By Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller
355 pages
This week I feel like I got back on track. For this category I didn’t want to read another memoir or autobiography. I had my speech classes in the library a few months ago and there was an advertisement for this series of books called Nightmares! And guess what? It’s written (at least partially) by Jason Segel who just so happens to be a celebrity. I looked the books up and they had rave reviews. So, I picked up the first one at Barnes and Noble and added it to my list. I finally got to read it last week.
First let me say that it’s kind of a kid’s book. Okay it’s 355 pages, but it’s like for 4th-6th graders. Wow, so I just realized how immature I’m sounding. If you read my last post, you’ll have noticed that I pretty much hated the classic satire but this shows I really enjoyed a kid’s book. Haha. Sorry. I guess I just like what I like. This book was good.
The book tells the story of Charlie Laird, an 11 year old boy who is plagued by nightmares. We find out that Charlie hasn’t been able to sleep since his father remarried and his family moved into the creepy purple house. It was then that the nightmares started to torment him. One night Charlie believes his 8 year old brother, Jack, has been taken by an evil witch into the world of nightmares. Charlie willingly takes his body in search of his brother. This is problematic because in nightmares only the ideas have crossed over and once someone wakes up, they are removed from the situation. This also means that they cannot get hurt. Because Charlie was awake and took his body across, he cannot wake up from a dream, and could potentially even die.
While on his mission to save his brother, Charlie meets many interesting characters and experiences many terrifying things. But something else happens to Charlie too. Charlie gains bravery. He travels into the nightmares of his three best friends and is able to rescue each of them. In doing this he risks his life each time. Additionally, Charlie learns that nightmares aren’t based on what you are afraid of, but why you are afraid of it. For example, one of his friends has a nightmare involving the dark. She learns that she isn’t afraid of the dark because she can’t see, but because she is afraid it will lead to a mental illness like her mother’s.
This book is ultimately about sticking together. It’s about being friends and never giving up on each other. I think most importantly though, it is a book about facing your fears. It isn’t until you face your fears that you can escape them.
When my daughter gets a little bit older, I am going to have her read this book. It is an exciting story, with really good lessons. Plus, it adds some humor too.
3.5 Stars