This book has been on my radar for some time now, but alas, school books have dominated my reading list for the last couple of years. I thought October would be the perfect month to finally dive into this spooky story for young readers. What better night to stay up late finishing it than Halloween?!
Nightmares! didn’t disappoint! I know sometimes there is a lot of hype around a book because it has a celebrity author, but in this case, this book really is worth the read. I have personally enjoyed Jason Segel’s movies, and yes, I did initially hear about this book during an interview he did on a talk show, but that’s not why I like it. It really is a good story with a sound moral lesson for kids.
Nightmares! is about young Charlie Laird who is going through a difficult time in his life. His dad is recently remarried to a woman Charlie is convinced is more than just an evil stepmother – she’s a witch! Charlie and his family move into Charlotte’s big purple mansion and Charlie immediately finds himself plagued by nightmares. These nightmares are very real, so real in fact that Charlie is convinced that the nightmares have found a way to cross over into the real world!
What ensues is an adventure full of creative characters, surprises (both good and bad), and a sound lesson for Charlie and his friends. Rather than just being a story designed to spook kids, this is a story that really teaches kids about their fears, most importantly, that fear only has power if you give it power. Overcome your fears, and they go away. I think us grown-ups could benefit from that lesson ourselves!
This is a great read for middle grade and up!
Kait's Bookshelf
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