Nightmares! Book Review

Not your typical kid’s horror novel, Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller’s Nightmares! is the perfect
balance of thrills and chills, slapstick comedy, and heartbreaking family drama. Nightmares! tells
the tale of twelve-year- old Charlie Laird, a boy who led a perfectly normal life until Charlotte
DeChante, a bona fide witch, moves to his small town of Cypress Creek and marries his dad.
When Charlie is forced to move into the sinister purple mansion on a hill that he has wondered
about his whole life, he begins having vivid nightmares about a strikingly familiar witch and her
cat, who agonize between eating him alive and locking him in a cage where he’ll waste away. As
he begins to unravel the mysteries of the terrifying Netherworld, where nightmares live and
children’s sprit’s go to be scared at night. However, when a portal opens and his body is
transported to the Netherworld, Charlie is forced to face problems that could threaten the lives of
him, his brother, and even the nightmares he begins to befriend - and this time, there’s no waking
up. Though the story is thoroughly gripping, almost all of the plot points are thoroughly
predictable. Not quite disturbing, this book is perfect for readers that enjoy a good scare, but aren’t looking for nightmares themselves. This horror story is jam-packed with
exciting chases, creepy crawlies, and magical fun, and is ideal for readers aged 8-12.