Nightmare in the Backyard by Jeff Strand
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was cute as heck. It had Lovecraftian-type creatures, perfect for a new generation of Horror Readers!
I loved the first book in this new Eek! series, It Watches in the Dark, by veteran Horror author, Jeff Strand, so I’ve been anticipating this release.
This has a classic set-up, with three girls, Chloe, Avery and Madison, doing a little backyard camping. It’s the best way to have a sleepover, IMO.
The girls are just settling in when the neighbor, Elijah, stops by to say hi. They just know he’ll be back later too, trying to prank them. Typical boy behavior.
Sure enough, they hear scratching on the outside of their tent later in the evening. Fully expecting to catch Elijah red-handed, they rush to open the tent flap and look out, but it appears there’s no one there.
A little creeped out, they retreat back into their tent, but not long after the scratching noises return.
Getting more freaked out by the second, the girls desperately want to figure out the source of the scratching, but the truth turns out to be much worse than the girls could’ve dreamed of, even in their worst nightmares.
Nightmare in the Backyard is a wildly-entertaining Middle Grade Horror story reminiscent of the Goosebumps and Are You Afraid of the Dark stories of the olden’ days.
I had the privilege of listening to the audiobook and feel that the narration is perfect for this age category. The narrator brought these characters and the insane circumstances they found themselves in to life. I def recommend that format.
I loved how fast-paced this story was and how the kids really worked well together trying to figure out exactly what was happening in the backyard. It was a lot. Wild, crazy and zany enough to keep Young Readers thoroughly entertained.
Also, I do want to note that these books can be read in any order. Just like the Goosebumps series, these books aren’t really related. It’s all new characters and circumstances.
Thank you to the publisher, Sourcebooks Kids and Tantor Media, for providing me copies to read and review. I’m not sure how many installments are slated for this series, but I will be reading them all, I can assure you of that!