Nightbooks by J.A. White
Gosh, I realize I never wrote my review for this book!
I read this back in April (listened to the audiobook) and it was a fun read. It's pretty weird as well. The story is about a kid who goes into this apartment and cannot get back out. He is lured inside by an object of great personal value to him, but it's a trap by a witch with nefarious plans. Inside the apartment are two other kids who have resigned themselves to their fate. However, Alex isn't going to give up on escaping. The apartment owner is a bad-tempered, young in appearance witch who is seemingly pacified by stories. Good thing Alex is a writer (he's actually bullied because he likes to write creepy stories in his notebooks). Alex must tell the witch a story every night or something very bad will happen to him. He has to keep her satisfied until he can find a way out for himself and his companions.
Nightbooks is tailor-made for people who like short and child-appropriate, but nasty, scary stories. I have to admit those stories are pretty horrifying. I love short stories, particularly those in the horror, fantasy and science fiction genre, and I am a huge sucker for the "story within a story" concept. One could draw a very strong comparison to Scheherazade and the Arabian Nights as she is in a similar situation.
While I found this one enjoyable, something didn't 100% gel with me. I wasn't super thrilled with the narrator, so maybe that was part it. Perhaps I wasn't completely satisfied with the plotting. Possibly I was felt the conclusion was somewhat anti-climactic. Although I was relieved about one aspect. I did love the themes in the book about how being different as a kid is usually something that leads to bullying by others. It has something important to say about good and evil that I think would precipitate a good discussion between parent and child. I liked the diverse representation as one of the kids is a young Muslim girl. Of course, as a huge booknerd, I love the storytelling/writing themes. There's a hug library in the apartment, which is kind of like a TARDIS or let's say some waiting room that leads to different dimensions (perhaps a small allusion to the Chronicles of Narnia). It's kind of a creepy library though. Alex is a good leading character. He's a good kid at heart, and his penchant for writing horror stories is not a reflection on his character in any way. There's nothing wrong with enjoying the macabre when one understands the difference between truth and fiction and knows right from wrong. I think this would be a good book for kids who like spooky stuff, but maybe feel left out because of it. I think the content is okay for a kid who is 9-12 years old. I'd personally be cautious about letting a child younger than this age read it, because there is some scary imagery and it's about an adult who wants to inflict harm on children.
Overall, I'd give this a 3.75/5.0 rating. It just doesn't feel like a four star read to me, but it's close. I'm looking forward to reading more by this author.
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