NIGHTMARE JONES

Witches, ghosts, arachnids, and more abound in this terrifying compendium of verse.

“No two monsters are alike,” observes Bramer cogently, pairing once more with Derby. This collection introduces readers to the titular Nightmare Jones, a onetime swashbuckler “with a bit of blood on his shoe.” Of the 28 poems, some rhyme, like the oddly triumphant “The Son of a Scorpion,” while most do not. Though many entries are straightforward, others are so rife with odd and evocative imagery that they’re sure to inspire discussion; all are beautifully crafted and appropriately spine-tingling. Particularly outstanding is “Four Seasons in a Witch’s Garden,” which plays off prettified odes to the seasons. Spring is full of “red crocuses / like blood fingers / along the burgeoning path,” while in autumn the witch will “rip things out / incubate their hearts / collect the tubers / smell her own hands.” Derby, who’s always flitted at the edges of creepiness, now fully embraces her own inner Stephen Gammell—known for his illustrations for Alvin Schwartz’s Scary Stories To Tell in the Dark books—with her grotesquely drippy art; the result feels like a long-lost installment in that series. Though the work is written for children, it has a philosophical bent that could just as easily appeal to younger teens looking for a little goth inspiration.

Delicious poetry paired with haunting art speaks with authority to the darkness so many kids crave.