

Nightbooks
Books | Juvenile Fiction / Fantasy & Magic
4.2
(474)
J. A. White
A boy is imprisoned by a witch and must tell her a new scary story each night to stay alive. This thrilling contemporary fantasy from J. A. White, the acclaimed author of the Thickety series, brings to life the magic and craft of storytelling. Alex’s original hair-raising tales are the only thing keeping the witch Natacha happy, but soon he’ll run out of pages to read from and be trapped forever. He’s loved scary stories his whole life, and he knows most don’t have a happily ever after. Now that Alex is trapped in a true terrifying tale, he’s desperate for a different ending—and a way out of this twisted place.This modern spin on the Scheherazade story is perfect for fans of Coraline and A Tale Dark and Grimm. With interwoven tips on writing with suspense, adding in plot twists, hooks, interior logic, and dealing with writer’s block, this is the ideal book for budding writers and all readers of delightfully just-dark-enough tales.* Summer 2018 Kids' Indie Next List * YALSA Best Fiction for Young Adults Nomination * 2019-2020 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award * 2020 Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee * Bank Street Best Children's Book of the Year 2019 (9-12) * 2020-2021 Missouri Association of School Librarians Truman Readers Award Preliminary Nominee * Texas Bluebonnet Award List 2020-2021 * South Carolina Junior Book Award Nominee (2021-2022) *Plus return to the world of Nightbooks—if you dare—with J. A. White's follow-up, Gravebooks!
AD
More Details:
Author
J. A. White
Pages
320
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2018-07-24
ISBN
0062560107 9780062560100
Ratings
Google: 5
Community ReviewsSee all
"I can relate to this as a writer and a dreamer with a very active imagination. This was awesome and well written. I love this book now but younger me would have died with excitement over this story! I especially love the stories within stories and the positive upbeat and happy messages here. If you haven’t read it, you really should!"
A W
Annette W
"Scary enough to keep u up at night!"
C
Cori
"I’ve only recently discovered J.A. White and his series, The Thickety (of which I’ve only read the first book, but plan to dive back in this summer) and I was really excited to find he’s got a new book coming out this July.<br/><br/>Okay, so we are immediately thrown into the story right when Alex has snuck out of his apartment in order to go downstairs to burn whatever he’s got in his backpack, and he is captured by a witch who locks him in a room with no escape. I mean, there’s two doors, but one goes to a closet and the other only opens into the exact room he’s trapped in. <br/><br/>Already, he’s aware that this is not an ideal situation to be in.<br/><br/>“She likes stories,” says a random other child from behind the door. This works out in Alex’s favor, because the stuff he was going to burn? His Nightbooks- a collection of scary stories he’s written over the years. And the witch, (Natacha) keeps him alive so he can read a new one to her every night. No spoilers here, this all happens in the first thirty or forty pages.)<br/><br/>Random Other Child -or as she’s known in the book, Yasmin- has been captive herself for longer than Alex. She’s already tried escaping and failed, and she knows that the only way they’ll stay alive is if they can be useful to the witch. <br/><br/>But coming up with a new original story every night is a challenge, and they’re desperate to escape before Alex runs out of tales to tell.<br/><br/>What I love about this book is that White has taken an ancient fairy tale and stretched it around and back in upon itself so that you’re not quite sure what to expect next. When you finally reach the end, it’s so satisfying you can feel your brain vibrate on at least four dimensions. Thrilling and horribly creative, this is a must-read for any kid who likes a good scare!"
L S
Lissy Strata
"It was a pretty good story, some parts were a little morbid and the writing style seemed a little immature at some parts, but overall interesting to read."
D P
Dani Prda
"I read this a while ago and loved every minute of it! I still remember some of the stories in this book."
H
Hannah
"Very interesting and really gets you hooked"
V
Val
"Amazing story and really keeps you reading!"
H
Hailey
"This is a great YA book. I love the stories of horror inside this story. I will totally add this book to the list of books I will read to my students every year. "
G E
Gladys Elizondo
"I loved this book must give it a read"
M J
Marlee John
Similar Books
4.5
4.1

3.8
3.8
4.4
4.6
3.9
4.1
3.9
3.8
3.8
3.8
4.4
4.1
3.9
3.7
4.5
3.7
3.8
4