The Nightmare Thief

by Nicole Lesperance, Allyson Voller (Read by)

Overview

For fans of A Snicker of Magic and The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl comes a suspenseful dark fantasy duology, perfect for middle school listeners that love stories of magic and sisterhood with a dash of danger.

Maren Partridge loves working in her family's dream shop where she can hand-craft any dream imaginable. The shop has only one rule. Dreams cannot be given to a person without their consent. Maren has no problem with this—until her sister, Hallie, has an accident that leaves her in a coma. Maren's certain she can cure Hallie with a few well-chosen dreams. And when no one is watching, she slips her a flying dream.

But a strange new customer from the shop has been following Maren and knows what she did. Now she's laid the perfect trap to blackmail Maren into creating custom nightmares for a dark and terrible purpose. As Maren gets drawn further into the sinister scheme, she must make a choice: to protect her family or to protect the town from her family's magic.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798228663053
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	02/03/2026
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 5.70(h) x 0.00(d)

About the Author

Nicole Lesperance grew up on Cape Cod and graduated from Wesleyan University. She spent a few years in London and now lives near Boston with her husband, two kids, and two rambunctious black cats. She writes young adult and middle grade books.

Allyson Voller is a SAG-AFTRA actor based in Chicago. She's worked professionally for many years, in the Midwest theater, on-camera, improv, and voice-over community. Holding a degree in theater, she also studied improv at The Second City Conservatory and iO Chicago. Allyson's path led her to audiobook narration and she's never looked back. Her audiobook narration work has been recognized with finalist nominations in the Independent Audiobook Awards and the Audiobook Adrenaline Awards. When not recording in her booth, you can find her walking her local hiking trails, rescuing a wandering turtle, creating silly memorable shenanigans with her kids or just simply reading a book.

Editorial Reviews

"A hair-raising, nontraditional horror novel with fantastical elements. Will have universal appeal for children who don’t mind a scare.

" — School Library Journal

"A spine-tingling adventure." — Kirkus Reviews

"This poignant story blending fantasy and horror takes place in a colorful setting, a town where magic is part of the reality." — Jean Westmoore, The Buffalo News

"Lesperance has crafted a wonderfully original world… The delightfully descriptive text sets a cozy scene, but there is also real danger and a deliciously disconcerting villain. There is magic and mayhem, horror and hope, and the thread of family and friendship weaving it all together." — Booklist, STARRED Review

"Readers who loved Astrid Law’s Savvy series or Shelby Bach’s The Ever Afters series will surely love Maren and her dreams to save the world." — Rebecca Williams, The Portland Book Review

"[An] absorbing tale… Maren is a memorably flawed and earnest protagonist." — The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Lesperance crafts a resourceful heroine whose loyalty forces her to confront a difficult situation and come out stronger. She also folds a satisfying sense of wonder into the quaint town, balanced with a chilling element of darkness." — Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

2020-10-27
Something is rotten in magical Rockpool Bay.

Some residents of Rockpool Bay are born with specific magic that helps them with their businesses, such as the pharmacy with its charmed medicines and Maren’s grandmother Lishta’s dream shop, where Maren is learning to make both healing dreams and intense nightmares. Maren first meets Ms. Malo at the dream shop, where she demands to be sold 12 nightmares despite Lishta’s limit of three, never to be administered to others without consent. Unfortunately, Maren herself breaks the rule, giving her sister, Hallie, a dream in an effort to wake her from her coma. Ms. Malo catches Maren and threatens to expose her if Maren doesn’t supply her with nightmares. Maren uneasily acquiesces but notices that some magic-imbued shops are closing. She believes it’s Ms. Malo’s doing, but what is her motive? The buildup is slow and creepy, and sinister events and changes in the town add to the threatening atmosphere. More anxiety-provoking is Maren’s dilemma: tell the truth and destroy her family or aid Ms. Malo and destroy Rockpool Bay? The author skillfully ratchets up the tension when Lishta, Maren, and her friend are captured by Ms. Malo. It takes all of Maren’s knowledge and courage to stage their rescue as she grows and learns that the love of friends and family is the best magic of all. Characters default to White.

A spine-tingling adventure. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews