Monster Hunters (Nightmare Academy, No. 1) [Paperback]

Dean Lorey (Author), Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 3 and up

Join Charlie Benjamin on a "fast-paced, action-packed" adventure. When Charlie's nightmares bring monsters to Earth, Charlie gets a once-in-a-lifetime chance to learn to control his powers at the incredible Nightmare Academy. "marvelous creatures" greet Charlie and his new friends as they embark on "a straight-forward thrill ride" of "rip-roaring monster slayings" in a debut novel that's "pure entertainment."

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Rip-roaring monster slayings...readers will appreciate the book’s cinematic vividness...a straightforward thrill ride.” (Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books )

“Lots of fun and excitement...It’s Men in Black for kids. Pure entertainment” (Kirkus Reviews )

About the Author

Dean Lorey is a Hollywood screenwriter whose credits include co-executive producer of the cult TV hit Arrested Development. He was inspired to write Nightmare Academy, his first series for young readers, by his personal enthusiasm for imagined worlds and video games. The first book in the trilogy, monster hunters, received the Southern California Booksellers' Award for Best Children's Novel of the Year. Dean Lorey lives in Calabasas, California, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their sons, Chris (first reader for the Nightmare Academy trilogy) and Alex (then too young to read).

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (July 28, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0061340448
• ISBN-13: 978-0061340444
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 5.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #613,293 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

The NIGHTMARE ACADEMY series is published in over 20 countries and the movie rights have been optioned by Universal Studios. Bob Ducsay and Steven Sommers (THE MUMMY, THE MUMMY RETURNS) are producing. I hope you enjoy reading the series as much as I enjoyed writing it!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For both kids AND Big Kids!, September 10, 2007

By 

Noelemite "Viva Las Banas" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightmare Academy (Hardcover)

I got this for my 9 year old the other day. He started poking at it like it was cod liver oil. Like most 9 year old boys do when their father puts a BOOK in front of them. I told him it was probably like the Potter series - which he liked to WATCH... But I had him read the first ten pages before he could go to bed.

Imagine my surprise when I find him sitting at the kitchen table with TWO CHAPTERS left! He'd spent the entire night immersed in NA and kept 'shushing' me when I started asking him normal mundane questions about his plans for the day. (ok theres's some paternal schadenfreude at work here.)

But when he was done he was bubbling with excitement. Showing me the illustrations, trying to tell me the whole story. I told him I'd read it too and then we could talk about it. I started it right there and read it cover to cover. Now, Lorey's not writing in the style of Proust, he's got a very digestible and flowing style that keeps you chewing thru page after page. But this was a lot of fun. He created a whole fun uniqe world that I'd never visited.

Good going. For his freshman outing this was a joy and a pleasure.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars GRIPPING, SCARY AND FUN ! ! !, October 9, 2007

By 

James Jennewein (LOS ANGELES) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Nightmare Academy (Hardcover)

A very absorbing tale and the start of a thrilling new series. Great characters and even cooler creatures. Plus a page-turning plot that I found tremendously satisfying. It really transported me to an exciting place -- which is what all good fiction is supposed to do. Can't wait for the NEXT book in the series. Lorey is a YA author to watch!

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Very Enjoyable, August 30, 2007

By 

smurf82 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nightmare Academy (Hardcover)

This book is for fiction and fantasy buffs of all ages and it was all but impossible to put down. You will easily get wrapped up in the frightening world presented by Lorey in this book. These days there is no shortage of books that involve fantasy, magic, and adventure; however Lorey's combination of those three genres works well. Nightmare Academy also brings a shockingly refreshing amount of originality to the idea of a school for "talented" children, resulting in a resounding triumph for any post-Harry Potter series. I found it very enjoyable.