Review: Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

Nightmares!

(Nightmares #1)

by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller

September 9, 2014

Random House Children's Books

The hilariously frightening, middle-grade novel Nightmares! is the first book in a trilogy about a boy named Charlie and a group of kids who must face their fears to save their town. 

Sleeping has never been so scary. And now waking up is even worse!

Charlie Laird has several problems. 

1. His dad married a woman he is sure moonlights as a witch.

2. He had to move into her purple mansion, which is NOT a place you want to find yourself after dark.

3.He can’t remember the last time sleeping wasn’t a nightmarish prospect. Like even a nap. 

What Charlie doesn’t know is that his problems are about to get a whole lot more real. Nightmares can ruin a good night’s sleep, but when they start slipping out of your dreams and into the waking world—that’s a line that should never be crossed.

And when your worst nightmares start to come true . . . well, that’s something only Charlie can face. And he’s going to need all the help he can get, or it might just be lights-out for Charlie Laird. For good.

goodreads / amazon / b&n / indiebound

Praise for Nightmares! 
A New York Times Bestseller! 
"Charlie Laird, who learns fear will eat you alive if you feed it, makes an impression, and...readers will want to accompany him again."— The New York Times Book Review 

"A touching comical saga...about facing things that go bump in the night."— US Weekly"Coraline meets Monsters, Inc. in this delightfully entertaining offering from actor [Jason] Segel and co-author [Kirsten] Miller."— Publishers Weekly 

"[Nightmares!] succeeds at scaring and amusing in equal measure...[It's] sweet, charming, and imaginative."— Kirkus Reviews 

"Segel...and Miller build an entertaining, cartoony world full of scary (but not too scary) monsters, silly jokes, plucky kid heroes...with a promise of adventures to come."— Booklist 

"An engaging and creative story...woven with a generous amount [of] humor."— VOYA 

"There's humor and a fairly high ick-factor."— School Library Journal 

"Cleverly crafted...This novel presents just the right mix of 'scary and humorous.'"— ILA Literacy Daily

Charlie Laird’s life is a nightmare...literally. Three years after his beloved mother’s death, Charlie’s father has remarried weird Charlotte DeChant and moved Charlie and his little brother into Charlotte’s creepy purple mansion. Charlie’s nightmares of a wicked witch start off normal then he quickly realizes that his nightmares are real, the witch is real. And when the world of Nightmares tries to invade the Waking World, Charlie and his friends find themselves on a scary, crazy adventure.

With NIghtmares!, authors Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller create a spooktacular middle-grade read full of epic adventure, captivating imagination, and charming characters! NIghtmares! is delightfully whimsical, laugh out loud funny, and entertaining from beginning to end.

Segel and Miller take readers on a wild romp through a world of very real Nightmares and provide plenty of thrills, chills, and surprises. The fascinating world of Nightmares is bursting with all kinds of nightmares, ranging from the wacky, the silly, the legendary, the deliciously scary, and everything in between. From Charlie's new home (the mysterious purple mansion) to the twists-and-turns-surprises-around-every-corner world of Nightmares, the authors craft a wonderful and wondrous setting that finds the perfect balance between spooky and fun. The stellar scares are accompanied by a great deal of comical, clever humor that will have young readers in fits of giggles.

The awesome world of Nightmares! is full of equally awesome characters. Segel and Miller offer four plucky and relatable young heroes in Charlie and his friends Paige, Alfie, and Rocco. And the Nightmares themselves- from a sassy gorgon, brave clown, nasty goblins, and every other kind of creepy, icky, eerie, bizarre thing you can imagine- are especially fun and irresistible.

Young readers will have a blast joining Charlie and his friends on their epic adventure through the world of Nightmares and the exciting twists and turns are guaranteed to keep the pages turning.

my final thoughts: Oozing with creativity, sparkling storytelling, an unforgettable world, and engaging characters, Nightmares! charmed me completely! Perfect for readers that like their scares to come with laughs. I’ll definitely be back for more of this series!

MY RATING

5/5 yummy cupcakes

Jason Segel

New York Times bestselling author Jason Segel used to have nightmares just like Charlie, and just like Charlie, he’s learned that the things we’re most afraid of are the things that can make us strong…if we’re brave enough to face them. Jason likes acting, writing, making music, and hanging out with his friends. Sometimes he writes movies. Sometimes he writes songs for movies. Sometimes he stars in those movies and sings those songs. You might know him from The Muppets and Despicable Me. Your parents might know him from other stuff. Nightmares! is his first novel.

Kirsten Miller

Kirsten Miller grew up in a small town just like Cypress Creek, minus the purple mansion. She lives and writes in New York City. Kirsten is the New York Times bestselling author of the acclaimed Kiki Strike books, the Eternal Ones series, and How to Lead a Life of Crime. You can visit her at kirstenmillerbooks.com.