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The Nightmare House
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Check link for latest rating. ( 146 ratings, 34 reviews)
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Format: Hardback
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The Nightmare House
$3799
Unit price
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
Recommended for middle-grade readers who enjoy horror with emotional depth and allegorical storytelling about anxiety and courage. Perfect for fans of poetic, atmospheric tales with a mix of magic and psychological themes.
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See more"A middle-grade novel about a girl who sees possessed souls and ventures into a haunted house in the forest on a mission to save them, and defeat her own demons, in the process"--
I saw a person with blank, colorless eyes . . . and this time, I wasn't dreaming.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
From Sarah Allen, the acclaimed author of What Stars Are Made Of and Breathing Underwater, comes a chilling middle-grade tale of fear, friendship, and finding courage even in the darkest of moments. In this monster story that's also an allegory for relentless anxiety, see how far a penny's worth of hope will take you when you enter The Nightmare House.
I saw a person with blank, colourless eyes . . . and this time, I wasn't dreaming.
Penny Hope used to be brave, but that was before she met the Fear Maker. Years later, he still haunts her nightmaresβa tall, thin man with red eyes, in a haunted house in the woods, who devours human souls and leaves their eyes hollow and empty. Penny's beloved grandma tells her to write down these nightmares as poems in her notebook. But then Penny starts seeing blank-eyed people in the waking world, too. She's the only one who notices.
As more people around her fall prey to the Fear Maker, Penny must gather her courage once and for all to save the souls of those she loves. With the help of a magic garden and a new friend, she ventures to the Fear Maker's house. But the house is a labyrinth of shadows and tricksβand the Fear Maker's fun is just beginning. Can a pocketful of sunflower seeds and a notebook filled with poems be enough to defeat a master of nightmares? And if Penny sets foot in the Fear Maker's house, will she ever leave?
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
"[Penny's] poems weave their way through the narrative, fortifying Allen's lyrical writing and adding to the message that strength can be found in words and creativity... Fans of Jonathan Auxier's The Night Gardener will find the Fear Maker alluring but may suffer some nightmares of their own. Allen deals in both beauty and terror, rendering this a sophisticated choice for horror readers." β Booklist, starred review
"11-year-old Penny Hope's anxiety manifests as a monster under her bed in this ethereal novel... Poetic prose and visceral emotion infuse realistic depth into this mood-driven, allegorical portrayal of mental illness." β Publishers Weekly
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780374390952
Publisher: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
Format: Hardback
Date Published: 08 August 2023
Country: United States
Imprint: Farrar, Straus & Giroux Inc
Audience: Children
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 28.0mm
Width: 143.0mm
Height: 219.0mm
Weight: 360g
Pages: 272
About the Author
Sarah Allen is the author of What Stars Are Made Of and Breathing Underwater, as well as poems for kids published in places like Cicada, The Caterpillar, and more. Born and raised in Utah, she received an MFA in creative writing from Brigham Young University, and now calls the Midwest home. She spends her non-writing time watching David Attenborough documentaries and blasting show-tunes, which helps keep her Fear Maker at bay. Find her online @sarahallenbooks.
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