I absolutely adored J.A. White’s The Nightbooks. When I heard he was working on a sequel, I was ecstatic. Even after building it up in my mind and after reading a few spoiler-free reviews accusing it of being formulaic, I enjoyed Gravebooks almost as much as the first book in the series. Alex and Yasmin are back. They’ve escaped the evil, magical apartment and are coping with their personal traumas. Alex’s experiences being forced to write daily horror stories for Natacha has left him with a severe mental block. But no need to fear, a new nightmare awaits him (literally). Natacha somehow made her way back after being eaten by the real witch and is now alive-ish and well (again ish) and living in a graveyard in Alex’s imagination where the remains of stories he’s given up on are buried. She forces him to write a new story every night, resurrecting his old ideas. It’s up to Alex and Yasmin to figure out what she's up to and how to rescue Alex before sleep deprivation gets the better of him.



Is it this the same basic formula as the Nightbooks? Absolutely. But that’s not necessarily bad. Nightbooks was already a retelling of A Thousand and One Arabian Nights. Star Wars is Lord of the Rings is Harry Potter (actually those three are eerily similar plot wise if you break them down to the most basic elements). We all line up to watch a dozen repetitive romantic comedies every single year (boy meets girl, boy gets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl back) and we love it. Writers use formulas because they work. And White’s use of the 1001 forumla is compelling, entertaining, and well written.



As a writer myself, I have felt so many of the same things Alex suffers from as he tries to create stories against his deadlines in the story. You can tell this is rooted in personal experience. The characters have to work together, trust each other (and some people they’d rather not trust) and overcome some of their own, personal weaknesses/demons to survive to the end of the story. The monsters are unique. The little stories woven in between chapters make me both laugh and scream. I’d read a thousand and one books in this format before I even thought about complaining. Please write another book in this series, J.A. White! I’m begging you.

The first book in this series was terrifying in the best possible way, so I was beyond excited to read the second installment. I love recommending the first book to kids who like spooky middle grade books.
The sequel will not disappoint fans who enjoyed Nightbooks. It immediately draws readers in by jumping right into the action which will make it appealing to young readers (and older readers) alike. We get to catch up with Alex and Yasmin not long after where we left them in Nightbooks, but we get to see how their friendship has changed. The dialogue between the two characters is excellent.
However, the author's true gift is worldbuilding, and in this story the world has expanded beyond the apartment.
I can't wait to recommend this to readers who love a story that will keep them up reading past their bedtime!

Gravebooks was even better than Nightbooks. I loved the concept of a graveyard of forgotten ideas in our minds. I thought the villain in this story was also more intense than in Nightbooks. I was sad at the strained relationship between the main characters, but it was understandable. What I like about this book is that it is creepy without being gory or demonic. My favorite parts of the book are the stories that the main character writes. I love that we get to read his stories and not just hear descriptions of them. My students are going to love this book.

Great sequel to Nightbooks. We get a fluid continuation of the story if Alex, Yasmin and Natacha. We are introduced to a new monster which cause Alex to grow in his understanding of his dreams.

This is the sequel to his book “Nightbook”. I want to start out by saying if you haven’t read the first book you will be missing important information and will not understand some of this book.
As a middle school librarian, I have read the first book and suggest it to my students that love creepy/scary books. J.A. White does a great job with middle school appropriate horror.
This book definitely lived up to my hopes. It follows Alex and Yasmin not long after the first book. They are trying to deal with the trauma of what happened to them and how to move forward. Of course there is a new scare that threatened their move to being normal and they have to work together to defeat the latest monster.
This book would be great with discussing trauma and coping strategies. I would also love to see writing lessons taking some of Alex’s stories and making new endings or just using the prompts. I will be getting this book to add to my library collection.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book.

J.A. White is a brilliant author who manages to captivate and terrify in equal measure. I’ve been a fan of his since The Thickety and grow more impressed with every novel. Gravebooks is no exception. Kids and adults will both adore reading this fabulously spooky novel

Gravebooks is every bit as enchanting as Nightbooks, but it's also very different. We see an expanded world beyond the apartment (and it's door), a new world even. I was immediately drawn into this new world and what it might have in store for our main characters. The story jumps right in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I started reading around midnight... And stayed up extra late to finish the book.

In it we see relationships rekindled and taken to new places. I was happy to see the cast back together again. As a reader/writer a story about writing stories appeals to me on many levels.

I would advise readers to make sure they've read the first book prior to jumping into this one as context is important. There's a short blurb at the start of the book, but reading the first will make this one make more sense.

I was given an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I was just so excited to read this book. The first is such a fun ride. I'm a sucker for magic and witches and, well, books. So, it was just a fun adventure. My mother enjoyed it and my nephew enjoyed it as well. We were able to bond over the book. This one will be the same and I am here for it.

Gravebooks is every bit as enchanting as Nightbooks, but it's also very different. We see an expanded world beyond the apartment (and it's door), a new world even. I was immediately drawn into this new world and what it might have in store for our main characters. The story jumps right in and keeps you on the edge of your seat. I started reading around midnight... And stayed up extra late to finish the book.

In it we see relationships rekindled and taken to new places. I was happy to see the cast back together again. As a reader/writer a story about writing stories appeals to me on many levels.

I would advise readers to make sure they've read the first book prior to jumping into this one as context is important. There's a short blurb at the start of the book, but reading the first will make this one make more sense.

I do not read a lot, hardly any actually, spooky or horror type books. However, I found myself intrigued enough by the first book in this series, Nightbooks, to request the sequel which I ended up loving even more than the first! As someone who in middle school started, and never finished, so many stories, I loved the idea of the graveyard of ideas. I wish something like that actually existed. On top of that, J.A. White does such an amazing job with representing the reality of the "after the happy ending" with how both of the main characters deal with their trauma from the first book. Even though I felt like a couple of the plot points stretched the suspension of disbelief, ultimately it held and created a spooky book which I really enjoyed.

Gravebooks is a sequel to Nightbooks. While I recommend you read Nightbooks (because it's great), it is not necessary in order to enjoy this one.
In Gravebooks, Natacha is back and haunting Akex's dreams. He ends up in a story graveyard, where all of his unfinished story ideas have ended up.
There are some new, scary characters that Alex and Yasmin must outsmart.

One of the best parts of this book are Alex's short stories. They are great for middle grade readers who like a little bit of creepiness. I particularly like that his stories leave the end to the imagination and aren't gruesome.

I read this with my 11 year old son and we both enjoyed it!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for an early copy for review.

Guess who's back, back again? Natacha's back with a friend.

Alex wakes to find himself in a graveyard, but can't remember how he got there. Alex soon discovers that he's not awake, but trapped in a dream by Natacha and her new friend Simeon. What do they want? The same thing any good villian wants - more scary stories.

Gravebooks continues to the story of Alex and his spooky tales, but it is so much better than the original Nightbooks (in my humble opinion). Natacha's sarcasm is outstanding, which added much depth to her personality. Like Nightbooks, Gravebooks contains more of Alex's stories that show the growth (literally) of his ability to write a terrifying tale.

Highly recommended for upper elementary to middle school level libraries.

ARC recieved from NetGalley.

This was not my favorite type of middle grade horror, and I ended up not finishing the book. However, I didn’t realize it was a sequel so there was an element of background knowledge that I didn’t have.

I read about 50% and what turned me off of the book was that it was a series of rough drafts that the villain critiqued. The rough drafts weren’t interesting or fun to read and I found myself critiquing them. I do think this book would connect with a reader who likes to see the writing process develop and I would recommend it to teachers who want to teach explicit writing skills in an engaging format. But reading it just for fun didn’t work for me.

A worthy sequel to Nightbooks, but it doesn't surpass the original. The stakes do seem slightly slower in this one for much of the the book. The book does an excellent job of showing how Alex and Yasmin have dealt with the events of Nightbooks, and the toll it's taken on their friendship. Yasmin's response to the trauma, particularly when put back in a similar situation is realistic and heartbreaking. Alex and Yasmin's friendship and defiance in the face of seemingly impossible odds is showcased once more.

The dialogue is one of the best things about the book. Some of my favorite non-spoilery lines (at least if you're familiar with Nightbooks) from the book include:
"This kid escaped one magical apartment and now he thinks he's Houdini."

"Oceans have sharks. Nightmares have Natachas."

Yasmin: This isn't a story. This is real life.
Alex: You know what I've learned about "real life" in the past year? Magic is real, witches exist, and "Hansel and Gretel" is nonfiction. So you'll have to forgive me if I've grown a teensy bit more flexible about what I'm willing to believe."

"You ruined my life, and you don't even know my name."

"How can I be sure the two of you won't try to escape again?"
"Oh, we definitely will," Alex said. "It's kind of our thing."

Yasmin: You're just paranoid because every time someone wants your stories, they end up trying to kill you.
Alex: Exactly!