Nightmare in the Backyard is a creepily atmospheric middle grade thriller by Jeff Strand. Released 6th Aug 2024 by Sourcebooks on their Young Readers imprint, it's 256 pages and is available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and ebook formats. It's worth noting that the ebook format has a handy interactive table of contents as well as interactive links and references throughout.
This is surprisingly creepy/scary. A backyard sleepover takes a terrifying turn when 3 girls are trapped with a bunch of scary tentacles surrounding their tent. It's action driven and moves along at a fast pace. There's nothing *too* graphic or scary, but it is definitely creepy. About the same level as R.L. Stine and Katherine Arden, this one is scary without being terrifying.
The unabridged audiobook has a run time of 3 hours 59 minutes and is well read by Stacy Gonzales. She has a bright, well modulated, neutral American accent, and does a good job with the characters and settings. Sound and production quality are high throughout the read.
Four stars. Definitely one for fans of middle grade fiction. It would be a great choice for public library acquisition, but might be too scary for school library collections.
Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.
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