystery vibe the book was going for.
The ending was super and really fun and I loved how everything just came together~
I did feel for SpongeBob. I mean, I could understand the police peeps at one level (I mean not everyone can handle a full on SpongeBob), but to make fun of him while he is there? Make rude pictures of him? Nah, that just went too far.
But I haven’t been the biggest of fan of Patrick, and this book definitely didn’t make it better. I mean, when they are looking for evidence in Patrick’s house instead they find A LOT of items from Squidward’s house. Yep. He has been stealing stuff. Then next they go to Squidward’s house and find that Patrick has been there. Eating all the food. Using paintbrushes and other items of Squidward. Ruining his clothes. I mean, what the actual fuck Patrick? It really destroyed my enthusiasm to find Patrick. And that didn’t change as the story continued. Which is just not what you want. Here you have a missing star, you want people to find him. Not hope he stays away.
But other than that and of course the rolls eyes banter/arguments with SpongeBob and Squidward, this was oodles of fun and I definitely hope we are getting more books in this series~
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
I haven’t watched SpongeBob in a while, grown out of it, but I used to really enjoy the show and I watched most of the movies in the cinemas. So when I saw this book was about to release? I needed it! I was curious about the mystery, about how it would be written, if it would really capture SpongeBob.
Well, I can tell you, that it definitely did! As I said in my opening sentence, it really felt like a SpongeBob episode! Pure chaos, lots of fun, SpongeBob being SpongeBob. It was just oodles of fun to read especially since things get even more fun with each new clue. From going to the Krusty Krab to costuming as Pirates to get into a very exclusive Pirate bar to being kidnapped by parents because your fake parrot chatted about treasure tot lots of bubbles to tick tock tick tock and Plankton als makes an appearance. There is just so much to read and I just was having fun trying to figure out the mystery alongside Squidward and SpongeBob. Of course, given how the story went one way and then the next, it wasn’t always easy, but I did have some clues and some suspects.
I loved how dedicated SpongeBob is to finding his friend. At times a bit over the top for me, but I still found it cute that he would go this far. And Squidward is of course roped in the whole thing, thanks Mr. Krabs. I loved that these two even went so far to wear private eye detective outfits to make it all better.
I loved the illustrations in the book and I also loved the little intros into the chapters! Those were fun and really gave it that noir/mystery vibe the book was going for.
The ending was super and really fun and I loved how everything just came together~
I did feel for SpongeBob. I mean, I could understand the police peeps at one level (I mean not everyone can handle a full on SpongeBob), but to make fun of him while he is there? Make rude pictures of him? Nah, that just went too far.
But I haven’t been the biggest of fan of Patrick, and this book definitely didn’t make it better. I mean, when they are looking for evidence in Patrick’s house instead they find A LOT of items from Squidward’s house. Yep. He has been stealing stuff. Then next they go to Squidward’s house and find that Patrick has been there. Eating all the food. Using paintbrushes and other items of Squidward. Ruining his clothes. I mean, what the actual fuck Patrick? It really destroyed my enthusiasm to find Patrick. And that didn’t change as the story continued. Which is just not what you want. Here you have a missing star, you want people to find him. Not hope he stays away.
But other than that and of course the rolls eyes banter/arguments with SpongeBob and Squidward, this was oodles of fun and I definitely hope we are getting more books in this series~
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
July 6, 2024
I am going to get my daughter's approval before I give this book to my granddaughter to read.
This is the first book in the series.
In this book, Patrick Star is kidnapped by pirates because he catches them planting a bomb outside The Krusty Krab. The restaurant is going to be the site of the Mayor of Bikini Bottom's anniversary dinner, and everyone is going to be attending.
Of course, SpongeBob and Squidward save the day, and no one is hurt, but in my opinion, the plot is a little more "serious" than Stage Fright, the third book in the series.
This is the first book in the series.
In this book, Patrick Star is kidnapped by pirates because he catches them planting a bomb outside The Krusty Krab. The restaurant is going to be the site of the Mayor of Bikini Bottom's anniversary dinner, and everyone is going to be attending.
Of course, SpongeBob and Squidward save the day, and no one is hurt, but in my opinion, the plot is a little more "serious" than Stage Fright, the third book in the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 16, 2024
Would you enjoy reading it again:
No. There was no genuine humor to this book - the humor within the book was the same vibe as a middle schooler writing a book; the characters did not feel like the genuine characters on TV: the characters felt stressful here. The book was poorly written, there was nothing really encouraging me to continue reading, there was no emotion (neither sad nor happy) and the different ideas were illogically thrown together (ex. unclear why Patrick went to SpongeBob's grandma's house, etc.)/ no theme or any sort of thing encouraging the reader to truly continue reading - 1
SUMMARY: *SPOILERS* Patrick goes missing where SpongeBob becomes a detective to find Patrick. Squidward begrudingly helps SpongeBob because Mr. Krabs promises to put up Squidwards paintings on the wall during a major event when the Mayor goes to the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob and Squidward do random things to find Patrick where they follow different things Patrick did the day he went missing: eating SpongeBob's grandmother's cookies, buying a pirate outfit and going to sketchy pirate club, going to Chum Bucket, etc. When found, Patrick admits he was embarassed to tell SpongeBob he likes dressing up as a pirate where SpongeBob said Patrick doesn't have to hide that side of himself (but this isn't written well and so it's not emotional and it's dull/ boring). Patrick was planning on blowing up the Krustry Krab when nobody was around but since the Mayor event was pushed back a day (since SpongeBob was busy searching for Patrick), the group works to stop the bomb from going off. The mayor is happy over being saved and the book ends on this notion that SpongeBob will continue to solve crimes with Squidward.
Did you enjoy the plot:
It was bad but I kept reading through it and it was good enough to keep me reading. Like I said, all of the events seemed irrelevant to each other. The different places they went COULD have had funny scenes but there was no real humor in this book because it was mostly SpongeBob being too serious and nothing really funny happening around them - 2
Did you enjoy the writing style:
Not really. A lot of the scenes could have been removed and the book would have still been fine; there was no central theme or anything. The characters were not fleshed out at all and they could have used other characters than SpongeBob characters and nothing would have changed. The writing also lacks description and anything that truly helps me visualize what is going on- 2
Good ending?
Very predictable and boring. I was expecting the ending but was hoping it would be more emotional; I was let down and it was sad- 2
Format: physical book (hardcover)
Average rating: 1.75 stars. Round up: 2 stars.
No. There was no genuine humor to this book - the humor within the book was the same vibe as a middle schooler writing a book; the characters did not feel like the genuine characters on TV: the characters felt stressful here. The book was poorly written, there was nothing really encouraging me to continue reading, there was no emotion (neither sad nor happy) and the different ideas were illogically thrown together (ex. unclear why Patrick went to SpongeBob's grandma's house, etc.)/ no theme or any sort of thing encouraging the reader to truly continue reading - 1
SUMMARY: *SPOILERS* Patrick goes missing where SpongeBob becomes a detective to find Patrick. Squidward begrudingly helps SpongeBob because Mr. Krabs promises to put up Squidwards paintings on the wall during a major event when the Mayor goes to the Krusty Krab. SpongeBob and Squidward do random things to find Patrick where they follow different things Patrick did the day he went missing: eating SpongeBob's grandmother's cookies, buying a pirate outfit and going to sketchy pirate club, going to Chum Bucket, etc. When found, Patrick admits he was embarassed to tell SpongeBob he likes dressing up as a pirate where SpongeBob said Patrick doesn't have to hide that side of himself (but this isn't written well and so it's not emotional and it's dull/ boring). Patrick was planning on blowing up the Krustry Krab when nobody was around but since the Mayor event was pushed back a day (since SpongeBob was busy searching for Patrick), the group works to stop the bomb from going off. The mayor is happy over being saved and the book ends on this notion that SpongeBob will continue to solve crimes with Squidward.
Did you enjoy the plot:
It was bad but I kept reading through it and it was good enough to keep me reading. Like I said, all of the events seemed irrelevant to each other. The different places they went COULD have had funny scenes but there was no real humor in this book because it was mostly SpongeBob being too serious and nothing really funny happening around them - 2
Did you enjoy the writing style:
Not really. A lot of the scenes could have been removed and the book would have still been fine; there was no central theme or anything. The characters were not fleshed out at all and they could have used other characters than SpongeBob characters and nothing would have changed. The writing also lacks description and anything that truly helps me visualize what is going on- 2
Good ending?
Very predictable and boring. I was expecting the ending but was hoping it would be more emotional; I was let down and it was sad- 2
Format: physical book (hardcover)
Average rating: 1.75 stars. Round up: 2 stars.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2023
Honestly, this was a great book to read, considering it felt like a new SpongeBob episode. Plus, SpongeBob used to be and still is my favorite show of all time. Squidward is my favorite character. Mr. Krabs was setting up the Krusty Krab for the celebration for the mayor of Bikini Bottom. So SpongeBob had to cook krabby patties for the event, but he was so worried about his best friend Patrick because he disappeared, which made him really want to go find him. Surprisingly, Mr. Krabs understood that because he also wanted Patrick at the Krusty Krab to join the event. Mr. Krabs sent Squidward to help SpongeBob go look for Patrick. However, Squidward didn't want to but Mr. Krabs said "Help SpongeBob find Patrick or you'll be fired" which made Squidward not have a choice. SpongeBob and Squidward acted like detectives to go find Patrick. Did they find him at the end? I know what happens but one way for all of you to find out is if you read that whole book.
September 27, 2024
When Patrick Star goes missing, SpongeBob sets out to find his BFF. Unable to afford a private eye, SpongeBob, with the help of Squidward dons a trench coat and fedora, and takes on his first case as a Private Eye!
March 5, 2023
It's a fun book for a kid to read. My daughter liked it. She was shocked who did the deed. It's probably best for 2nd graders but I think too simple for 3rd graders and too big for 1st graders.
March 31, 2023
3/31/23
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Love the inclusion of Norton.
⭐⭐⭐⭐
Love the inclusion of Norton.
February 25, 2024
Exactly what you'd expect a SpongeBob mystery book to be.
February 3, 2025
I love Spongebob and Squidward’s dynamic in this. I also love how weirdly anti-cop it is.
June 21, 2025
Great book with lots of laughs! My son and I have loved it. Kept him totally engaged!
September 21, 2025
This was better than I remembered it being. The first person pov was weird but this was definitely a fun, lighthearted mg Sponge mystery that was true to their characters. What I found especially amusing was the author managed to even write in Mr. Krabs’ iconic laugh. And also, Karen being the villain mastermind was a nice twist.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 6, 2025
Squidward says the word "legit." It just sounds wrong.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews