Nicholas St. North, a daredevil swordsman seeking treasure in the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen finds, instead, the great wizard Ombric Shalazar and a battle against the Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings--a battle Nicholas can win only if he finds five other Guardians in time.

"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 ManSnoozy-- known in most circles as the Sandman--...

Frustrated when his parents tell him he is too little for some things and too big for others, Olie decides to use the shrink and grow-a-lator.

Dr. Zooper answers questions about life's ordinary puzzles, such as why homework disappears or how a song gets stuck in one's head, by identifying and describing different kinds of Mischievians.