Book Tour: Nightmares in Aston by Michael J Moore

About the book

Wicker Village is a trailer park with a dark secret that eleven-year-old Juanito Hernandez wishes he hadn’t discovered.

He’s only lived there a week, yet the horrors within continue to find him —from a human-shaped swarm of bees, to a video on his phone that speaks directly to him, and then mysteriously vanishes.

Soon his new friends begin to experience the same horrors, and the visions turn to threats. Juanito doesn’t blame his parents for not believing him, however, that doesn’t change the fact that they’re in very real danger.

My review

Juanito hates being stuck in a trailer park, far away from the city and his friends. It’s going to be a long, lonely summer – and scary too, if his journeys around Wicker Village are an indication of what to expect.

However, if there’s one thing Juanito knows how to do it’s make friends. With Pinky and Lauren at his side, surely he can face the nightmares in Aston?

Juanito, Lauren, Pinky and Bobby are a likable bunch of characters and their dynamic worked well in the story. Sure, the 11 year olds were much more mature than in my experience, but the world is made up of all sorts.

The story is strong once it gets going, but I found it a little slow to hit its stride. However, this is a middle grade book and scene setting is important.

There are some scary scenes near the end of the book that are atmospheric and I would have loved them as a child (I still do as an adult).

I found this an entertaining read with strong characters and a story that had more depth to it than your average middle grade horror.

About the Author:

Michael J Moore is an author from Washington state. His books include Highway Twenty, the bestselling post-apocalyptic novel, After the Change, which is used as curriculum at the University of Washington, the psychological thriller, Secret Harbor and the middle-grade story, Nightmares in Aston. His work has received awards, has appeared in various anthologies, journals, newspapers (i.e. the Huffington Post) and magazines (i.e. the Nation), on television (with acclaimed newsman, Carlos Watson) and has been adapted for theater.

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