The Nightmare House

In this spooky middle grade novel perfect for fans of Small Spaces, Doll Bones, and V. E. Schwab, a young girl’s deepest fears take on terrifying new life when she confronts a supernatural foe who can manipulate her nightmares.

Penny Hope used to be brave, but that was before she met the Fear Maker. Years later, he still haunts her dreams—a tall, thin man with red eyes, in a haunted house in the woods, who devours human souls and leaves his victims' eyes hollow and empty. Penny’s beloved grandma tells her to write down these nightmares as poems in her notebook. But then Penny starts seeing blank-eyed people in the waking world, too. She’s the only one who notices.

As more people around her fall prey to the Fear Maker, Penny must gather her courage once and for all to save the souls of those she loves. With the help of her notebook and a new friend, she ventures to the Fear Maker’s house. But the house is a labyrinth of nightmares and tricks—and the Fear Maker’s fun is just beginning.

In this just-scary-enough monster story that’s also about dealing with relentless anxiety, see how far a penny’s worth of hope will take you when you enter Sarah Allen’s The Nightmare House.