This is an amusing read! Sleepwalking and seeing ghosts...I would recommend this book to kids! It's a fun, cool, and enjoyable book.

This was SUCH a FUN read!




Okay, so sleepwalking is nothing to joke about. I mean, I'm sure most of you have heard some crazy stories involving things that people have done while extraordinarily sleep deprived, and they say waking a person the is caught in this state should be done ever so delicately or even avoided (if possible) at all costs. It sends a shock to the system as the brain tries to catch up to what's going on...well then riddle me this. How much of a shock do you think our little leading lady had to deal with when she was found building a tree house, complete with the use of a chainsaw and other various tools, in a GIANT tree in the dead of night...ALL...WHILE...SLEEPWALKING. Exactly. An EXTREMELY RIDICULOUS amount of shock at the very least...or not. Why? Well, it was an unfortunate normal for Sam, but it didn't make it any less dangerous, any less something to be concerned with, or any less a thing about herself that she would change in a heartbeat. Well, at least until one sclera challenged scientist (only slightly mad...for the most part) gets involved and things start to...change...




Honestly, I was fascinated enough with her nighttime adventures that when this new level of curiosity inducing drama was introduced, I was so in the zone that I couldn't stop turning pages! I mean, what WOULD Sam do next? Would the "doctor" save her? Were the unusual side effects of the study something to worry about? What would Sam do with her new curious "powers"? Who would her delightful pug-gy friend cuddle next? Oh yeah, and just who was this Madalynn Sucret and what hold did she have on everyone? There were SO MANY questions, and only so many answers, but hey...that leaves room for more exploration in future installments, which I for one CAN'T WAIT FOR!




A great reading recommendation for this Middle Grade Fiction fans this reading season or any for that matter!

I loved the premise of this book. A sleepwalking teen who can walk around at night without her body and finds a whole community of teens like her. However, I found the theme of bullying to be a bit preachy at times and the character development to be flat rather than fluid. With that said, it was still the start to a fun new middle grade series that fans of Katherine Marsh's Night Tourist series may enjoy.

I was fortunate to receive a free ARC of this book from Netgalley. The above thoughts, insights, or recommendations are my own meek musings.

Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.

Author: Shari Simpson

Book Series: Sleepwakers Book 1

Rating: 5/5

Publication Date: October 1, 2019

Recommended Age: 10+ (little violence, some scary moments, and some definate do not attempt at home moments)

Genre: MG Fantasy

Publisher: Disney Press

Synopsis: What would you do if you could stay out all night and not get in trouble?

Thirteen-year-old Sam has no friends, but you can’t really blame her. She lives her life in a state of chronic exhaustion thanks to her nightly sleepwalking jaunts, which include trips to the store, treehouse-building projects, and breaking-and-entering escapades-none of which she remembers in the morning. Her condition is taking its toll on her family (and her life), so when her mom takes her to see a wacky strip-mall sleep specialist, Sam is wary, but 100 percent in.

The night after the doc works his mojo, Sam wakes up outside her body, watching herself sleep. FREAKY! But once she gets over the panic attack, she realizes there’s a whole world of detached-souls out there, called SleepWakers-cliques of kids like the Achieves, who use their sleep time to learn new things; the Numbs, who eat junk food and play video games all night long, and the OCDeeds who search for missing things and organize other people’s stuff. And then there are the Mean Dreams, led by Madalynn Sucret, the nicest girl in Sam’s school, who shows Sam that she can use her power to get back at a bully who’s been tormenting her. Sam is intrigued-until it becomes clear that Madalynn is the real bully and the “tormentor” is just, well… sad. Now Sam is faced with uniting the various tribes of SleepWakers to fight back against Madalynn and the Mean Dreams in the most epic battle the night has ever seen.

Review: I loved this book and I thought it was a fun book for middle grade fantasy lovers and a great start to a new series. The writing was wonderful and very kid friendly. The plot was interesting from beginning to end and the characters were wonderfully complex but not outside the realm of understanding of younger readers. I also really appreciated the positive message and positive way you can deal with bullies and how you can come to a mutual understanding with anyone. The book really hammers in that everyone is going through something and it stresses that the reader, as well as the main character, look at the underlying reason why bullies and others might be acting out rather than to get revenge on them or paint a villain in such black and white colors.

However, I do think that there were some situations that would need to be explained but nothing that they shouldn’t begin knowing about at the target age. I also thought the pacing was a bit slow in a few areas but it was still interesting enough to carry the reader through the story. I also thought the final battle was a bit flat and too complex and it left me with many questions and a possible plot hole?

Verdict: Definitely recommend this book for beginning fantasy readers!

First up thanks for giving me a review copy for this book! I participated in the blog tour and the book itself seemed tons of fun. And it did start off pretty interesting and fun, but I quickly grew bored and had to struggle to read the book, I have been trying for two weeks to read bits here and there whenever I can.. but I never get that far.. I wasn't a fan of the professor and how he didn't tell her anything until she found out herself in a scary way. Plus, the mom was just meh.

But I am giving 2 stars for the fun idea of sleepwalkers and having them be able to do things. Also the cover is great fun.

This novel was a definite read for the month of October, because come on… spooky nights of astral projection? Kids around the world that can travel in the darkness? Can learn to become as solid as their flesh and blood filled bodies? Um, yes please. There was, without a doubt, a unique spin on the world of sleep walkers and what’s really going on inside their minds (science not always included, lol).

It was a book that incorporated the supernatural with a medical mystery, being given the opportunity to control the actions one takes while asleep. Sam’s journey through all of this really makes it an interesting, fun, and scary read all at once. Being introduced to the different tribes each sleepwalker falls in, was an even more interesting concept. With names like Mean Dreams, OCDeeds, Achieves, even a group dedicated to Broadway musicals, who wouldn’t be fascinated with it?

My only thing about this, was that at many times it read more of a young adult territory kind of book. And, there was an absolute gush over a certain sleepwalker, a continual gush that could be seen as a little bit of overkill (if only for a little, too much cuteness and hottie, and bulging muscles for it being a middle grade book). Along with, a few other tidbits that gives the reader the feels of a more older audience.

Aside from that, many of the characters’ introduced were engaging and made the story more of a mystery. This does seem though, like a book with a sequel in its future, as much of the secrets of the sleep walking world was only brought to the surface, but not really resolved near the end. There’s a bit of untethering for one particular character and when you believe the end to be near, the reader is left with much unresolve and wanting more. Can’t wait to see what’s next for them all.

***I received this copy from Disney Hyperion via NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.***