Junior Novels
The junior novels were made for the target audience of the films, and often sold at the Scholastic Book Fair. While they are very faithful to the films, there are some details and plot beats that differ from the final prints slightly.
Night at the Museum
Night at the Museum
| Author | Leslie Goldman |
| Published | 2007 |
| Publisher | Barron's Educational Series |
| Publication Place | Hauppauge, NY, United States |
| Page Count | 139 |
| Links | Amazon Digital Archive |
Synopsis
"Halt, dangly bells!"
This section contains major plot spoilers. Reader discretion advised!
Larry Daley isn't doing so well in his life: the past few years have been a mess, much like his apartment. Nick's room doesn't even have a door, there are papers and failed inventions strewn about, and Larry begins the book arguing with the cable company to get his TV back on. After successfully negotiation the return of his TV, and being reminded by his landlord that the rent is late, he runs off to a business meeting to pitch a restaurant idea. The pitch fails spectacularly, and Larry has to find a way to make his rent in two weeks or less.
The events of the plot are similar to the film from this point on. Rebecca is portrayed a bit more seriously, and the AMNH is not open when Larry arrives. A blue beetle is the first thing Larry sees come alive, but said beetle escapes the museum and turns to dust on the first night. Moments that appear in deleted scenes and bonus features are seen, such as Larry meeting Spitzer the Whale in the Ocean Life exhibit, going to Rebecca's brownstone, and Lewis and Clark boarding the bus. At the book's halfway mark, there are film stills on glossy pages that are accompanied by quotes from the book.
Details
- The Daleys are fans of the New York Rangers hockey team.[1]
- Larry's idea for a shabu-shabu restaurant is from an earlier version of the film, and the scene was actually filmed. It survives in the deleted scenes.[2]
- Larry used to work for Kinko's, the shipping company that would later become FedEx.[3] He was fired due to causing $80,000 of damage after a Jack-o-lantern candle set off the sprinklers.[7] This is counted as a misdemeanor on Larry's background check.[8]
- Erica's apartment is on 5th Avenue, which is in a very expensive part of New York City, with mansions, museums, and shopping districts all down the way.[4]
- Nick's hockey game takes place on Wollman Rink in Central Park.[5]
- Don works on Wall Street.[6]
- Cecil's surname is Frederick, not Fredericks.[9]
- Rexy's skull gets knocked off, and he just puts it right back on. This makes sense, considering the whole "throw the bone" thing.[10]
- No operator is called.[10]
- Christopher Columbus takes offense to being mistaken for Napoleon.[11]
- Attila is speaking Mongolian.[12] It is likely that Attila is being confused for Genghis Khan by Goldman.
- Both Ahkmenrah and the Tablet are kept behind pieces of Plexiglas during night hours.[13]
- The Mayans use a powder-based poison on their projectiles that makes Larry sleepy as well as numbing him.[14]
- Teddy's hunt is of the mammoth.[15]
- The night guard position comes with a comprehensive dental insurance plan.[16]
- Jedediah is confirmed by McPhee to be Jedediah Strong Smith.[17]
- Nick is ten.[18]
- Larry brings some of Nick's old baby toys to the museum, including the keys Dexter steals on the second night.[19]
- The Tablet says the names of Egyptian gods when it activates: "Thoth. Horus. Ra."[20]
- Jedediah's exhibit is in Utah, but Octavius and his soldiers believe it to be Carthage.[21]
- The Romans participate in post-meal vomiting,[22] something that never happened in real life. The vomitorium is an entrance to a colosseum or public space, not a room in which one vomits up food.
- Larry refused to ask for directions, which contributed to his and Erica's divorce.[22]
- Jed's guns work.[23]
- McPhee does not fire Larry in front of Nick and his friends, only chastises him.[24]
- Ahkmenrah was gagged inside the sarcophagus. Larry and Nick help unwrap him.[25]
- Attila wants to rip Larry apart because he sees him as an authority figure, which he has disdain for. This is framed as him "sticking it to the man".[26]
- Ahkmenrah is referred to as King.[27]
- Cecil is perfectly willing to abandon Reginald and Gus for his own gain.[28]
- Ahkmenrah and Sacajawea don clothing from the lost and found. Ahk wears a blue hoodie and "moon boots", and Sacajawea wears a New Jersey Devils jersey and Uggs.[29]
- Teddy's horse is named Lucky, rather than Little Texas.[30]
- The fact about the money-carrying tax horses is omitted, replaced with Cecil almost crashing into a fence.[31]
- Ahkmenrah cannot read. This is explained by him having someone read to him, and skipping his classes.[32]
- The old guards are rehired as nighttime janitors that help keep the museum clean after the exhibits' antics.[33]
- Rebecca teaches Ahkmenrah to read, in exchange for him proofreading her completed dissertation.[34]
Battle of the Smithsonian
Battle of the Smithsonian
| Authors | Michael Anthony Steele |
| Published | 2009 |
| Publisher | Barron's Educational Series |
| Publication Place | Hauppauge, NY, United States |
| Page Count | 169 |
| Links | Amazon Digital Archive (English) Digital Archive (Italian) |
Synopsis
"Halt, dangly bells!"
This section contains major plot spoilers. Reader discretion advised!
The events of the book are nearly identical to the film. A few details present in the original script appear, such as the Teddy hologram asking for names, the "Oh, come on!" line when Teddy turns to wax, Kahmunrah being unable to read, Mehrenkahre's birthday being 19 June 1105 BCE, the bust of Teddy saying the secret to happiness is having a body, Able stealing the tablet, Oscar the Grouch's lines, and the "brawn always wins" line.
At the book's halfway mark, there are film stills on glossy pages that are accompanied by quotes from the book. Some of them are shots from the original script's few filmed scenes.
Details
- George Foreman isn't mentioned by name, simply called "Champ".[35] This is likely due to copyright, not having the actor chosen yet, or even Steele choosing not to make his work dated by mentioning a celebrity by name.
- Larry is a little meaner to Ed at Daley Devices.[36]
- McPhee literally says he would commit suicide than be a night guard.[37]
- Rexy is able to smell things despite not having lungs.[38]
- "A few others" are aware of the Tablet's magic. This likely refers to Rebecca and the old guard, but implies more know about the museum's night activities.[39]
- Larry's inventions are inspired by the museum's inhabitants: The Unlosable Key Ring was made for Dexter, and The Super Big Dog Bone was made for Rexy.[40]
- Jed calls Larry "Johnny Crackberry" instead of "Bocephus".[41] "Crackberry" was slang for the BlackBerry phone due to its addictive nature, so Jed is implying that Larry is a cell phone addict.
- Larry has nicknamed Attila "A-man".[42]
- The Einstein figurines are in the gift shop, not an exhibit of their own.[43] This is also seen in the movie, confirming the tablet's ability to affect the gift shops of museums.
- Brandon's flashlight is different: instead of a Lunabeam, it is a Quik-Beam. Larry prefers the Biglite 65 instead of the Maglite LED.[44]
- Brandon makes a direct reference to Jump Street, a film Jonah Hill, Brandon's actor, is known for writing and starring in.[45]
- Kahmunrah also speaks German, in addition to French and English, but he isn't very good at it.[46]
- Back in palace life, Kahmunrah threw several temper tantrums.[47]
- Octavius is the one who points out the rusted hole in the shipping container. He doesn't ask what a flapjack is.[48]
- The cherubs argue with one another about their performances.[49]
- The hourglass Jed is trapped in is made of brass.[50]
- The squirrel that attacks Octavius is reddish-brown, not gray like the film.[51]
- Custer blames the "liberal media" for his loss at Little Big Horn.[60]
- Larry says "November Gopher" instead of "November Gorgon".[52] Neither of these are actually in the NATO Phonetic Alphabet, where the phrase would actually be "November Golf".
- Larry speaks fluent Capuchin.[53]
- Amelia calls Jed a Lilliputian, a reference to Gulliver's Travels.[54]
- The "bullet-bullet-bullet" line from the deleted scenes is present.[55]
- Amelia says, regarding the Wright Flyer after she fixes the wire: "We're flat-hatting when we should be in an adverse yaw!"[56]
- Octavius says the "I brought help, as was my charge" line, similar to the original script, but he says it to Jed rather than Larry.[57]
- After Larry convinces Custer to not hide from the battle, he trails behind him to give contradictory advice that the exhibits actually follow.[58]
- Dexter and Able are estranged brothers. Dexter believes that Able thinks he's too good to be part of the family, and chose to enter the space program instead. Able thinks Dexter is jealous of being in his shadow.[59]
- Dexter apologizes to Ahkmenrah for stealing the Tablet.[60]
- Rather than show off the Tablet, Ahkmenrah takes up the role of a tour guide during the extended night hours.[61]
Alternate Covers
Russian (Hardcover)
Italian (translated by Emiliano Favretto)
Secret of the Tomb
Secret of the Tomb
| Authors | Michael Anthony Steele |
| Published | 2014 |
| Publisher | Barron's Educational Series |
| Publication Place | Hauppage, NY, United States |
| Page Count | 168 |
| Links | Amazon Digital Archive |
Synopsis
"Halt, dangly bells!"
This section contains major plot spoilers. Reader discretion advised!
The events of the book are nearly identical to the film. A few details present in the segments of the original script that have been found are in the text, such as meeting Cleopatra, Lancelot kissing Larry's hand, McPhee seeing the tablet glow alone, and Jed and Octavius mentioning wanting viral fame.
At the book's halfway mark, there are film stills on glossy pages that are accompanied by quotes from the book. Some of them are shots from the original script's few filmed scenes.
Details
- The following scenes actually made it to filming and production:
- Chairwoman Madeline Phelps taling to Larry and McPhee.[62]
- The planetarium scene is expanded upon in a few ways: the Neanderthals light torches on guests' tables,[70] Teddy actually fires his gun,[71] and Sacajawea uses a slingshot as seen in some of the advertising.[72]
- Larry picking Nick up from school.[77]
- Dexter stealing the nose from a marble centaur.[83]
- Sacajawea and Larry's conversation about parenthood.[89]
- Lancelot kissing Larry's hand.[92]
- Jed saying "you can't ambush me with that kind of cute"[65], and "you magnificent simian god"[98].
- Walking through Egypt and meeting Cleopatra.[99]
- McPhee and Larry talking after Nick leaves for Erica's apartment.[118]
- McPhee sees the tablet glow without anyone else nearby.[119]
- Larry's gotten a new title: Director of Nighttime Operations.[64]
- McPhee is indeed the one that ordered Laaa to look similar to Larry. While implied in the film, it is confirmed in the book.[65]
- Octavius has a Twitter. Not the AMNH, Octavius specifically.[67]
- The Tablet's decay is foreshadowed earlier, with Teddy having a moment of babbling instead of Ahkmenrah showing Larry the damage.[68] The scene with the tablet decaying is moved to after the planetarium scene.[74]
- Sacajawea helps Teddy calm down from his anxiety with a breathing technique, before suggesting he take the classic route of picturing the audience naked.[69]
- Ahkmenrah is confirmed to be, at minimum, 18 years old: "...the boy looked no more than eighteen years old. [...] The power of his magical tablet had restored his youth as well as his life."[73]
- Nick is 17.[74]
- Andrea's surname is Moreno.[75]
- Larry discovers the events of the prologue without the help of the woman in the archives.[76]
- Throughout his years as the night guard, Larry has learned to tell when sundown will happen just by looking at the sky.[78]
- Nick played violin for two years in middle school.[79]
- Nick's friend's cousin is a club promoter that lives in Majorca, Spain, and has expressly allowed Nick to live with him for his DJ stint.[80]
- To prevent him from tagging along, Teddy tied Dexter up in a sock and locked him in McPhee's filing cabinet. This failed spectacularly.[81]
- One of the Elgin Marbles attempts to wrestle with Larry, and he swiftly brings it down. Larry reveals that he wrestled in high school: 148 opponents, and took third place in the Kings County regionals.[82]
- The gang helps to put the Elgin Marbles back together. Attila puts a horse head on a woman's body, but she seems to like it.[83]
- Lancelot's exhibit is called "History and Myth of the Middle Ages".[84]
- Teddy has read the tales of the Knights of the Round Table, and models his "bravery, honor, and chivalry" after Lancelot.[85]
- Lancelot begins to insist that Sacajawea shouldn't be on this journey, and she nearly calls him out on it before Teddy reassures her.[86]
- Dexter does a fabulous little bow to endear himself to Lancelot.[86]
- Instead of a kerchief, Lancelot has Guinevere's scarf.[87] It is unknown where this places him in the Arthurian mythos, but he does mention receiving it on Joust Day.[94]
- Sacajawea uses her tracking expertise to find the vent where the miniatures fell.[88]
- Lancelot thinks the miniatures are trolls.[90]
- Ahkmenrah attempts to lift the veil for Lancelot, but is stopped by Teddy.[91]
- The Pompeii diorama has glass in front of it, not the head of Augustus.[93]
- Octavius says "Iiepmop", not "Iiepwop", when misreading Pompeii.[93]
- Lancelot assumes Arabic numbers are Druidic.[94]
- The group is warned to remain quiet by several Buddha statues.[95]
- Teddy explains what a Garuda is, and according to him, he "had to carry one of them down Mt. Kailash after [he] lost a wager with a monk".[95]
- As the magic decays in the Xangliu room, Teddy assumes the voices of presidents as well as quoting them, and Ahkmenrah shuffles around while muttering to himself, instead oof the pained screaming he shows in the film.[96] Jed and Octavius, meanwhile, swap voices and dialects.[97]
- Larry doesn't know about Galahad, Lancelot's son, from his assumption that Lancelot would be a terrible father.[99]
- Ahkmenrah is friends with other mummified pharaohs, including Imhotep, Ramses (no clue which one), and knows of Cleopatra. Unfortunately, their youth is not restored.[100]
- Shepseheret is taller than Merenkahre.[101]
- When divulging the Tablet's secret, Merenkahre capitalizes Death, implying another god or figure, not the natural process of life cessation.[102]
- The gun Teddy threatens Lancelot with just before the Escher painting scene is an .375 Holland & Holland Magnum, [103] a gun that he could have used in his lifetime. A photo exists of him with an Holland & Holland .500.
- Octavius doesn't mention Lancelot's "hypnotic blue eyes", but instead his "spectacularly good looks". He also calls him a "beautiful man".[104]
- Octavius is a commander rank.[105]
- Laaa is the one to unlock the door, not Larry.[106]
- Lancelot is riding at half an acre per hour.[107] This translates to about 13.27 KMH (8.25 MPH).
- Jed and Octavius try to convince Larry to take a video of the lions in Trafalgar Square in an attempt at viral fame.[108]
- Lancelot's perspective of Camelot changes at the performance, where he complains about the fakery of it all. He says "Do you know how long I've dreamed of coming home? And for what? Some tawdry deception?"[109]
- On the rooftop, the scene of death plays a little differently: Teddy falls down face-first, Attila falls to his knees, Sacajawea's mouth is sealed shut, Ahkmenrah's face cracks and crumbles, and Dexter takes two steps before collapsing. Larry attempts to give him CPR.[110]
- Jed and Octavius are made of lead.[111]
- The Tablet doesn't immediately revive upon turning the last piece, making Larry think he's failed.[112]
- The miniatures are held in Nick's pocket for the third act instead of Attila's hat.[113]
- In a surprisingly poignant moment, Lancelot lets Guinevere's scarf fly away into the night, giving up his dream of Camelot.[114]
- Lancelot fixes his melted nose perfectly.[114]
- Teddy has been in the museum for 60 years, making his date of arrival 1954.[115]
- Lancelot tamed Trixie with "some liver snaps and the business end of a broadsword".[116]
- Octavius kept some photos on the front desk computer. He asks Larry to delete them before the night ends.[117]
Alternate Covers
Japanese (translated by Yuka Takahashi)[61]
Characters
| Character | Presence | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Delores | NATM | The customer service rep Larry speaks to in order to get his cable turned back on. In the few pages where she is mentioned, she doesn't speak, but she does turn Larry's cable back on. |
| Miguel | NATM | Larry's super (aka landlord). An apparent fan of the band Gipsy Kings, kind enough to let Larry live in his apartment for two months without paying the rent. |
| Gabe | NATM | The doorman to Erica's apartment building. |
| Denny | BOTS | Larry's personal chauffeur. He may be aware of the magic, considering that he gets Larry a bag of toys from a pet store. |
| Scruff | BOTS | Mentioned by the guard that buzzes Larry into the archives to be throwing a party that Brandon will attend. |
| Tess | BOTS | The woman seen at the end of the film that Larry mistakes for Amelia. |
| Josh | SOTT | A friend of Nick's that doesn't leave the Daley apartment with the crowd, and inadvertently reveals that the party seen was not the first Nick has thrown in his father's apartment. He is grateful that Nick throws these parties, and is nothing but thankful to both the Daleys, even as Larry is actively kicking him out. |
| Tarquin | SOTT | Tilly's boyfriend. Tilly is speaking to him on the phone when Larry arrives, and is on-off with him throughout the book. He is described as a "gangsta", complete with grills, chains, and wearing his hat sideways. |
References
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