Nightmares! by Jason Segel

Summary:  In Charlie's hometown there is a super spooky purple mansion.  Charlie isn't the only one who thinks this mansion holds secrets, his mom does too.  Just when he is about to be old enough to handle some of these secrets, Charlie's mom passes away leaving him devastated.  His dad remarries a woman name Charlotte and it turns out, she lives in the purple mansion and Charlie and his family will be joining her.  Upon moving into the mansion, Charlie suffers from extreme nightmares and tries to avoid sleep; however, one can only avoid sleep for so long. Charlie is certain his stepmom Charlotte is in on these dreams and must be a witch.  It turns out Charlie isn't the only one with nightmares.  Is his stepmom really a witch?  Can he restore sleep to his town and save them all from the nightmares that are taking over?  Read Nightmares! to find out!

Impression:  I thought this was very well done and such a clever idea.  While the name suggests that this book may be quite terrifying, I found that it was done in a way that won't upset children, at least not too much.  2016-2017 bluebonnet nominee.  

Reviews:

Grades 3-6. When Charlie Laird’s mom died, he was, of course, devastated, and he’s devastated all over again when his dad marries Charlotte, the kooky herbalist with unruly red hair. After they all move to Charlotte’s family home—a spooky, purple mansion—Charlie begins having terrible nightmares starring a cauldron-stirring, red-haired witch, and he starts believing that his stepmom is not who she seems. While investigating her workroom in the tower of the house, he stumbles through a portal into the Netherworld, a creepy, fractured version of his own town that’s populated with elements from kids’ nightmares, including bunnies with toothy jaws for faces and a fedora-wearing gorgon. There he discovers who’s really behind his bad dreams as well as some secrets about not only Charlotte but also his own mother. Segel (of The Muppets movie) and Miller build an entertaining, cartoony world full of scary (but not too scary) monsters, silly jokes, plucky kid heroes, and a cinematic plot that trundles onward to a satisfying conclusion, with a promise of adventures to come. Final illustrations not seen.

Nightmares! Rev. of Nightmares by Jason Segel. Booklist. Volume111 No.2. 15 September 2014. Web. 23 July 2016. 

In actor/debut novelist Segel and veteran writer Miller's imaginative fantasy, the same nightmare has haunted Charlie Laird since he moved into his new stepmother's purple mansion. He journeys to the Netherworld where he and his friends must defeat their nightmares in order to save our world. This trilogy-opener contains scary creatures (tempered by the cartoon illustrations) and plenty of action while also full of emotional resonance.

Nightmares! Rev of Nightmares! by Jason Segel. Horn Book Guide. Spring 2015. Web. 26 July 2016.

Charlie Laird's nightmares become a reality when he discovers a portal to the Netherworld. Charlie's widowed father has recently remarried, and Charlie hates it. He hates his stepmom. He hates that his young brother, Jack, is taken in by her. But most of all he hates the new house his family has moved into, as well as the never-ending stream of nightmares he experiences there every night. An evil witch haunts Charlie's sleep, threatening to eat him and his brother up. When the witch appears in the real world and snatches Jack away, Charlie follows her into the Netherworld and, with the aid of a gorgon and a few slumbering friends, sets out to save not just his brother, but the Land of Nightmares itself. As a first book in a proposed trilogy, there's a lot of promise here. The authors set up the supernatural rules of this world with ease, not getting bogged down with exceptions or contradictions. The book succeeds at scaring and amusing in equal measure, with the Nightmares as varied as they are humorous. At the heart of the endeavor is a story of personal growth, one that fits nicely with the spooky doings surrounding it. Best of all, this is a contained story. There's no cliffhanger, no shoddy lingering threats. Upon completion, readers could set it down and never return to the Netherworld, but this world is so enjoyable and interesting, it's hard to not anticipate future trips. Sweet, charming and imaginative: a promising launch. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Nightmares! Rev. of Nightmares! by Jason Segel. Kirkus Reviews. 15 July 2014. Web. 26 July 2016.