Emerine's Nightmare

What would you do if one night, life as you know it changes and you are left alone in despair? That is how Emerine’s Nightmare starts and now all he does is run.

His family lived at the edge of the forest until dark shadows killed them all. Now they want him, and so does a magic tree. He has never seen dark shadows or enchanted trees before. Emerine has to get to the heart of Red Forest, to the fairy people. Only then he will be safe. Safe? He has never heard of fairies before and once he gets there what?


Editorial Review:

Author Anna Del C Dye once again brings readers a tale filled with mystical beings. Most of her books are much longer and the main characters are elves but in this children's book, Emerine's Nightmare, she focuses on the fairy folk. Twelve-year-old Emerine and his father came home from fishing to find his mother murdered and their home burned. His father warned him that the shadows were hunting him and that he must find the fairy folk. As they rushed to escape, his father was constantly aware of the danger. When they attacked, Emerine's father pushed him inside the trunk of a tree. Emerine could do nothing but watch as the shadows murdered his father. Emerine must continue on his own as he searches for the Fairy Queen and tries to elude the shadows. 


In Emerine's Nightmare, the author has allowed her imagination to rule. This children's book is a mere forty-seven pages but don't let that fool you: the story is not small. The plot is good versus evil but is not so dark that it will overwhelm children. The illustrations are beautifully done. I knew from previous books that Anna Del C. Dye was a talented author but I had no idea she was also a talented illustrator. My one suggestion concerns the illustrations. I would like to see more of them and perhaps a wee bit of color added. The characters are interesting. Children will particularly identify with Emerine because of his age and his uncertainty over whom to trust. This book will appeal to children 9 through 15.

--Readers' Favorite