About This Book
Reach for this book if your middle-schooler is struggling with nighttime anxiety, chronic insomnia, or the feeling that their internal struggles are a battle nobody else understands. While framed as a gothic horror story, it speaks deeply to the experience of being 'different' and the isolation that comes with a condition like insomnia. The narrative follows Alfie Mandeville to a spooky sanatorium where his inability to sleep becomes his only defense against supernatural forces. This is a sophisticated chiller that validates the intensity of childhood fears while providing a metaphorical framework for resilience. It is best suited for mature readers aged 11 to 15 who enjoy atmospheric, dark fantasies. Parents might choose this as a way to externalize a child's internal anxieties, turning a medical or emotional struggle into a journey of bravery and survival.
