Nightlights; Lorena Alvarez

Bedtime is magical for Sandy. It is when the tiny lights appear out of the darkness of her bedroom. She catches them and magics wonderful creatures to play with, and then in the morning, she remembers her creations in whimsical drawings. Sandy’s drawings go unnoticed until new girl Morfie takes a surprising interest in them. But the new girl is not as friendly as she first appears and is after much more than just Sandy’s artwork…

For all art-lovers and creative kids, Nightlights is a mesmerising feast for the eyes about about a young girl with a vivid imagination. If you want a clear-cut story that makes perfect sense and where everything is resolved at the end then this is probably not for you. On the other hand, if you want a stunningly illustrated graphic novel then you’ll be hard pressed to find one better than this.

Whilst the story might be a bit hit and miss, children will love venturing into this richly imagined world which is at turns fantastic and frightening as scenes quickly change from wondrous childhood dreams to the stuff of nightmares. As the mischievous Morphie leads Sandy down a dark path, Sandy will need all of her creativity, artistic talents and inner strength if she is to overcome her fears and escape the dangers presented before her.

Within this vibrant and sometimes dark world, Lorena Alvarez explores themes of fear, insecurity, creativity and believing in yourself. Sandy is a bit of a misfit at her strict Catholic school; often found with her head in the clouds, her mind is full of colours and creatures and she much rather be doodling than engaging in homework, learning how to calculate the area of a circle and listening to the dulcet tones of Sister Dolores. But when the time comes, it will be one of the very things that Sandy has no interest in that will be needed to escape Morfie’s dangerous clutches.

Magical and haunting!

Recommended for 9+.