Nightmare by Joan Lowery Nixon

Module 8/SLIS 5420/July 26 - 31

Bibliography

Nixon, Joan Lowery. (2003). Nightmare. New York: Delacorte press
ISBN: 0-440-23772-4

Summary

Emily Wood's has had the same haunting recurring nightmare since she was little. Now, at seventeen, she is about to find out why. A certified "slacker," Emily's parents are sending her to Camp Excel to help her with her motivation and grades - but Emily will get quite a bit more out of her visit. Who is haunting her dreams? Only someone at Camp Excel knows.

My Impressions

I did not really enjoy this mystery. The plot seemed simplistic and the dialogue and character development was contrived. However, I am an adult - and the purpose of this mystery book is to appeal to "tweens" who are not quite ready for adult mysteries and their complex plot, but are too mature for children's mysteries. This is a good bridge book, for that purpose, but the writing certainly doesn't stand out.

Reviews

School Library Journal: Grade 5-8-Since childhood, 10th-grade Emily has had nightmares about a shadowy, slimy place where she is entangled with vines and sees a body lying in water. She is so petrified by this dream about the open-mouthed and blankly staring corpse that she is unable to confide in anyone. Her parents are upset because she won't let them help her and are frustrated because she doesn't take after her two brilliant sisters. They send her to Camp Excel, an experimental program for underachievers, where Emily has a sense of deja vu, and her true nightmare begins when she realizes her life is in danger. Elements of suspense and mystery are cleverly integrated with the teen's problems resulting from what she witnessed as a child. Readers will once again fall under Nixon's spell as they enjoy this page-turner.
Susan Cooley, formerly at Tower Hill School, Wilmington, DE
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Booklist: Gr. 6-10. The nightmare has haunted teenage Emily Wood since she was a child: a crumpled body lying half in and half out of the water; dead eyes in a pale, bloody face; a mouth open in a scream that no one can hear. Did it really happen? Whose body is it? Who was the killer? And who is now stalking Emily at Camp Excel, the summer camp for underachievers that her parents have forced her to attend? There's some heavy coincidence, but the late Nixon was a multiple award winner for her YA mysteries, and this one, published after her death, continues her inimitable blend of horror and whodunit, this time with a touch of shivery mysticism and a lively contemporary cast. Readers will rush with Emily to solve the puzzle, even as they shudder at the occasional terse statements by the killer, who is steadily getting closer to another victim. The climactic confrontation in a creepy cave in the Texan Hills is unforgettable. Hazel Rochman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Suggested Library Use

As mentioned in my impressions, this is a good recommended read for students or "tweens" who have not yet graduated to adult mysteries but want a good bridge in between. Good book for a mystery book talk, as well.