Nightbooks

Alex is enchanted into entering an apartment inhabited by a witch and becomes her prisoner. To appease her and stay alive, each night he reads her a story from his “nightbooks,” the place where he has written down scary ideas. But meanwhile he wonders and plots how he can escape.

This was such a compelling read. I loved how there was so much “metaness” at play, in which the ideas of how to write a good story are an essential part of the story we are reading. Alex is clever and the unlikely friendships he finds prove how kindness is always the way to go. While the witch’s backstory gives us a bit of sympathy for her, it is undoubtedly clear that she is a villian. The final reveal, however, was one I did not see coming at all, show more although in retrospect there were some little hints here and there.

After reading the book, you can watch the movie of the same title for an interesting compare and contrast! show less

Alex loves to write scary stories, but when he begins to believe that writing them shows that there is something wrong with him, he tries to go to the basement to burn his notebooks in the incinerator. While on the way down, Alex is captured by Natacha, who is a witch. Instead of killing Alex, Natacha wants Alex to read his stories to her each night to appease the apartment, which she tells him is alive. After a while, Alex meets Yasmin, who is another captive, and together they make a plan to try and escape.

Nightbooks includes the stories that Alex has written and is telling to Natacha, adding another layer to this unique story, which is a cross between Hansel and Gretel and 1001 Arabian Nights. Themes of self acceptance and the value show more of friendship are explored. The story is spooky enough to be a Halloween staple. Overall, Nightbooks is a fun, scary story that teaches some important lessons. show less

Fun and creepy!

After being lured into Apartment 4E by his favorite movie, Night of the Living Dead, Alex realizes he’s been tricked and captured by a witch named Natacha, and that the apartment is somehow magical (and evil). Natacha informs Alex that if he wants to live, he must read her one of his scary stories every night. The only other inhabitant, a fellow prisoner named Yazmin, assures Alex there is no way to escape, but he doesn’t believe her. Determined to find a way out, he continues to read the witch a story every night while searching for a way out during the day. But soon, he only has one story left.

What I liked: fabulous storyline! An evil witch, a magical apartment, a ticking time bomb—great setting for suspense! And show more the stories Alex shares with the witch, and the reader, are creepy and fun. It’s like a cross between Hansel and Gretel and Scheherazade. Great characters, too.

What I didn’t like: not much. It might be a little dark for some younger readers (7 or 8-year-olds) who get scared easily, but if they’re good with Goosebumps, then they should be fine.

Great and fun book.

5 out of 5 stars show less

I was totally enthralled by this horror story for kids. And though it is intended for kids, undoubtably adults will also enjoy it. Alex is lured into an apartment by a witch and is imprisoned. Another child is also there, and she tell him of others who were there, but are now gone. Or at least, they are no longer children. Alex must tell the witch a horror story each night. It is his only hope of staying alive long enough to figure out how to escape. This creepy book is a wonderfully scary tale, made even more so by the great performance of narrator Kirby Heyborne. The two kid protagonists join forces, using their wits and their brawn to defeat the witch. Author J. A. White crafts a story that engrossing and suspenseful, yet not too show more scary for older kids. He pays attention to details, drops some clues along the way to entice readers, and wraps everything up in a satisfying conclusion. It’s a great tale, and highly recommended for kids of all ages. Well, at least middle grade school ages and on up to grandparents! show less

A boy is kidnapped by a witch and forced to tell scary stories to her. The book is a mix of Hansel & Gretel and Arabian Nights.

Honestly, the witch was pretty nice all things considered. Sure, they were forced to clean and cook and maintain magical plants for her but that's better than mining gold for your starving family or farming cocoa for Hershey. They have free medical benefits, since the witch provides magical ointments to heal wounds. The witch never really did anything that can be considered deeply wicked, she did mean things that were mostly harmless; sure, she threatened to turn them into statues but never tortured or cannibalized them.

And Lenore the cat is too nice. You spend a couple centuries around a cruel, despicable witch show more and some of that evilness rubs off on you and isn't going to wash away just because some kids were nice to you. show less

Literary masterpiece. This was a wonderful horror story for tweens, and when I read it, I remember being absolutely obsessed. This might still be one of my favorite books ever, and if you haven't yet watched the movie on Netflix, definitely do so, if you don't mind having the scene where the witch pounces on the elevator stuck in your mind because of how scary it was (at least it was for me in elementary school). J.A. White is amazing at writing horror, and you can definitely see that with this beautifully written book.

Alex is being kept prisoner by a witch in an apartment full of books. AT first glance, I thought that wouldn't be too bad. Unfortunately, it is more of a Hansel and Gretel scenario and each night he is required to tell her a story in order to stay alive. If you like Coraline and A Tale Dark and Grimm this will be right up your alley.

I would place this in a 12 and up category because of its scary factors. It isn't all scare- Nightbooks is a book about friendship and staying true to yourself, even when it isn't easy. Bonus points from me for having an adorable cat in it.

It's a dark tale with plenty of humor built in, I sped through it in an afternoon and loved it all.