Sleepless! Fancy Nancy~Saturday Night Sleepover by Jane O'Connor

“WAIT TILL YOU HEAR THIS!

MY MOM JUST WON A WEEKEND AT THE
WHISPERING PINES RESORT.

A RESORT IS LIKE A MOTEL, ONLY FANCIER!”

That’s the good news. Nancy and JoJo are ready to start packing when Mom drops the bomb.

“UM....ACTUALLY ONLY DADDY GETS TO COME WITH ME.”

The bad news is that it’s an “adults only” occasion.

Mom and Dad seem unexpectedly excited about going away without Nancy and JoJo along. Nancy is flabbergasted, which is fancy for “I can’t believe this is really happening to me.”

But Nancy’s kind neighbor Mrs. DeVine steps in with the offer of a festive Saturday night sleepover at her house, the fanciest by far in the neighborhood. Before JoJo can manage a full-fledged fuss, Nancy takes charge, describing all the fun she and Bree have had on their sleepovers–-popcorn, pedicures, silly selfies–-and JoJo is mollified, although Nancy is sure she’ll be a little scared when it is time to sleep. It's time for a little big-sisterly reassurance.

“I’LL BE WITH YOU ALL THE TIME,” SHE PROMISES.

And big sister packs everything JoJo may need–-earmuffs to keep out scary sounds, a nightlight to keep away the dark, her bedtime lovey, and her favorite sandwich, in case Mrs. DeVine’s French food is too fancy for her.

And Mrs. DeVine delivers divine diversions for the two sisters. JoJo devours her fancy food like a gourmet, lets Mrs. DeVine re-style her hair and joins a fun fashion show from Mrs. DeVine’s accessory stash. Finally JoJo falls asleep while Nancy watches the late movie.

Mrs. DeVine carries JoJo to bed, and feeling like she’s handled everything like a big sister should, Nancy climbs into the twin bed next to the one where her sister is slumbering. But something’s not quite right.

“IT’S TOO DARK!

IT CAN’T HURT TO TURN ON JOJO’S NIGHTLIGHT....”

It's a long night. As the sleepless hours go by, Nancy uses the emergency supplies she packed for her little sister, earmuffs for strange noises from downstairs and her sister’s sleepytime toy. Nancy even eats JoJo's emergency sandwich, but she still can’t sleep.

“IT’S ALMOST DAWN. THAT’S FANCY FOR SUNRISE.

AND I’M STILL AWAKE.”

There’s only one thing left to do. Insomniac Nancy climbs into bed with her little sister and finally falls asleep, in Jane O’Connor’s and Robin Preiss Glasser’s latest, Fancy Nancy: Saturday Night Sleepover (Harper, 2016).

Her many fans will empathize with Nancy, while younger siblings will enjoy the irony of this humorous sister story in which the character of JoJo is emerging as a comic counterpoint to her fancy-favoring, know-it-all big sister. Glasser’s familiar illustrations continue to add to the fun of these stories in her many telling touches–-setting detail, facial expressions, and body language–-that make this series a long-time winner.