When the Man in the Moon brought together the Guardians, he warned them that they would face some terrible evils as they strove to protect the children of earth. But nothing could have prepared them for this: Pitch has disappeared and taken Katherine with him. And now the Guardians are not only down one member, but a young girl is missing.

Fortunately, MiM knows just the man to join the team. Sanderson ManSnoozie--known in most circles as the Sandman--may be sleepy, but he's also stalwart and clever and has a precocious ability to utilize sand in myriad ways. If the other Guardians can just convince Sandy that good can triumph evil, that good dreams can banish nightmares, they'll have themselves quite a squad. But if they can't...they might never see Katherine again.

We finally get a novel that spends a large portion of the book focused on the development of a female character. It's a rather sad story, but it has a lot of great parts in it. In particular, it's got a really awesome and ingenious mother and a very creative daughter who gets really powerful by the end of the story. She is quite possibly the second most powerful character in the series, if not the most. Along the way we finally get Pitch's backstory, so there's that be said for the book.

By this point I don't so much like this series as I am used to the prose. The constant obsession with the 'absolutely best' Man in the Moon has always been grating and I can't say I appreciate a character like Sandy who can magically roofie people. NorthxKatherine fans might also be disappointed by this novel. Sorry. Although there is something to be said about this series in the way it promotes platonic relationships between genders.

I am uncertain how Jack Frost will be introduced next novel, whether or not he really is some sort of transformation of Nightlight, but I am looking forward to it. Book 4 was a bit more enjoyable than the others and I really can't wait for book 5. ( )

The Sandman is an old tale but William Joyce puts a new story to the character. These illustrations by far pass much of his other work. Though this story has a much more complex setting compared to his other stories, there is still the feeling of this creative, adventurous world Joyce does so well. This is a book to read after "The Moon Man" by William Joyce. They are connected and were inspiration to the movie "Guardians of Childhood". These stories are great for growing the imagination and building character around these icons (Sandman,Santa, Man in the Moon). ( )

“The Sandman” one of William Joyce’s guardians of children series is an excellent book which I enjoyed for many reasons. First, the illustrations are absolutely beautiful and depict the “dream-like” feel of the sandman’s story perfectly. Each illustration emphasizes Joyce’s words accurately and describes exactly what mood he is trying to portray. Without the pictures, this book wouldn’t have half the fantastic effect that it does. Secondly, I loved the style in which Joyce wrote the book. The story had a very imaginative feel to it which made it adventurous and fun to read. It was a great example of an entertaining fantasy. Lastly, I thought it was very cool how Joyce gave the “history” on such a classic legend, the sandman. He described to readers how the sandman came to be and defeated Pitch, the King of Nightmares. Joyce also gives vivid descriptions of how the sandman answers all children’s dreams and sends forth his “dreamsand” to ward off all nightmares. In my opinion, “The Sandman” has two central meanings. The first one can be summed up in the last three sentences of the book. “So when you’ve had a good night’s sleep and a wonderful dream, you might thank your gentle friend, His Nocturnal Magnificence, Sanderson Mansnoozie, Sandman the First, Lord High Protector of Sleep and Dreams. A Longish name to be sure. But worthy of a diligent dreamer who started his journey as just plain Sandy. When the sandman was about to fight Pitch, the King of Nightmares, he was very afraid. However, he pushed through and conquered his fears in order to protect the dreams of all children. This exemplifies that normal people are capable of conquering very hard and scary things, just like the sandman. You do not have to be strong or powerful to do the right thing, you just have to believe in yourself and have something to fight for. The second central message within, “The Sandman” is to explain to children (through the Sandman’s story) that although nightmares are not very common, they still happen sometimes, and to keep in mind when they happen that they are not real. ( )