(2) K-3 Illustrated by Leanne Hatch. "Not-so-good" thoughts flutter and flap around a child's head at bedtime: "What if there are spiders in the house? What if I have a scary dream when I fall asleep?" Mom senses these worries and offers a soothing concept: "'Thoughts are like birds,' she says. 'Some fly away quickly...but others build nests in our heads.'" Smith (known for her adult poetry and memoir) thoughtfully uses this comparison to encourage readers not to simply ignore their negative emotions but rather to counter them with happy memories that these birds can use to "build nests." The specific, affection-infused memories on which the narrator and Mom reflect -- catching fish in a creek, eating banana bread still warm from the oven -- acknowledge the joy and peace that readers of all ages can find in simple, everyday occurrences. Hatch's use of hand-painted textures in the digital art enriches the book's comforting atmosphere, letting warm colors increasingly brighten the at-first gray birds that represent the narrator's worried thoughts. This book serves as an accessible and empathetic look at the impact that anxiety has on children, while celebrating the loving bond between a mother and child as they choose to face their fears together.

Reviewer: Ed Spicer | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2024

(1) 4-6 The transition to middle school is often a time of tumult, with the upheaval of old elementary school routines and friendships. But for eleven-year-old Violet Hart, the changes are even more far-reaching. Her blended family has just moved into a long-empty, ramshackle house, and her new bedroom is a creepy third-floor attic, wallpapered with twisting vines. After an upsetting sleepover with both old and potential new friends, Vi retires to her room feeling ill. She rides out her virus (she tests negative for COVID-19 and mono) but continues to be plagued by lingering exhaustion and brain fog. Her parents are proactive, but multiple doctors can't find anything physically wrong and suggest that she is merely seeking attention or is in need of mental health counseling. Vivid nightmares, complete with tendrils from the wallpaper slithering down the wall and across the room, slow her recovery, demanding her attention. Ursu (The Troubled Girls of Dragomir Academy, rev. 9/21) maintains a light but decidedly eerie touch as she weaves her "not quite a ghost" story, in which the house itself becomes a character and slowly reveals its secrets. She simultaneously writes in a compelling way about difficult-to-diagnose, recurring illnesses. And just as with such conditions, there is no neat and facile wrap-up to the haunting narrative.

Reviewer: Luann Toth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2024

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Michael Fry. After saving Christmas (The Naughty List), Bobbie returns to normal life until her elf friends reappear asking for help closing the Trans-Dimensional portal. She grudgingly agrees, only to have Grumpus try to use her nightmare to terrorize the real world. A frantic pace, haphazard encounters, and Bobbie's near-constant complaining may annoy readers, but there's plenty of anarchic humor and comics-style illustrations to enjoy.

Reviewer: Russell Perry

(2) K-3 Refugee Mustafa, who has traveled "a very, very long way" to live in a new country, shows signs of trauma: dreams of "smoke and fire and loud noises" wake him; he hides when he meets someone new. Finally, Mustafa meets a kindred spirit when a girl invites him to feed fish in a koi pond. The touching book ends with a satisfying feeling, reinforced by exuberant mixed-media illustrations.

Reviewer: Julie Hakim Azzam | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2018

(3) 4-6 Babysitting Nightmares series. Babysitter Rebecca Chin is spooked when sweet baby Kyle begins acting strangely. Together with friends Tanya, Maggie, Clio, and Clio's aunt Kawanna, Rebecca discovers that the Night Queen kidnapped Kyle and replaced him with a changeling. In this diverting new series, Shepherd provides plenty of supernatural scares along with realistic examples of loyalty and conflict among the diverse cast of heroines.

Reviewer: Mariko Turk

(3) 1-3 Tiger's friend Monster was sent to scare her as a baby, but instead they became friends. Since a monster has to scare something, it scares away Tiger's nightmares...until one night a very strong, very scary one gets through. A tale of supportive friendship and common childhood phobias is clearly told for young readers in graphic-novel panels with loosely rendered, emotive pencil and watercolor illustrations.

Reviewer: Katrina Hedeen

(4) YA Josh(lyn)'s to-do list includes honing her abilities as True Dream Walker; saving Haley from Death; and keeping separate the universes of Dream, Death, and World (waking life). Josh's quest is made more difficult by her conflicted feelings toward Feodor and Will and by trauma-fueled episodes. A somewhat unevenly paced narrative manages to wrap up the trilogy's (Dreamfire; Dreamfever myriad interrelated story lines.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) 4-6 When witches steal twelve-year-old Nell's mother and turn her into a bird, Nell and her brothers enlist the aid of "Fearless Traveler" Duke Badger. Duke takes the siblings to the parallel Dreamlands world to find their mother in the Wicked Places, where the group must thwart the nightmarish witches' plan. Begler offers a whimsical adventure full of magic and creatures that will leave readers begging for more.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(3) YA The Reader series. After Sefia and Archer (The Reader) rescue a group of enslaved boys, they vow to hunt down the remaining impressor gangs and free their captives, too. Excerpts from Sefia's prophetic book and several seemingly unconnected subplots are interspersed; the capable heroine, diverse cast of characters, and fully realized fantasy setting will keep readers engaged as elements slowly come together for a suspenseful, poignant climax.

Reviewer: Katie Bircher

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lucas Turnbloom. Color by Guy Major. In this second graphic novel, Ben and his friend Jake have turned Ben's ability to enter and alter people's dreams into a booming business--until Ben must save Jake from a Harvester, who feeds kids to the Vortex of Nowhere. Varied color palettes differentiate between dreams and the waking world, and twists and turns make for a well-paced plot.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(4) YA Sixteen-year-old Heather is plagued by nightmares and impulses to cut herself. On an annual summer trip to Edinburgh, she tries to ignore these strange happenings--until she learns they might mean she is a witch. A light contemporary travel mystery contrasts with Heather's sinister dreams and supernatural experiences. Her increasingly eerie story is engaging, but conflating self-harm with powerful blood magic is problematic.

Reviewer: Jessica Tackett MacDonald

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Karl Kwasny. As the title suggests, this tongue-in-cheek handbook (companion to the Nightmares! trilogy) gives readers advice on how to conquer different kinds of nightmarish creatures encountered during sleep. Twenty-two sections illustrated in grayscale describe different "species," detail strengths and weaknesses, and offer tips and "fun facts." Occasional stories featuring familiar series characters confronting particular types of nightmares will entertain both established fans and new readers.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Lucas Turnbloom. Color by Guy Major. In this graphic novel, Ben learns that his ability to jump into people's dreams has strange connections to a group of sleep-clinic patients trapped in a "permanent dream state." Variations in panel size and color palette, and alternation between dreamscapes and the waking world, make this a well-paced adventure despite the series-opening exposition.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Karl Kwasny. Charlie Laird is experiencing someone else's nightmare about sheep, which worries him; as does the reappearance of the Kessog twins, INK and ICK. It's up to Charlie and his friends to save the Waking World and the Netherworld in this entertaining third Nightmares! adventure. Occasional grayscale illustrations once again nicely reinforce the mix of creepiness and humor present throughout the trilogy.

Reviewer: Cynthia K. Ritter

(3) YA Teen prodigy Joshlyn Weaver must teach her apprentice, Will Kansas, about dream walking--entering the Dream universe to combat people's nightmares. Josh and Will must determine whom to trust as they protect their society from the dangers of the Dream before it falls apart. Alloway's debut novel presents a compelling world within a world, including warring governmental systems and complex characters.

Reviewer: Jenn Matters

(4) 4-6 Spine Shivers series. Illustrated by Nelson Evergreen. This not-so-scary series covers many bases: evil clowns, ghost children, a robot apocalypse, and evil mud clones. While the creep-factor may be low for die-hard horror fans, the suspenseful narratives (and hair-raising covers) will work for newcomers and/or reluctant readers. Three full-page black-and-white illustrations accompany each book. Back matter includes discussion questions, writing prompts, and brief backstory for the supernatural events. Glos. Review covers these Spine Shivers titles: Attack of the Mud Creatures, The Grin in the Dark, The Screaming Bridge, and Tech Fury.

Reviewer: Sian Gaetano

(2) 4-6 Sophie's parents run a secret shop beneath their bookstore selling dreams. One night Sophie, who can't dream, steals one and discovers that she has the dangerous power to bring dream-creatures into the waking world. Sophie's dream-friends Monster and the delightfully arrogant unicorn Glitterhoof keep the story merry with their precocious quips, but the adventure does take some turns through dark and perilous territory.

Reviewer: Sarah Berman | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by Karl Kwasny. This second Nightmares! book is unsettling, spooky, and silly. With the help of his herbalist stepmother and charming but annoying little brother, Charlie Laird must discover what is causing local folks to act like zombies. And it's up to him to restore balance in the dream realms. Both settings--small-town Cypress Creek and the nightmarish Netherworld--are well realized, as are Charlie's struggles to juggle friendship, family, and heroism.

Reviewer: Morgan Stewart

(4) YA Fear Street series. Hoping a return to normalcy will aid her emotional recovery after a car accident that took her father's life, Lisa agrees to babysit a neighborhood boy. While on the job, she struggles to separate reality from hallucinations--and then her friends start dying. Driven by cliffhangers and plot twists, the story lacks depth and complex characters but offers chills at a quick pace.

Reviewer: Randy Ribay

(4) K-3 Julio is afraid to go to sleep until his papa explains to him that every culture has heroes to battle monsters. Though non-rhyming, the simple text has a pleasant rhythm in both Spanish and English. Many cultures and time periods are represented by the brightly colored heroes battling the multitudes of cartoonish monsters that clutter each spread.

Reviewer: Siena Leslie