The dream spies /

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

For fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a suspenseful dark fantasy duology, perfect for middle school readers that love stories of magic and sisterhood with a dash of danger.

Maren's life has finally gone back to normal. Her sister, Hallie, is doing much better, she's still allowed to work in her family's dream shop, and there's been no sign of Obscura, the evil nightmare thief.

But when Lishta, Maren's grandmother, finds an ad for a sleepaway camp designed for dreamers, alarm bells start to ring. Lishta's never heard of the camp directors, and she's worried and wants to investigate. Maren and Hallie pose as campers with Lishta taking a job as the lunch lady.

Almost right away something seems off. Campers all wake up humming the same song, a whole bunk of girls does their hair the exact same way, and everyone seems to have had the same dream. And things go from bad to worse when Maren discovers most of the camp population has been sleepwalking.

As the girls investigate the camp, Maren and Hallie discover a nefarious plot that could affect the entire world. Maren will have to figure out who's really behind the camp and stop them from turning more dreamers in sleepwalking zombies, before it's too late.

Pick up the Nightmare Thief duology if you are looking for:

Suspenseful stories of magical realism for kids with a side of danger Gifts for 11 year old girls, 13 year old girls, and any young reader 11-14 that loves fantasy Books that explore bullying, family ties, and feature strong female characters Books for 4th graders, and any classroom with grades 3-8

Reviews provided by Syndetics

Booklist Review

After saving her magical seaside town, Maren is grateful to return to normalcy. Her sister, Hallie, has recovered from her accident and subsequent coma, and the girls are thrilled to be back in their grandmother's enchanted shop, carefully crafting dreams for curious customers. All seems right in the world until they notice an odd ad for a mysterious sleepaway camp for child dreamers. Dream-making is a small, tightly regulated industry, but these proprietors are unfamiliar, and their approach unorthodox. The girls and their grandmother go undercover at the questionable camp to sleuth out its secrets, and though all initially appears rosy, an escalating series of eerie events leads the trio to fear that something sinister lurks behind the dreamy facade. It's a delight to drop back into Maren's marvelous world, and though the sequel takes a more lighthearted tone, there are still some chilling moments and a compelling mystery to unravel. Big reveals, new magic, and a bananas ending will keep readers hooked in this summer-camp mystery with plenty of magic to go around.

Kirkus Book Review

Maren is excited to go undercover at summer camp to spy on camp directors who are promising participants lessons in dream-taking and dream-making. Maren's Gran-Gran owns a dream shop, and she knows almost everyone who makes dreams. But she's never heard of camp directors Calvin and Malvin Peppernot and is suspicious. Is it possible that they, like the evil Obscura Gray, whom Maren defeated in The Nightmare Thief (2021), want to use powerful magical dreams for nefarious purposes? Maren, her sister, and Gran-Gran get to work investigating. Alarmingly, the camp staff hand out dreams willy-nilly and seem unconcerned when campers don't wake up from them. Maren is especially surprised that fellow camper Ivy's grandmother, who works in the dream shack where campers can buy more dreams, is not worried. That some of the dreams are comically familiar and slightly dangerous makes them all the more creepy, for example, when a few girls dream that they're hungry caterpillars. As before, Maren is an endearing, plucky sleuth. The pace quickens and things turn more sinister when it becomes clear that there's a mastermind with nefarious goals. Family and loyalty lie at the center of the story, with Maren's close-knit community serving to ground and support her. The cast is default White. A colorful, entertaining romp. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Nicole grew up on Cape Cod and graduated from Wesleyan University. She spent a few years in London and now lives near Boston with her husband, two kids, and two rambunctious black cats. She writes young adult and middle grade books.