The Nightmare King

Hermon, Daka. The Nightmare King
September 5, 2023 by Scholastic Press
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

In the companion to Hide and Seeker, we meet Shane, who is recuperating from a terrible accident that has left him weakened and scarred. He loves to play basketball, so returning to practice with his best friend, Doc, is a big deal, even if jerky team member Travis gives him a hard time. He's still struggling with his health; he was in a coma for a month. His twin sister Sadie watches him closely, and it's clear that he is struggling with nightmares that plagued him before his accident. In his nightmares, he finds a coin that comes with him into our world, and has a "my precious" feel to it. It tells Shane that he is valuable and treasured, something that he has trouble feeling even though his baker/caterer father and his physical therapist/trainer mother are completely supportive and involved in his life. Shane struggles in class and on the basketball court, frequently zoming out as the nightmare world encroaches on his thoughts. The coin comforts him, but he realizes that it has too much power over him, and he tells himself he should return it. He struggles with mood swings, and frequently blows up at everyone around him. His parents finally decide that he needs to go back for more tests, and he is pressured by Doc and Sadie to tell them what is wrong. When he does, they are fairly helpful in determining what is going on. Two children, Justin and Nia, make the news when they claim to have been sucked into a similar nightmare world, and when Sadie hears an ice cream truck in November, we know that bad things are going to happen. Will the children be able to thwart the Nightmare King, who has been stealing children? Perhaps, but there are other forces of evil in the other dimension who still want to prey on children, so I expect there to be at least one more book in this series!
Strengths: Nightmares are certainly frightening, and Shane's are certainly the creepiest I've read in middle grade horror. This had a bit of a Something Wicked This Way Comes vibe to it, with Shane not feeling valued, but it's done in a more clever way than other books. Bringing Travis into the equation was a brilliant touch. Sadie and Doc are very concerned about Shane's health, and this is on trend with the current thought that you should tell your friends and family when you are not doing well. The characters from the first book are woven in nicely, and there are great scary scenes in the hide and seek world that I don't want to spoil. I'm curious to see what the next book will bring, and how Trista is involved in it. 
Weaknesses: The reasons behind Shane's health problems aren't given right away, and there is a lot of back and forth about his health before the creepy parts of the book start. There's some information that seems repetitive and since this book is 320 pages long, some could have been tightened up. 
What I really think: I do like the combination of basketball and horror, and the cover on this is fantastic. I've long said that the idea of an ice cream truck driving around playing music on a chilly November day is absolutely terrifying! Hand this to readers of the first book or fans of Lindsay Currie, Lorien Lawrence, K.R. Alexander, or Joel Sutherland. 

Hohn, Natalie L. (editor). The Antiracist Kitchen: 21 Stories

September 12, 2023 by Orca Book Publishers 

E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

I love cookbooks but struggle to review short stories collections, so just want to mention that this is a book of particular interest to Canadian readers. The stories are from a wide variety of cultures, and address a lot of issues of prejudice and racism, which is a great collection right there, but what suprised me was how well done the recipes were. There are even color pictures! Cookbooks from the 1960s that have a lot of anecdotes about the food (think Peg Bracken, Craig Claibourne, or M.F.K. Fisher) are so much fun to read, and this offers a wider variety of cooks and recipes. The authors included do tend to skew towards the Young Adult end of the kid lit spectrum, and many are Canadian, but Ruth Behar and Linda Sue Park are included. 

From the Publisher:

An anthology featuring stories and recipes from racialized authors about food, culture and resistance What if talking about racism was as easy as baking a cake, frying plantains or cooking rice? The Antiracist 21 Stories (and Recipes) is a celebration of food, family, activism and resistance in the face of racism. In this anthology featuring stories and recipes from 21 diverse and award-winning North American children's authors, the authors share the role of food in their lives and how it has helped fight discrimination, reclaim culture and celebrate people with different backgrounds. They bring personal and sometimes difficult experiences growing up as racialized people. Chopped, seared, marinated and stewed, The Antiracist Kitchen highlights the power of sitting down to share a meal and how that simple act can help bring us all together. Featuring recipes and stories from S.K. Ali, Bryan Patrick Avery, Ruth Behar, Marty Chan, Ann Yu-Kyung Choi, Hasani Claxton, Natasha Deen, Reyna Grande, Deidre Havrelock, Jennifer de Leon, Andrea J. Loney, Janice Lynn Mather, Linda Sue Park, Danny Ramadan, Sarah Raughley, Waubgeshig Rice, Rahma Rodaah, Andrea Rogers, Simran Jeet Singh, Ayelet Tsabari and Susan Yoon.