Nightmareby~ Joan Lowry NixonRandon House Children’s BooksOriginally released on September 9, 2003. rereleased August 9, 2005. Nightmare Is a really great Young Adult Novel. The protagonist in this novel is Emily Wood, an underachiever at school who just wishes she could blend in and disappear. That’s pretty difficult, though, due to her odd hair color, a bleach blonde. She usually veils her face with her hair to just hide. Emily has been having the same nightmare for the past eight years. She goes through a lot of swampy plants and stumbles across a maimed body down by the river and someone screaming at her “Little girl! Come back! I’ll find you!” each time. Due to her being an underachiever as i mentioned before, Emily’s parents send her to a summer school so she can get her act together. However, something about the school doesn’t feel right to Emily. She feels like somehow she’s been there, even though she hasn’t. She tries telling her parents that she feels uncomfortable and doesn’t want to be there because she’s afraid, but her parents just sell it off as her trying to get out of summer school. While attending the school, Emily meets some pretty quirky characters. Among these are Maxwell, an aspiring director who writes his own plays based on dramatizations of his life and emotions. Also Taylor, a punk girl with pink and blonde hair, and Hayley. Hayley is a little psycho it would seem, because she’s into potions and mood stones and what not. Hayley is also Emily’s roommate. The mystery thickens when Emily gets to her room and Hayley starts talking about something called Mood stones, which predict the future. The stones, apparently, are not showing results that are favorable to Emily, so the gang (Emily, Hayley, Maxwell, and Taylor) all go to a ghost town to find a shamin. The shamin tells them that there is danger at the school, so the gang goes investigating. Also, Taylor gets her hair dyed and styled the same as Emily because she loves the color. Later, Emily keeps getting anonymous notes and the feeling someone is watching her. It turns out that Emily’s nightmare isn’t something in her head. A murder happened at the school eight years ago, and she was a witness. And even worse, the murderer is a camp counselor that knows Emily knows and is out to kill her. Everyone just believes that the woman that was killed just fell down the stairs. No, she was pushed, and now Emily needs to find out by who.Taylor almost dies because the murderer thinks she’s Emily due to her hair. The theme of Nightmare is mystery. This book was really good with suspense because you never knew what staff member the murderer was, and you were right along with Emily the whole way. You almost felt her actual emotions from the pages. Also, the theme is basically to go with your gut when something doesn’t feel right, because it could be life or death. The audience that Nightmare is intended for is probably for people that enjoy Thrillers, Mysteries, just suspenseful books in general. All of the characters are unforgettable, and you never want the story to end. I say that it’s for this audience because of all the twists and you never know what’ll happen next. Also, nothing makes sense for quite some time, and you feel like you’re lost with the characters themselves, as if ‘ trying to help Emily stay alive for the summer.I really did enjoy Nightmare. it was a mix of a lot of my favorite genres, and really i couldn’t put the thing down. It was addicting, which is how im sure all of us like our novels. I would definitley reccomend it to a friend or just anyone who wnjoys this genre. It is well written, and definitly not a waste of time. great read.
Nightmare Book Review- Olivia Crickman Grade: 7 Period Seven Nightmare, by Joan Lowery Nixon, a mystery and horror book at the same time. Joan developed many believable characters, but didn't describe them enough. She ended the book too quickly, wrapping everything up, and making it completely boring. The style is fascinating, and so is the plot, but it didn't reach out, or make me excited. In my opinion, this is one of the worst books I've ever read, but I believe that Joan did her best, and that's all that matters! The setting is very realistic, but the book doesn't go with it. Joan keeps everything moving, putting one climax after another. To keep you reading, Joan, I think, believes that there can never be enough climaxes. That's her opinion. This book just wasn't for me. I like books with one or two climaxes. Joan had at least seven. I think this book could improve. I would recommend this book to someone who likes many exciting things, and not just building you up to get you almost mad that you want to get to the best part, even though there are so many good parts here! That's what makes a great book. When you're reading a book, and there are so many good parts you won't skip ahead, because there might be something better coming up. But that's my opinion. Enjoy your book how you like it, and like it as much as you can!
What do You think about Nightmare (2005)?
The book Nightmare is a book by Joan lowary Nixon it is 6 AR points. I honestly think that this book is a great book. i mean it is kind of confusing in the beginning but as you read more of it, it all started to come to you. nightmare is a book that i think everyone should read if they like scary camp stories an one's that have to deal with witches in some sort of way. i think this book was made for anyone to be honest because anyone could read it an love it. its a mystery suspense book.Emily's doesn't do so well in school an her sister is very smart, her parents don't like the fact that Emily isn't as smart as her sister. so they sign her up for this camp for underachievers.But before she ever went to this camp she has had terrifying nightmares of some one trying to hurt her. when she got to this camp everything seemed weird to her. she got stuck with this girl she didn't like and who was creeping her out with this witch stuff. she kept going off to places because she wanted to go home, but one day one of her friends wanted to be just like her so she went out an got her hair don just like Emily's. someone ended up hurting her friend really badly because they thought it was Emily, so that day she found out someone was out to get her. After they went on this field-trip an someone tried to kill Emily again she finally got the girl in-trouble....if you wanna know all the details you must read the book.
—Braden Huefner
I’ve read a few books by Joan Lowery Nixon and have enjoyed most of them, this book is probably one of the better books. I really enjoyed reading about the character, Emily, she is a shy quiet teenage girl who doesn’t quite fit in with her overachieving sisters. This worries her parents so they decide to send her to an academic camp for the summer. Emily doesn’t think that camp excel is necessary she doesn’t want to be like her sisters. But when she finally goes to the camp she gets the feeling
—Briana
I thought this was a OK book. This book is about a girl that keeps having nightmares about a dead women. Then there is a flash of light and the dreams over but she does'nt know where it came from.Then when she turns 16 her parents make her go to camp exelwhich is a camp for under-achivers.when she gets there she finds a photograph and relizes it's the dead face of the women that is in her dream. Then she starts wondering if she came to this camp 8 years ago did she know the dead women once and will she be the next one to go down.I would recomend this book to anyone who likes mysteries, blood, and action.
—Brittanee
