Summary: Molly’s not like other girls…she WANTS a monster under her bed!
She’s lonely at school, so she decides to bring friend. A big friend. A big, SCARY friend. She summons a monster called Nightmare, who tries his hardest to scare her — but he just can’t! Nightmare doesn’t understand why Molly is not frightened of him…but soon Molly an Nightmare become great friends, and go on many adventures together. And he promises to protect her from the things that do scare her, like loneliness and snapping turtles.
Molly & Nightmare is the story of a girl who turns an imaginary monster into a real friend… and of a monster who learns that he’s more than a menace under a bed.
(Summary from book flap – Image is mine. – This book was given to me for free in exchange for an honest review)
My Review: ‘Nightmare’ is supposed to be scary, but he’s not. At least, he doesn’t scare Molly who is lonely and wants a monster for her very own to keep her company at school and maybe lend her a little street cred with her classmates. Molly and Nightmare quickly become friends and spend their lives together, until — prepare yourself — one day an elderly Molly falls asleep and doesn’t wake up. Nightmare is devastated and lonely, lost without Molly, until he meets a little boy named Parker who isn’t afraid of him either.
Molly & Nightmare is a good length for a bed time story — long enough, but not so long that you’ll fall asleep while reading — and the illustrations are incredibly cute, colorful, and engaging. Molly is wonderfully expressive and Nightmare somehow manages to be both cuddly and terrifying. I especially loved the glow-in-the-dark details on the cover, as did my 11-year old daughter, who took off with the book almost as soon as I unwrapped it and read it before I even had a chance to look through it. The story is adorable and bittersweet. I like how Molly isn’t afraid of Nightmare, even though he is determined to scare her, and I loved watching their relationship unfold.
As an adult, I see the tenderness behind this story, but I’m not sure if the target demographic (ages 4-7) will feel the same, especially when Molly’s character dies. Her death is a turning point for Nightmare, now called Fred, and pivotal to the rest of the story, but my daughter didn’t catch those subtleties — she was just sad about Molly. I definitely think there is value in talking to children about how we process grief, but would suggest that parents flip through this one first, (at 32 pages, it’ll only take a minute) before they hand it to their kid — to ascertain their child’s readiness and be prepared if questions arise.
My Rating: 3 Stars
For the Sensitive Reader: I mean, there is obviously a monster.
