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Are You Afraid of the Dark #2
The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker
The spine-chilling next installment in the middle-grade horror series based on Nickelodeon’s hit show Are You Afraid of the Dark? from YA horror sensation Danielle Valentine.
Everyone wants a Ms. Mabel doll.
And the dolls want something in return.
Ms. Mabel’s Doll Emporium can make a doll that looks like anyone, customizing every last detail from hair color down to the shape of its tiny fingernails until you have your very own “mini-me.” Fourteen-year-old Layla has saved up her babysitting money to buy one for her little sister, Emily. Emily is dying for one of her own, and Layla knows exactly how it feels to covet something. She’s never been so jealous over anything as she’d been over the doll of her former best friend, Quinn. Then Quinn moved away, and she and the doll disappeared entirely from Layla’s life. The loss still stings. Which is why—when the two sisters go to the store to pick up Emily’s doll—Layla is shocked to see Quinn’s old doll sitting on a shelf, covered in dust.
Layla hardly recognizes herself when she stuffs the doll into her backpack as the girls exit the shop . . . and the afternoon gets even stranger when they return home. Layla hears whispering coming from the closet where she’s stashed the Quinn doll. She wakes up in the middle of the night, frozen in fear as something creeps around the shadows. Her beloved tortoiseshell cat, Anne Boleyn, is behaving as if possessed. And she could swear the teeth on Emily’s doll look somehow . . . sharper than before.
Then Emily falls ill, and when Layla’s joints begin to stiffen unnaturally, she knows the dolls are to blame. They want something from their owners, and they won’t stop until its theirs. Can Layla track down the answers she desperately needs? Or will Emily and Layla eventually disappear, just like Quinn did?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? series
The Tale of the Gravemother (#1) by Rin Chupeco
The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker (#2) by Danielle Valentine
The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying An Original Graphic Novel by Tehlor Kay Mejia, illustrated by Junyi Wu, Alexis Hernandez, Justin Hernandez, and Kaylee Rowena
Everyone wants a Ms. Mabel doll.
And the dolls want something in return.
Ms. Mabel’s Doll Emporium can make a doll that looks like anyone, customizing every last detail from hair color down to the shape of its tiny fingernails until you have your very own “mini-me.” Fourteen-year-old Layla has saved up her babysitting money to buy one for her little sister, Emily. Emily is dying for one of her own, and Layla knows exactly how it feels to covet something. She’s never been so jealous over anything as she’d been over the doll of her former best friend, Quinn. Then Quinn moved away, and she and the doll disappeared entirely from Layla’s life. The loss still stings. Which is why—when the two sisters go to the store to pick up Emily’s doll—Layla is shocked to see Quinn’s old doll sitting on a shelf, covered in dust.
Layla hardly recognizes herself when she stuffs the doll into her backpack as the girls exit the shop . . . and the afternoon gets even stranger when they return home. Layla hears whispering coming from the closet where she’s stashed the Quinn doll. She wakes up in the middle of the night, frozen in fear as something creeps around the shadows. Her beloved tortoiseshell cat, Anne Boleyn, is behaving as if possessed. And she could swear the teeth on Emily’s doll look somehow . . . sharper than before.
Then Emily falls ill, and when Layla’s joints begin to stiffen unnaturally, she knows the dolls are to blame. They want something from their owners, and they won’t stop until its theirs. Can Layla track down the answers she desperately needs? Or will Emily and Layla eventually disappear, just like Quinn did?
Are You Afraid of the Dark? series
The Tale of the Gravemother (#1) by Rin Chupeco
The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker (#2) by Danielle Valentine
The Witch’s Wings and Other Terrifying An Original Graphic Novel by Tehlor Kay Mejia, illustrated by Junyi Wu, Alexis Hernandez, Justin Hernandez, and Kaylee Rowena
- GenresHorrorMiddle Grade
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 23, 2024
5 people are currently reading
242 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
July 17, 2025
I've been really enjoying middle grade horror lately. It's the innocent side of the genre, all the scares with not all the specious gazing and shock bombs. These kinds of books are the reason Little Dona fell in love with this amazing genre in the first place. Scary MG books are *genuinely* scary!
I love the Are You Afraid of the Dark series, both film and book. This is a great installment, with a creepy curse and a particularly talented doll maker, whose creations have a strange affect on their owners. Enjoy this one, it's such a treat!
I found an accessible digital copy of THE TALE OF THE TWISTED TOYMAKER by Danielle Valentine in Libby. Libraries pay way more than we do for digital copies, so make sure to only borrow what you will read!
I love the Are You Afraid of the Dark series, both film and book. This is a great installment, with a creepy curse and a particularly talented doll maker, whose creations have a strange affect on their owners. Enjoy this one, it's such a treat!
I found an accessible digital copy of THE TALE OF THE TWISTED TOYMAKER by Danielle Valentine in Libby. Libraries pay way more than we do for digital copies, so make sure to only borrow what you will read!
September 7, 2024
The problem with this book is that while the story is fun and spooky, it doesn’t understand the AYAOTD branding.
Like she finishes her tale and is like HERES MY CRAPPY COOKIES.
That’s not how any tale ever ends. It lacks the general spook and fun of the midnight society.
The tale itself is fun with a few creepy bits but it never really goes there, like it’s afraid to turn the dial up to what the first book delivered.
I won’t be buying this entry unless it’s dirt cheap. I read it free from Libby so go support your local library
Like she finishes her tale and is like HERES MY CRAPPY COOKIES.
That’s not how any tale ever ends. It lacks the general spook and fun of the midnight society.
The tale itself is fun with a few creepy bits but it never really goes there, like it’s afraid to turn the dial up to what the first book delivered.
I won’t be buying this entry unless it’s dirt cheap. I read it free from Libby so go support your local library
October 6, 2024
I'm so over the moon right now...THIS is how you write middle grade horror!
Are You Afraid of the Dark is often known for pushing the boundaries of how far scares can go when it comes to younger audiences. I was delighted to find that this book absolutely captured the feel of the original 90s series, delivering some sequences that might've frightened me more than the adult horror/thrillers that I've read this year. Truly!
"A young girl named Layla buys a lookalike doll for her sister from an old shop in town and soon finds another that eerily looks like a friend who disappeared years ago." Based on that elevator pitch, one may already have preconceived notions on where the plot might go, but I can assure you that it'll definitely zag when you expect it to zig.
This book isn't revolutionary by any means, but I'm just so ecstatic at how nightmarish so many of the scares were, all while containing some great heart between the main characters. Definitely check it out if you want a spooky read, and please don't discount this just because of its target demographic!
Are You Afraid of the Dark is often known for pushing the boundaries of how far scares can go when it comes to younger audiences. I was delighted to find that this book absolutely captured the feel of the original 90s series, delivering some sequences that might've frightened me more than the adult horror/thrillers that I've read this year. Truly!
"A young girl named Layla buys a lookalike doll for her sister from an old shop in town and soon finds another that eerily looks like a friend who disappeared years ago." Based on that elevator pitch, one may already have preconceived notions on where the plot might go, but I can assure you that it'll definitely zag when you expect it to zig.
This book isn't revolutionary by any means, but I'm just so ecstatic at how nightmarish so many of the scares were, all while containing some great heart between the main characters. Definitely check it out if you want a spooky read, and please don't discount this just because of its target demographic!
August 29, 2024
It’s time for a new Are You Afraid of the Dark book. I reviewed the first one on Twitter if you need the breakdown of that. Tale of the Gravemother was very solid which got me excited to see the next one. This one is by Danielle Valentine, a horror author mostly dealing in YA. One book of hers has an RL Stine critic quote on it so I fully trusted her.
So let’s just jump in and see how this continues things. The Midnight Society from Gravemother returns as Addison tells us the story of Layla Grifith, a girl who isn’t super well off these days but has scraped the money together to get her sister Emily a doll. The doll is from Mrs. Mabel’s Doll Emperioum, a doll place that used to be popular but now is just sort of there, and makes dolls that look like you. Layla’s friend Quinn had one once but soon got over protective and they haven’t been friends in a while.
Emily gets the doll of her and soon gets attached to it, like to the point of ghosting Layla a fair bit. Then odd things start to happen, plus Layla finds a doll that looks a lot like Quinn. Turns out all this may be connected and Mabel is more than she seems.
This was pretty solid and is a good follow up to Gravemother. Off the bat, I like getting the prologue and epilogue as we get a POV of a different Midnight Society member and don’t just repeat the one from the first book again. Her deal has on the nose tie to the story but I liked seeing how her life impacted her storytelling.
The story itself deals with some typical things, it’s hard to do much new with evil dolls at this point. And while it reminds me of the likes of Really You and especially Tale of the Dollmaker, it does them well. There's a solid creepy atmosphere that makes these dolls legit threats, and certain things they do add to that. It’s hard to make dolls scary for me but even if a few bits are goofy, this pulls it off.
It does feel too long as it stretches out minor scenes and adds too many details at times. The writing can feel repetitive too, stating things we already know. Not huge deals but it can weigh it down a tad. Climax gets dragged a bit but the closing scenes work as we already know the clear moral and there’s a decent little twist. I could have done without the TikTok references though.
I appreciate the class themes and the moral about how people are more important than things. It can be on the nose and border on cheesy but the sentiment works. There’s emotional stuff in general, showing solid bonds between the characters. They do a good job showing Layla's thought process through all this. There’s a thing with her and this guy dylan and i like how while she likely is into him, it doesn’t go too far beyond that and is treated like a solid friendship than anything else.
Again, it can get a bit cheesy but otherwise it’s nice. The horror/themes/emotion combo is solid here so again these get that Dark style of storytelling. It gets on par with Gravemother when it truly gets cooking. I can see some liking it more given the smaller scale nature of it. Although there is some large scale to the idea.
Mrs. Mabel is spoilers behind this and while more could have been done, her motive works and is a fair villain. A few bumps aside, this keeps up this series being solid so far. It’s well done and cooks well with solid horror as well as some good stuff being done with played out ideas. Another solid 3.5 level good.
I’m hoping for more, as it would be a shame if this new Dark content stopped. It doesn’t seem to be spread around too much so please, if you want some solid kids horror these books are shaping up to be worth it, including for fans of the series. Oh wait in the intro they don't submit the story for approval and at the end they just say the meeting is adjourned and not closed, nvm fake fan.
So yeah, some solid stuff. As for sidenotes, they mention Threads of all things. That lost relevancy when this was written, let alone now. They bring up Jurassic Park and say the new ones suck, that’s savage lol. Plus a My Little Pony shirt is mentioned, based.
That wraps up this. Next will likely be Stingetinglers 3 as like I said, I’m about to get wrapped up with some of his new stuff before going random again. Should hopefully be fun. Oh and I got a look at the AYAOTD reboot coming next month if you want more content about that.
See ya then.
So let’s just jump in and see how this continues things. The Midnight Society from Gravemother returns as Addison tells us the story of Layla Grifith, a girl who isn’t super well off these days but has scraped the money together to get her sister Emily a doll. The doll is from Mrs. Mabel’s Doll Emperioum, a doll place that used to be popular but now is just sort of there, and makes dolls that look like you. Layla’s friend Quinn had one once but soon got over protective and they haven’t been friends in a while.
Emily gets the doll of her and soon gets attached to it, like to the point of ghosting Layla a fair bit. Then odd things start to happen, plus Layla finds a doll that looks a lot like Quinn. Turns out all this may be connected and Mabel is more than she seems.
This was pretty solid and is a good follow up to Gravemother. Off the bat, I like getting the prologue and epilogue as we get a POV of a different Midnight Society member and don’t just repeat the one from the first book again. Her deal has on the nose tie to the story but I liked seeing how her life impacted her storytelling.
The story itself deals with some typical things, it’s hard to do much new with evil dolls at this point. And while it reminds me of the likes of Really You and especially Tale of the Dollmaker, it does them well. There's a solid creepy atmosphere that makes these dolls legit threats, and certain things they do add to that. It’s hard to make dolls scary for me but even if a few bits are goofy, this pulls it off.
It does feel too long as it stretches out minor scenes and adds too many details at times. The writing can feel repetitive too, stating things we already know. Not huge deals but it can weigh it down a tad. Climax gets dragged a bit but the closing scenes work as we already know the clear moral and there’s a decent little twist. I could have done without the TikTok references though.
I appreciate the class themes and the moral about how people are more important than things. It can be on the nose and border on cheesy but the sentiment works. There’s emotional stuff in general, showing solid bonds between the characters. They do a good job showing Layla's thought process through all this. There’s a thing with her and this guy dylan and i like how while she likely is into him, it doesn’t go too far beyond that and is treated like a solid friendship than anything else.
Again, it can get a bit cheesy but otherwise it’s nice. The horror/themes/emotion combo is solid here so again these get that Dark style of storytelling. It gets on par with Gravemother when it truly gets cooking. I can see some liking it more given the smaller scale nature of it. Although there is some large scale to the idea.
Mrs. Mabel is spoilers behind this and while more could have been done, her motive works and is a fair villain. A few bumps aside, this keeps up this series being solid so far. It’s well done and cooks well with solid horror as well as some good stuff being done with played out ideas. Another solid 3.5 level good.
I’m hoping for more, as it would be a shame if this new Dark content stopped. It doesn’t seem to be spread around too much so please, if you want some solid kids horror these books are shaping up to be worth it, including for fans of the series. Oh wait in the intro they don't submit the story for approval and at the end they just say the meeting is adjourned and not closed, nvm fake fan.
So yeah, some solid stuff. As for sidenotes, they mention Threads of all things. That lost relevancy when this was written, let alone now. They bring up Jurassic Park and say the new ones suck, that’s savage lol. Plus a My Little Pony shirt is mentioned, based.
That wraps up this. Next will likely be Stingetinglers 3 as like I said, I’m about to get wrapped up with some of his new stuff before going random again. Should hopefully be fun. Oh and I got a look at the AYAOTD reboot coming next month if you want more content about that.
See ya then.
September 16, 2025
Fourteen year old Layla Griffith wants to make sure her eight year old sister Emily 's birthday is special. They don't have much money because their mother is going to college to become a teacher. So Layla decided to spend her babysitting money on a gift for Emily. There is only one gift Emily wants however a Ms. Mabel doll a one of a kind doll that looks exactly like the child who receives it. Ms. Mabel dolls had been popular when Layla was eight as well. Layla didn't have one but her best friend Quinn McIntyre did. Layla remembers because shortly after Quinn moved away and the girls lost touch. Emily is thrilled with the present and names her new doll Grace. When she and Layla pick the doll up she sees a doll that looks like the doll her friend Quinn used to have . Unable to help herself she takes it home. Soon strange things begin to happen and Emily starts to behave strangely. Layla tells herself it is just her sister playing pretend. She is busy with her Free Verse singing group and her crush Dylan Cane. However things continue to escalate and soon Layla has to find out if these dolls are mere playthings or something darker. And is Ms. Mabel a harmless toy maker or something more sinister? Layla and Dylan will soon find out that Ms. Mabel have touched more lives than they ever expected .Will They be able to escape the dark creations of Ms. Mabel? This middle grade horror is a fast read that delivers enough scares to keep you turning pages.
October 29, 2024
Another great book!
"The All-New Nightmare" continues with Addison telling her story to the Midnight Society.
She tells the story of a young lady named Layla. Similar to Zane from the previous book, Layla has a little sister named Emily and Layla wants to buy her a really good gift for her birthday with her babysitting money because family money has been tight. Emily wants a doll from Ms. Mabel's Doll Emporium, a store well known for producing the prettiest dolls that look exactly like their owners. While picking up the completed doll, Layla sees a doll that belonged to her former best friend Quinn. She brings the doll home with her, setting of a sinister chain of events.
This story was really good, I like the moral in which Layla realizes that materialistic things don't matter compared to the bonds one makes with friends and family. It also felt a lot creepier, and more unsettling compared to "The Tale of the Gravemother"
Also, that final scene where she sees what appears to be a doll looking like her crush Dylan is really effective. She probably imagined it, but I hope that Ms. Mabel is truly gone for good.
"The All-New Nightmare" continues with Addison telling her story to the Midnight Society.
She tells the story of a young lady named Layla. Similar to Zane from the previous book, Layla has a little sister named Emily and Layla wants to buy her a really good gift for her birthday with her babysitting money because family money has been tight. Emily wants a doll from Ms. Mabel's Doll Emporium, a store well known for producing the prettiest dolls that look exactly like their owners. While picking up the completed doll, Layla sees a doll that belonged to her former best friend Quinn. She brings the doll home with her, setting of a sinister chain of events.
This story was really good, I like the moral in which Layla realizes that materialistic things don't matter compared to the bonds one makes with friends and family. It also felt a lot creepier, and more unsettling compared to "The Tale of the Gravemother"
Also, that final scene where she sees what appears to be a doll looking like her crush Dylan is really effective. She probably imagined it, but I hope that Ms. Mabel is truly gone for good.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 2, 2024
As a longtime fan of the television show “Are You Afraid of the Dark?”, I was so happy to see a book series be introduced last year. While I enjoyed “The Tale of the Gravemother,” I felt “The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker” was even more in-step with why we all loved the show. While talking dolls/bad toys isn’t a brand-new concept, I felt the author infused the storyline with originality. The writing quality was superb, and I think young readers will really take to the story. As a woman in her 30s, I found plenty of scenes in the book creepy. And even though I’ve been a long-time doll lover/collector who has really never found dolls to be spooky, THIS book chipped away at that self-assured exterior I had. I really do now see how dolls can come off as menacing in the right setting. I hope Ms. Valentine plans to write more books for this series!
April 13, 2025
This book was almost as good as the first in the series, but had an odd inconsistency that an editor should have caught.
Chapter 1, Page 12 says:
Chapter 15, Page 190 says:
Chapter 1, Page 12 says:
"I can't tell if it's open," Layla said, taking a sip from her thermos. She'd been drinking hot tea and lemon obsessively ever since one of the older members of her new a cappella group, Free Verse, told her it was a good way to protect her voice. She'd even started to like the taste. The bitter, bracing flavor of the lemon really woke her up, and the herbal tea made her feel all cozy inside.
Chapter 15, Page 190 says:
"Uh, okay," Layla said. She didn't particularly like tea, but she wanted to be polite. And she was hoping the offer of tea meant Auntie Janelle might actually tell them something about the dolls.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 16, 2025
This was everything I wanted from an AYAOTD novel and I loved every page.
Creepy dolls, check. Nostalgic Are You Afraid of The Dark vibes, check. An addictive read, check.
When I first ordered this book it was honestly a double win I knew I was going to love because it was written by Danielle Valentine, who also writes under the pen name Danielle Vega.
I really enjoyed a few of her other books so it's no surprise this one was one of my favorites as well.
I loved the characters, the great messages portrayed throughout the story about being there for those you love and creepy doll stories are usually always fun reads for me.
Even if you weren't a fan of the show whwn you were younger, or are too young to remember the show at all I'd still recommend checking this book out.
Creepy dolls, check. Nostalgic Are You Afraid of The Dark vibes, check. An addictive read, check.
When I first ordered this book it was honestly a double win I knew I was going to love because it was written by Danielle Valentine, who also writes under the pen name Danielle Vega.
I really enjoyed a few of her other books so it's no surprise this one was one of my favorites as well.
I loved the characters, the great messages portrayed throughout the story about being there for those you love and creepy doll stories are usually always fun reads for me.
Even if you weren't a fan of the show whwn you were younger, or are too young to remember the show at all I'd still recommend checking this book out.
September 14, 2025
I read this as an adult purely for nostalgia — and I loved it.
The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker instantly pulled me back to those eerie late-night TV episodes. What really resonated with me, though, was how much it reminded me of a doll I had as a kid — one that could “talk” if you inserted objects into its hand. My mom banned dolls like that from the house (probably wisely, in hindsight). But at my grandma’s, the doll started malfunctioning — talking to itself and twisting its head around Exorcist-style. So this book hit a little close to home in the best possible way.
Spooky, campy, and exactly the kind of fun scare I remembered.
The Tale of the Twisted Toymaker instantly pulled me back to those eerie late-night TV episodes. What really resonated with me, though, was how much it reminded me of a doll I had as a kid — one that could “talk” if you inserted objects into its hand. My mom banned dolls like that from the house (probably wisely, in hindsight). But at my grandma’s, the doll started malfunctioning — talking to itself and twisting its head around Exorcist-style. So this book hit a little close to home in the best possible way.
Spooky, campy, and exactly the kind of fun scare I remembered.
October 30, 2024
A classic 90s style Are You Afraid of The Dark tale! This one is INCREDIBLY well-written with really evocative detail that feels really cinematic. I could picture each page of this book. Genuinely creepy too. 5 stars!
January 22, 2025
It took a while for the book to really get going. The first half of it felt like it dragged and kind of like a chore to read. Then it got to the action part of the story and I had trouble putting it down.
November 3, 2024
I absolutely loved this!
And the cat being named Anne Boleyn made me so happy.
And the cat being named Anne Boleyn made me so happy.
January 1, 2025
I shall love anything to do with “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” for my entire life.
January 5, 2025
My 9 year old read this in one day and loved it!
April 25, 2025
H age 10, 5 stars.
September 19, 2025
creeped the shit outta me
January 14, 2025
I haven’t read a middle grade book in over a decade, but I had so much fun with this one!
Although the story is super similar to the Lily D Haunting Hour episodes.
Although the story is super similar to the Lily D Haunting Hour episodes.
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews