#laura geringer

[haveyoureadthisbook-poll]

Have you read Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by Laura Geringer and William Joyce (2011)?

yes

no

I didn't finish it

I've never heard of it

Voting ended onApr 27, 2025

[books-to-add-to-your-tbr]

Title: The Guardians

Author: William Joyce, Laura Geringer

Series or standalone: series

Publication year: 2011

Genres: fiction, fantasy, adventure

Blurb: Nicholas St. North is a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely-guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard: Ombric Shalazar...but when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions. North must decide whether to seek his fortune, or save the village. When the rebellious hero gets literally sucked into the chaos, the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Claussen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting...and he's not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

[6e1dip71-blog]

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children's short stories audiobooks : Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by Laura Geringer, William Joyce | Kids

Listen to Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King new releases children's short stories audiobooks on your iPhone, iPad, or Android. Get any BOOKAUDIO by Laura Geringer, William Joyce Kids FREE during your Free Trial

Written By: Laura Geringer, William Joyce Narrated By: Gerard Doyle Publisher: Simon & Schuster Date: October 2011 Duration: 3 hours 30 minutes

[bookintroventure-blog]

Review: Nicholas St. North & the Battle of the Nightmare King (The Guardians, Book 1)

Title: Nicholas St. North & the Battle of the Nightmare King Author: William Joyce & Laura Geringer Genre: Fiction/Childrens/Fantasy Series: The Guardians, Book 1 Date(s) Read: 01/22/17 – 01/22/17 Rating: 5/5

Summary: Before SANTA was SANTA, he was North, Nicholas St. North—a daredevil swordsman whose prowess with double scimitars was legendary. Like any swashbuckling young warrior, North seeks treasure and adventure, leading him to the fiercely guarded village of Santoff Claussen, said to be home to the greatest treasure in all the East, and to an even greater wizard, Ombric Shalazar. But when North arrives, legends of riches have given way to terrors of epic proportions! North must decide whether to seek his fortune…or save the village. When our rebellious hero gets sucked into the chaos (literally), the fight becomes very personal. The Nightmare King and his evil Fearlings are ruling the night, owning the shadows, and sending waves of fear through all of Santoff Clausen. For North, this is a battle worth fighting...and, he's not alone. There are five other Guardians out there. He only has to find them in time.

Overall Review: A beautifully-crafted, intriguing take on the origins of Santa Claus, painted with vivid detail and wondrous adventure that, though modern, will take you back to the classic fairy tales of Hans Christian Andersen.

Detailed Review: Since this is a children’s book, I am going to review it as such, which means my standards for what make it great are different – it’s rated on a scale of it’s own.

I have been a huge fan of the movie Rise of the Guardians since it came out in 2012, but I only just found out last month that the movie had originated from a short series of books written by the outstanding William Joyce. Look him up – it’s likely he’s written and/or illustrated something that you recognize, such as Meet The Robinsons or Rolly Polly Olly. Of course, as soon as I found out about the Guardians books, the first one – this one – was in my shopping basket, checked, taxed, and shipped. I didn’t care if it was a children’s book, I needed to read it, and I was not disappointed.

Like I said, I’ll be reviewing children’s books a bit differently, so I’m not going to do a whole Pro/Con thing – I’m just going to tell you about the book:

In the first pages of Nicholas St. North, a moonbeam out fulfilling his duty of protecting children inadvertently releases Pitch, the dreaded Nightmare King. From there, we are introduced to the old wizard Ombric Shalazar, who has created an idyllic home, protected by magic, where curious children and their parents are free to explore and engage their curiosities, invent and learn things, all in the safety of their village of Santoff Claussen. But when the Nightmare King’s cruel fearlings break through the barriers and Pitch threatens to harm the children, Ombric fails to protect them and the task is passed on to Nicholas St. North, the King of Thieves and stranger to Santoff Claussen, guided there by a dream.

This book is simple and straight-to-the-point, as children’s books are, but interwoven with such gorgeous imagery and a lilting narrative that has all the markers of a perfect bedtime story. The characters are human, relatable, with flaws but the desire and effort to become the best versions of themselves as they can possibly be. I especially love Pitch’s backstory, which was sadly absent in the film adaptation – it would have been really cool to see onscreen.

I would, without a doubt, read this book (and the rest of the series, as soon as I can order them) to the kids I babysit. It shows the benefit in being a good person, and the benefit in belief. Oh, and the illustrations are gorgeous and old-fashion, again reminiscent of Andersen.

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Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

The Guardians: Book One by William Joyce and Laura Geringer “He was not a wizard, a thief, or a warrior, but a powerful figure of unending mirth, mystery, and magic, who lived in a city surrounded by snow” (Joyce, 189). Chapter Nineteen – Chapter Twenty-Four

As I said last time, for the second half of Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King, I recorded my responses and thoughts…

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Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

The Guardians: Book One by William Joyce and Laura Geringer “A small black spider was lowering itself down on a single strand of silk toward the djinni’s left ear… But this spider was different” (Joyce, 189). Chapter Thirteen – Chapter Eighteen

I know I said that trying to cram twelve chapters into one post seemed overwhelming, word count wise for the length I prefer.

But for the second half of N…

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Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

The Guardians: Book One by William Joyce and Laura Geringer “But it was said that he once defeated an entire regiment of cavalry with a bent steak knife — while he was eating” (Joyce, 61). Chapter Six — Chapter Nine

Okay, so I think I’ve been trying to explain the plot a bit too much. Not that the plot isn’t important, but that’s never been the point of doing these little…whatever these are…

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Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King

The Guardians: Book One by William Joyce and Laura Geringer “images began to scroll across the Moon’s surface, as if it were a shadow play, flowing in perfect timing with the story Ombric now told…” (Joyce, 44). Chapter Five

So the children are now safe in Big Root. And inside the giant tree some really neat visual for tons of bunk beds manifest: “Bunk beds materialized from its hollow center,…

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