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Who's Got the Button? [The Monkees]
Based on "The Monkees" TV show, featuring the real actors/band members faces on front cover.
Another in Whitman's series of collectible books for children, most based on popular 1950s-1960s television & culture! All are hardcovers with illustrated matte covers; no dust jacket.
Another in Whitman's series of collectible books for children, most based on popular 1950s-1960s television & culture! All are hardcovers with illustrated matte covers; no dust jacket.
208 pages, library
First published January 1, 1968
1 person is currently reading
35 people want to read
About the author
William Johnston
106 books15 followersLibrarian note: William Johnston has also written under the pseudonyms Susan Claudia, Willa Jay, Heather Sinclair, Ed Garth, Alex Steele, and William Howard.
William Johnston joined the Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific. He worked as a disc jockey, advertising executive, magazine editor, and PR man before his writing career took off in 1960 with The Marriage Cage, a comic mystery that earned him a Best First Novel Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. He followed that book with a slew of pulp titles for Monarch Books, ranging from light comedy (The Power of Positive Loving) to medical romance (the Doctor Starr trilogy) to soft-core erotica (Save Her for Loving, Teen Age Tramp, Girls on the Wing).
Johnston’s medical novels dovetailed with his first tie-in assignments -- original novels based on the TV series The Nurses, Doctor Kildare and Ben Casey. Those books, published between 1962 and 1964, were so successful that his next original medical romance, Two Loves Has Nurse Powell, was presented as “From the author of Ben Casey.”
In 1965, Johnston wrote an original novel based on the TV comedy Get Smart. The book was a huge success, leading to nine more novels over the show’s five-season history and making him the “go-to” guy for sitcom-based tie-ins. He wrote books based on Captain Nice, Room 222, Happy Days, Welcome Back Kotter, The Flying Nun, The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, The Munsters, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, The Monkees and F-Troop, among others.
But his TV tie-in work extended far beyond sitcom adaptations. He wrote books based on Ironside, Dick Tracy, The Young Rebels, The Iron Horse, Then Came Bronson, and Rod Serling’s The New People, to name a few. He even adapted the cartoon characters Magilla Gorilla and Snagglepuss into books for children.
Johnston also penned many novelizations, including the pilots for the 1930s-era private eye series Banyon and the high school drama Sons and Daughters. His feature film novelizations include Klute, The Swinger, Echoes of a Summer, The New Interns, The Priest’s Wife, Lt. Robin Crusoe USN and his final tie-in project, Gore Vidal’s Caligula (under the pseudonym “William Howard”).
After retiring from fiction writing, he opened his own bar, which he operated for many years. He resided in San Jose, California prior to his death in 2010.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
William Johnston joined the Navy in 1942 and served in the Pacific. He worked as a disc jockey, advertising executive, magazine editor, and PR man before his writing career took off in 1960 with The Marriage Cage, a comic mystery that earned him a Best First Novel Edgar Award nomination from the Mystery Writers of America. He followed that book with a slew of pulp titles for Monarch Books, ranging from light comedy (The Power of Positive Loving) to medical romance (the Doctor Starr trilogy) to soft-core erotica (Save Her for Loving, Teen Age Tramp, Girls on the Wing).
Johnston’s medical novels dovetailed with his first tie-in assignments -- original novels based on the TV series The Nurses, Doctor Kildare and Ben Casey. Those books, published between 1962 and 1964, were so successful that his next original medical romance, Two Loves Has Nurse Powell, was presented as “From the author of Ben Casey.”
In 1965, Johnston wrote an original novel based on the TV comedy Get Smart. The book was a huge success, leading to nine more novels over the show’s five-season history and making him the “go-to” guy for sitcom-based tie-ins. He wrote books based on Captain Nice, Room 222, Happy Days, Welcome Back Kotter, The Flying Nun, The Brady Bunch, Nanny and the Professor, The Munsters, Gilligan’s Island, Bewitched, The Monkees and F-Troop, among others.
But his TV tie-in work extended far beyond sitcom adaptations. He wrote books based on Ironside, Dick Tracy, The Young Rebels, The Iron Horse, Then Came Bronson, and Rod Serling’s The New People, to name a few. He even adapted the cartoon characters Magilla Gorilla and Snagglepuss into books for children.
Johnston also penned many novelizations, including the pilots for the 1930s-era private eye series Banyon and the high school drama Sons and Daughters. His feature film novelizations include Klute, The Swinger, Echoes of a Summer, The New Interns, The Priest’s Wife, Lt. Robin Crusoe USN and his final tie-in project, Gore Vidal’s Caligula (under the pseudonym “William Howard”).
After retiring from fiction writing, he opened his own bar, which he operated for many years. He resided in San Jose, California prior to his death in 2010.
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 15, 2015
I must have been around eight years old when I begged my mother to buy this book for me. We were in that now vanished American shopping mecca known as Woolworth's, and I decided I wanted, no - NEEDED THIS BOOK simply because it had a tiny b&w picture of Micky Dolenz on the cover. As every child learns, whining occasionally works. The book was mine. I put it on my shelf and forgot about it when my fickle, preteen lusts gravitated toward another singing sensation, probably that toothy Mormon boy and his multitudinous brothers.
The book was lugged along on seven moves, mainly because of my dad's voice nagging in my head that those Whitman books would be worth money someday. (This is one of the rare instances where my father was WRONG. There's a copy right now on Amazon for eight cents, a whole eighty-one cents LESS than what my mother paid for mine.) So, as a valuable collectible, this sucks. But, is it at least an entertaining read?
Well . . .
Sucks might be too strong a word.
It was, however, a little less than groovy.
The plot involves the Monkees, aka Beatles Lite, receiving an invitation to perform in the postage-stamp sized European kingdom of Bellevue, where, by the force of the Monkee's winning personalities, they will sell the Bellevuians on the American Way of Life. Turns out, it's actually an espionage assignment. The Monkees need to find a very special button that if punched, will detonate every atomic bomb in the world! So, yeah. The fate of mankind is in the hands of these guys.
But wait, sweet gullible Monkees. Could it be? OH NO!
Look out, Monkees!
It's a trap!
How, oh, how will our boys escape this fine mess they've gotten themselves into?
Well, through a series of bad jokes and an extended chase scene that involves both dinosaurs AND cavemen, that's how! This extreme silliness may have worked well on their TV show - I don't know because it aired past my bedtime - but it's DEATH on the written page.
I'll give this three stars only because it served its purpose as a sugary palate-cleanser between two murder heavy books.
And I'll say this for those Monkees - they were indeed too busy singing to put anybody down.
The book was lugged along on seven moves, mainly because of my dad's voice nagging in my head that those Whitman books would be worth money someday. (This is one of the rare instances where my father was WRONG. There's a copy right now on Amazon for eight cents, a whole eighty-one cents LESS than what my mother paid for mine.) So, as a valuable collectible, this sucks. But, is it at least an entertaining read?
Well . . .
Sucks might be too strong a word.
It was, however, a little less than groovy.
The plot involves the Monkees, aka Beatles Lite, receiving an invitation to perform in the postage-stamp sized European kingdom of Bellevue, where, by the force of the Monkee's winning personalities, they will sell the Bellevuians on the American Way of Life. Turns out, it's actually an espionage assignment. The Monkees need to find a very special button that if punched, will detonate every atomic bomb in the world! So, yeah. The fate of mankind is in the hands of these guys.
But wait, sweet gullible Monkees. Could it be? OH NO!
Look out, Monkees!
It's a trap!
How, oh, how will our boys escape this fine mess they've gotten themselves into?
Well, through a series of bad jokes and an extended chase scene that involves both dinosaurs AND cavemen, that's how! This extreme silliness may have worked well on their TV show - I don't know because it aired past my bedtime - but it's DEATH on the written page.
I'll give this three stars only because it served its purpose as a sugary palate-cleanser between two murder heavy books.
And I'll say this for those Monkees - they were indeed too busy singing to put anybody down.
February 27, 2022
Having read this book in elementary school, I recently decided I needed to reread it and evaluate it as an adult. Thankfully, the utter ridiculousness of events didn't fail to entertain on the second read. Having recently watched a bunch of episodes of the television show helped as well. Each character's voice came through to make me giggle and sigh sadly as my brain reminded me of the recent passing of Mike Nesmith. If you are looking for a fast, amusing, and completely unbelievable read, try to find a copy of this book.
Want to read
April 6, 2012I haven't read it yet but I want to.
Read
January 30, 2018Mom loved the Monkees, in turn as a kid I loved the Monkees! Found this in my grandmas attic and obviously had to read it! Gotta re read for a detailed review but this book spawned a quote that I used to holler around the house and at school (to the confusion of my classmates) "down with antidisestablishmentarianism!!" Even when googling what that meant, as a 10-12 or so year old, I still had no clue what it meant! Obviously I had a lot of fun with this book.
February 1, 2019
OMG! This was a Christmas Gift to me in 1969! I loved the Monkees and I loved the book. I forget how many times I read it and it disappeared during one of my family's many moves. Of course, I'm sure if I read it again, I'd consider it cheesy for all the right reasons. Ah! Sweet memories! Davy Jones Luv forever!
April 5, 2023
Wonderfully stupid. I enjoyed it again on rereading after too many years. Clearly a sign of senility on my part.
Davy, describing the Monkees' act: "I play and sing and these other three do an imitation of me playing and singing."
Davy, describing the Monkees' act: "I play and sing and these other three do an imitation of me playing and singing."
November 26, 2018
The Monkees tv show should be seen and heard, not read.
June 21, 2020
I read this as a child - it's ridiculous and absurd and I still love it.
December 31, 2022
I could hear everything in their own voices. Like a Monkees episode in book form.
October 19, 2025
What a great book enjoyed it
July 5, 2025
It's definitely for children, but it definitely translated the comedy of the show very well!
July 31, 2012
First read this as a kid back in the early/mid-70's, and read it a few times afterward. I still own it. It's been probably 30 years since I last read it. I might have to give it a re-read at some point in the future. But I remember it being a fun, light read.
July 3, 2012
This is the worst book I think I've ever read, but in the best way possible.
February 1, 2013
The Monkees literary equivalent of the Beatles' TV cartoons. Amusing, but not for long.
March 26, 2013
An hilarious view of a trending pocket in time! Printed in 1968, this action adventure has the Monkees saving the world from atomic anhilliation. Fun.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews