Book review: Tiger vs. Nightmare, by Emily Tetri

Tetri, Emily. Tiger Vs. Nightmare. First Second, 2018. $17.99. 64p. ISBN 978-1-62672-535-5. Ages 6-10. P8Q8

“Monster is my friend,” Tiger tells her tiger parents in this graphic novel. Her parents think that Tiger is making up the monster, but Monster is real—playing with Tiger at night and scaring off all the nightmares so that Tiger can sleep peacefully. When Monster becomes afraid of her own nightmare, however, it is Tiger’s turn to protect her friend. Watercolors and pencil work in the panels and full-page spreads go from the warm yellows and oranges of daytime to the deep blues of night.

Verdict: This charming book presents multiple themes of friendship, victory over fears, cooperation, loyalty, and bravery. A bonus is that the parent Tiger calls “Dad” does most of the caregiving, and the gender of the other parent is unidentified. The nightmare monsters depicted might be a bit much, but the ending shows success at quashing them.

December 2018 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Nightmare Escape, by Greg Grundberg & Lucas Turnbloom

Grundberg, Greg & Lucas Turnbloom. Nightmare Escape. (Dream Jumper series, #1) Scholastic/Graphix,. 2016. $12.99. 208p. ISBN 9780545826044. Ages 8-12. P8Q8

During daytime, Ben is rather ordinary, but his ability to leap into other people’s dreams when he has nightmares makes him try to help friends who can’t wake up because of control by a dream-monster. Unable to sleep, he goes to a sleep clinic, but he has the same trouble there when he finds people who cannot wake up. Action-packed artwork moves the graphic novel forward, and the title is an adventure for middle-school readers. This first book in a series promises more excitement.

Fall 2016 review by Nel Ward.

Book review: Nightmares, by Kirsten Miller and Jason Segel.

Miller, Kirsten. Segel, Jason. Nightmares. Kwasny, Karl, ill. Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2014. $16.99. ISBN 978-0-385-74425-6. 355 pages. Ages 9-12. P9Q9.

This story is one that many can relate to; it’s a story about change and dealing with the fear associated with change. Charlie is a boy who suffers from insomnia after the death of his mother. Charlie’s pain has left him vulnerable to the nightmare creatures’ ability to cross over to the mortal world. The denouement comes when Charlie is tricked into going into the world of nightmares in the flesh rather than sprit. He encounters strange clowns and defiant gorgons trying to help him but can he trust them? One thing for certain is that he needs help to escape the goblins and President Fear. An interesting twist in the story is how Charlie’s friends find their way into his nightmare and how they work together to overcome their fears and build their friendship. The illustrations in this book add another element of satisfaction to the tale. Looks like this book is the first in a trilogy; so, I recommend finding time and a cozy place to read the series. November 2014 reviews by Penny McDermott.