The Nocturnals: The Mysterious Abductions by Tracey Hecht, Kate Liebman (Illustrated by)

It all starts as a hunt for missing animals.  The hunters are all nocturnal and they band together to search for a missing wombat and some kiwis.  What they find is a real surprise...

Fabled Films Press and Edelweiss gave me the opportunity to read this book for review (thank you). It will be published April 19th.

Dawn is a smart fox, Tobin is a pangolin and Bismark is a sugar glider.  They form the core of searchers but they add more as they go along.

This is written for middle graders and is a bit nonsensical but it's fun to read.  The animals have been taken captive by a crocodile who is determined to teach his friends how to play hockey so he can get his family back from the coachers.

When Dawn and her friends are captured, she works on a plan to win the tournament and ensure their freedom.  

The crocodile changes his mind constantly, the game is a real challenge because they've had no practice, and the animal interaction is amusing.  There are traitors, animals with huge egos, and desperate characters involved.

This was different from what I expected (playing hockey with kiwi bird beaks and a tarantula puck?) but it was interesting and entertaining.  It's also a good way to learn about the animals of Australia.