Nightbooks | 
pickA very cute, yet dark middle grade fantasy. I enjoyed the twist on the Hansel & Gretal story. A great one for middle grade students that like scary stories, yet is age appropriate. 4⭐️
Another #bookspinbingo!
so-soFull honesty? I was super excited by the premise... And a little let down. Heaven knows I am not their target audience (seems to be ages 8-10 maybe?), But I can't help but feeling like they dumbed a lot of aspects down. There were moments of genius, but I feel like as a whole it could have been better. I also tried to watch the movie, but couldn't get past the narrator, which seemed to make the whole thing even more juvenile.
pick🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
I don't know why this took me so long to finish but I absolutely loved it! It's a really fun read and I loved all the magic and fairytale stuff. I'm gonna have to pass this along to the kids in my family and get me a newer copy for my shelf 🤗
Starting Nightbooks today by J.A. White. I've never read anything by this author but it looks like a very good book! I'm posting the inside because the cover is super beat up hahaha! Ordered from thriftbooks :D
pickNIGHTBOOKS by J. A. White
Alex loves scary stories—and especially loves writing his own. One night, after sneaking out of his apartment, he happens to be kidnapped by a real witch! To survive in her care, Alex must impress her with one of his scary stories every evening after dinner.
An ode to the magic of storytelling, this fast-paced and creepy kids tale is wonderfully dark and surprisingly morbid. I absolutely loved it.
#ShortReview
pickI thoroughly enjoyed this dark spin of a fairy tale. It‘s suspenseful, with a good mix of scary and mystery, and a nice plot twist! It also pays homage to the power of storytelling. Perfect for young horror-fantasy readers (I‘ll say age 11 and up) or fans of Neil Gaiman. Makes a good choice for #MiddleGradeMarch or a Halloween read. I watched the Netflix adaptation trailer, looks good.
Really enjoyed my shows and movies this week ❤️🍿 #scarathlon2021 @StayCurious #teamhendrix
Watching the movie since we finished the book yesterday. We liked it and thought it was pretty close to the book. My son is definitely a critic of the minor details that were changed. But listening to his comments while watching is an excellent assessment of what he remembered from the book and the things he thought were important. 6 pts #teamhendrix #scarathlon @StayCurious
pickRead this book with my youngest for homeschool. The cat was his favorite character and he loved the book. It is a cold windy day so we are having frito chili pie for lunch. 240 pts #teamhendrix #scarathlon #screamathon #wicked #spookoween @StayCurious @4thhouseontheleft
pickBook 114🎧🎥
Finished the audio book and movie yesterday! Another magical world for kids to fall in love with!
I wish in the movie the “night books” had a more real feel, almost them coming to life. But overall the movie was magical!
Where did the original Grimms Fairytales come from?… are we sure they are just stories?…
“Do your thing," Yasmin said. "I'l keep searching the books. have to tell you, though I'm starting to wonder if this is a wild-goose chase. Maybe you already found everything this girl has written."
She was wrong.
I love when when I hear “read to you by Kirby Heyborne”. 🔊
I just know I am in for a fantastic story👏🏻👏🏻
pickThis was actually better - and much more scary - than I was expecting! The witch who tricks the main character into her apartment was just awful and the narrator did an excellent job of making her seem truly unhinged and terrifying. The scary stories the main character tells the witch to keep her happy we‘re quite scary too. I would have been terrified by this story as a kid! 🌟🌟🌟🌟. 16 pts for #teamslaughter #scarathlon2021
First 9 books read for #scarathlon2021 6 of these are for #littenlisten and all for #spookoweenreadathon and I think for #bookspin I have most of these on my list of 20.
Loving all the books I‘ve chosen so far!
@TheSpineView @aperfectmjk @StayCurious @TheAromaofBooks
Watch these the last couple days. Nightbook was my #screamathon #scarathlon2021 #scarepair
pick#screamathon #scarathlon2021 #wickedathon #spookoweenreadathon #littenlisten
I'll have to double check how points are going to work and will update with my movie post.
pickI really enjoyed this story of a young boy who ends up trapped in a magical witch‘s apartment. Alex loves to write scary stories, and the witch loves to hear them, which helps him stay alive night after night. But will he ever find a way to escape? And just what (or who) else is lurking in Apt 4E?
Loved the strong Grimm‘s fairy tale vibes!
Now to watch the new Netflix movie!
Book 3 for #screamathon #scarepair
The Google Form is open for Week 1 of #Screamathon! If you would like to be entered into the raffle at the end of the month, you can do so here: https://forms.gle/yTrMEJvs7SUm5Y7n9
I'll keep the Google Form open until Oct 9. Here's how you get entries:
Every book read for #Screamathon this week = 1 entry
If you completed this week's prompt (you can only do so once), you get 10 extra entries.
Good luck!
1. Reading the tagged book, and also Serafina and the Twisted Staff
2. No dislikes, they are both middle grade books, both have supernatural elements, with lots of creepy vibes. They aren‘t scary, but they are perfect October reads!
#Two4Tuesday
pickI‘m so glad that I decided to join in the #Screamathon fun this year. My scare pair was Nightbooks and both the book and movie really got me in the Halloween spirit! I really enjoyed both, but what kind of bookworm would I be if I didn‘t point out that the book is better?
So excited for my first #Screamathon! These three make up the main stack because they fit the prompts, but I have lots of other witchy and scary books that I hope to get to during my favorite month!
Week 1-Scare Pairs-Nightbooks
Week 2-Diversify-White Smoke
Week 3-Hocus Pocus-White is for Witching
Week 4-🤷🏻♀️
Although I haven't read J.A. White‘s novel “Nightbooks” (this movie was based on), but it is a great retelling of Hansel and Gretel as well as spooky character-driven mystery. Nightbooks is definitely worth a watch!
so-soRating: 3.5 🌟
I will preface this review with saying that this is not my usual genre so I have no way to gauge if it was amazing or not. That being said.. I didn‘t hate it! The first half was a little slow but at about 50% the book really picked up and had me listening, wanting to know how it would end. Overall, a good middle school, fantasy read!
#bookreviews #Nightbooks
pickA intriguing and interesting story. 3.5/5 Read as part of August #Buzzwordathon - Time of Day
pickRead for Children's Lit class. A nice mashup of Hansel and Gretel and the Scheherazade trope from 1001 Arabian nights. Alex hates that his love for writing horror stories makes him different and creepy in his schoolmates' eyes. However, when he gets trapped in a witch's apartment, his stories might just save him and fellow victim Yasmin.
Can I say I love the cover illustration, even if I personally wouldn't love a library full of horror books?
Arabian Nights but with witches and little kid story tellers. Chapter 10 and I can‘t put it down.
I highly recommend this book!! We are listening on audio, with my sons 10 & 12, and it‘s just creepy enough to be fun! Perfect for this time of year!
pickI thought this was a good YA book that was an easy read. A boy who loves writing scary stories finds himself in one - he gets abducted by a witch and is forced to read to her every night. Alex tries to escape Natacha, but it seems impossible, and he‘s running out of stories to keep her entertained. Will he and his ally, Yasmin, be able to leave, or will they be enchanted forever? Also bonus points to the story for having a giant magical library.
My boys went back to school yesterday. 😷 They both had a great day, and said the COVID protocol wasn‘t totally terrible. This Mom was super relieved folks. We had the option of remote or in person, and with my oldest starting 7th grade football, in person made the most sense. So thankful for our wonderful school! New audiobooks for the commute!!
Florida has not been great with COVID cases, to say the least, so now I‘m putting holds on books and picking them up 2 days after being returned. No more aimless browsing for a little while. But I‘m excited to try some books that I have on my “to read” stack!
pickA magical middle-grade read with books, witches, sarcastic kids, and tons of adventure and fun. I wish it were the first in a series because I'd love to revisit this world and these characters again.
Bonus: the cover is awesome! 😍
so-so3.75/5 ⭐
This had a lot of great components to build a great story, but seemed to lack that punch I kept waiting for. It was enjoyable and had me intrigued but one I could easily forget 🤷🏻♀️
pickI finished this listening to this book, including a scene with monster unicorns chasing the characters along a forest path, during my afternoon walk. The story is a modern Hansel & Gretel retelling with aspects of Arabian Nights as Alex tells creepy stories to keep himself safe. There are magical plants, an amazing library, great characters, a wonderful friendship, and a positive message of being true to yourself.
#MiddleGrade #audiobook #TRS2019
Finished my first book for #24b4monday and I am so happy To have clocked just about 9 hours, this is my best attempt yet ᕦ(ò_óˇ)ᕤ This book was 8 hours but I also did about an hour of reading in Fate of the Fallen. I‘ll post a review of it soon. That‘s one library book down now, on to the physical books from the library!
Day 2! #7Days7Covers #CoverCrush I want this library, please and thank you! @Sabookslover would you care to join? Just post a cover you love each day, no explanation needed. Also try to tag someone each day!
pickI enjoy breaking up my more serious reads with a fun middle grade book every now and then. Nightbooks did not disappoint. It was exactly what I was looking for, a nice light-hearted escape from reality. I really enjoyed how this urban fantasy was a modern take on the old tales Arabian Nights and Hansel & Gretel. Throw in some hints of the making of a good Are You Afraid of the Dark episode, and you wind up with this fantastic read by J.A. White.
pickDamn okay so this book was adorable. There's a bit of a Hansel & Gretel twist/retelling which I got so excited about. The mystery of the witch's/apartment's power was actually really cool and well rolled out. Characters were developed along with the plot and a steady pace. I also would LOVE for some of the creepy stories told in the book to be put in like a novella as a companion or just for the author to make them full-length stories.
Ive been wanting to read this since like...six months before it came out so im finally making some time for it
pickThis had a fairy tale Coraline feel to it. I really like one off tales like this. I wanted a wee bit more magic and history, but a fun, well paced read overall!
