The Nightmare Thief by Nicole Lesperance (review)

Lesperance, Nicole The Nightmare Thief; illus. by Federica Fenna. Sourcebooks, 2021 [288p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781728215341 $16.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 4-6

Maren loves working in her grandmother's dream shop, and she's even tried her hand at mixing the elements necessary to make a few herself. When her sister is injured and falls into a coma, however, the one unbreakable rule about dreams—never give them to someone without their consent—suddenly becomes unbearable. Unfortunately, she is spotted as she slips Hallie a flying dream in hope of curing her, and suddenly Maren is being blackmailed by a sinister woman who demands gruesome nightmares in exchange for her silence. It's not quite clear why Maren doesn't fess up immediately to her obviously loving family, but this is still an absorbing tale as she struggles in an increasingly tangled web of lies, thefts, and danger, exploited more and more by a woman who wants to take over the whole town using magic. Maren is a memorably flawed and earnest protagonist, eager to prove her worth and not at all clear on how to do so. Lesperance has built an agreeable little world of gentle magic that benefits all, and it's clear how the town could become so complacent that one woman with terrible intentions gets as far as she does in ruining it. Readers will likely be relieved that Maren, and indeed all of Rockpool Bay, emerges a bit wiser and more focused on sharing both troubles and joys.