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The Bizarre Bazaar #2
The Bizarre Bazaar: Down a Dark Path
Enter the Bizarre Bazaar, a phantasmagorical graphic novel series sure to enchant or entrap its curious customers! In this spine-tingling mystery, there's evil lurking in the shadows just outside the Buford family farm!
Lucy and Frida Buford have never stepped foot outside their family farm in the Carolina Inner Banks. It’s the dead of July, and in the midst of yet another boring summer making jam for the family business, the girls are clamoring to be taken to the elusive town they’ve never been allowed to visit. Their father has always said that the outside world is a dangerous place, but danger is closer to home than they even know.
There’s something in the nearby woods uprooting trees, scaring fish from the water, and scratching at Lucy’s window in the middle of the night. Lucy can’t shake the feeling that there’s a monster out and about—one with two pointy fangs who only comes out at night.
It's up to these two sisters to discover what this monster wants. But the further they stray from home, the weirder things become. What’s really going on beyond the Buford family farm?
Uncover the bizarre (and more!) in this sinister graphic novel series sure to bring chills and thrills!
Lucy and Frida Buford have never stepped foot outside their family farm in the Carolina Inner Banks. It’s the dead of July, and in the midst of yet another boring summer making jam for the family business, the girls are clamoring to be taken to the elusive town they’ve never been allowed to visit. Their father has always said that the outside world is a dangerous place, but danger is closer to home than they even know.
There’s something in the nearby woods uprooting trees, scaring fish from the water, and scratching at Lucy’s window in the middle of the night. Lucy can’t shake the feeling that there’s a monster out and about—one with two pointy fangs who only comes out at night.
It's up to these two sisters to discover what this monster wants. But the further they stray from home, the weirder things become. What’s really going on beyond the Buford family farm?
Uncover the bizarre (and more!) in this sinister graphic novel series sure to bring chills and thrills!
152 pages, Hardcover
Published January 13, 2026
3 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Nayeri
33 books952 followersDaniel Nayeri is a writer and editor in New York City. He wrote and produced The Cult of Sincerity, the first feature film to be world-premiered by YouTube. He has had all kinds of jobs around books, including book repairman, literary agent, used bookstore clerk, children's librarian, Official Story-Time Reader Leader, editor, copy-editor, and even carpenter (making bookshelves). He's also a professional pastry chef. He loves Street Fighter 2, hates the word "foodie," and is an award-winning stuntman.
Daniel and his sister/co-writer Dina were both born in Iran and spent many young adult years in Europe. There they learned several languages between them and tried Frosted Flakes for the first time.
Daniel and his sister/co-writer Dina were both born in Iran and spent many young adult years in Europe. There they learned several languages between them and tried Frosted Flakes for the first time.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
February 8, 2026
As someone who's grown up with a love for horror movies, the concept of a story within a story isn't new or revolutionary. It is a fairly common trope that can go really well or really poorly depending on how it's executed. The way the author tackled this one leans more toward the done well than the done poorly.
It starts off by introducing readers to Babs and Bruno, two people sentenced to spend their presumably immortal lives, selling items in the Bizarre Bazarr. We're invited into the story like Babs would invite a customer into the shop, introducing items that may be introduced to someone browsing an antique shop. The catch? Everything in the shop is not what it appears, and they all have a story. It is one of these items we're introduced to that allows the readers submersed into the second story.
The tale Babs shares is of two sisters, Lucy and Frida, who have never been allowed to leave their home. It's never explicitly outlined, but it's clear the girls are restless and trying their best to follow the rules that they've been given by their parents. However, as strange things begin to happen around their land, they wonder how safe they truly are. They begin asking questions and, well, let's just say that doesn't go too well.
As the story progresses, more things are revealed, leaving us with a big reveal moment that was wonderful. I can see young readers enjoying this graphic novel; although, some readers may consider the reveal to be a slap to the face, I enjoyed it. It was unexpected and fun, making the story overall more enjoyable. Although, I think the best part was Babs and Bruno rather than what the actual story was about; their banter was fun and refreshing, making their interruptions within the story a fun way to remind readers they're the ones telling the story.
Lucy and Frida were a bit annoying as characters, but they were not terrible so that it took away from the story. It's one I would recommend to people who enjoy suspense or thriller stories that are on the lighter side. It's a touch of creepy with some great humor that make it a pretty great book for young readers.
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
It starts off by introducing readers to Babs and Bruno, two people sentenced to spend their presumably immortal lives, selling items in the Bizarre Bazarr. We're invited into the story like Babs would invite a customer into the shop, introducing items that may be introduced to someone browsing an antique shop. The catch? Everything in the shop is not what it appears, and they all have a story. It is one of these items we're introduced to that allows the readers submersed into the second story.
The tale Babs shares is of two sisters, Lucy and Frida, who have never been allowed to leave their home. It's never explicitly outlined, but it's clear the girls are restless and trying their best to follow the rules that they've been given by their parents. However, as strange things begin to happen around their land, they wonder how safe they truly are. They begin asking questions and, well, let's just say that doesn't go too well.
As the story progresses, more things are revealed, leaving us with a big reveal moment that was wonderful. I can see young readers enjoying this graphic novel; although, some readers may consider the reveal to be a slap to the face, I enjoyed it. It was unexpected and fun, making the story overall more enjoyable. Although, I think the best part was Babs and Bruno rather than what the actual story was about; their banter was fun and refreshing, making their interruptions within the story a fun way to remind readers they're the ones telling the story.
Lucy and Frida were a bit annoying as characters, but they were not terrible so that it took away from the story. It's one I would recommend to people who enjoy suspense or thriller stories that are on the lighter side. It's a touch of creepy with some great humor that make it a pretty great book for young readers.
Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for giving me an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
January 15, 2026
1/13/2026 Love the framing device, and the story is interestingly twisty too. Full review tk at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.
1/15/2026 This is a positive review, I promise, I just need to get something (not necessarily negative) about the publishing industry off my chest first.
The titling of kids' series books, and especially kids' graphic novels, continues to confuse me. Should we call it first by the series' name and number as we do with most graphic novels and popular kids' series, with the actual title usually an afterthought? Or do we go by the book title as with adult prose, with the series name usually an afterthought? I know these are all mostly marketing concerns but every time I have to review one of these volumes, my brain snags on the issue and then I have to write several dozen words on the subject, lol (and it's not like I'm entirely separate from the marketing machine any more either, so it is a subject of genuine concern to my livelihood.)
What makes it especially odd in the case of this title is that Down A Dark Path is actually the second book in a series that started with Mirror Town. You don't have to have read the latter to enjoy DaDP, tho I do feel that there's a clear allusion in the text here that I would have been better prepared for had I read the series debut. That said, I really liked this volume, and very much hope we'll be seeing a lot more of these fun, creepy and frankly quite gorgeous hardcover books! Seriously, unwrap the dust jacket to see the painted covers: they are a treat!
Anyway, the framing device of the series involves a store called The Bizarre Bazaar that pops up in random towns. It's run by Babs and Bruno, a rather acerbic pair who seem to have more fun warning customers away from buying their wares than actually selling anything. Babs is probably a fairy and Bruno is probably a djinn: both have definitely been stuck with the store and their partnership for obscure reasons that they don't really like to talk about (tho Babs does blab about Bruno's background in this volume.)
But even as they warn readers against touching the goods, they tell the weird tales behind the more curious items, such as a winsome angel-shaped nightlight that is also... a vampire relic. That's a result of something passing strange that happened to two sisters, Lucy and Frida Bufort, who lived on a remote farm in the Carolina Inner Banks. July is a month of heat and boredom, especially when their parents won't let them go visit the nearby town. But when something in the woods starts ripping out trees and scaring the animals to death, the girls will have to gather up all their courage to solve this mystery and figure out how to stop more bad things from happening.
The story is delightfully clever, with twist hidden inside twist, both in the A plot and in the framing narrative. I loved how Babs and Bruno kept editorializing the girls' tale, too, injecting humor in what might otherwise be just a little too scary for younger readers. But what I loved the most was Lesley Vamos' art, which is wonderfully expressive and plays with focus in ways I very much enjoy. When I got to the back of the book and read where she listed the wonderful Vera Brosgol as one of her influences, I was completely unsurprised.
I'm going to give this to my own tween kids to read next, as they're definitely at the age of appreciating horror stories. Will update this review with their responses, but I absolutely loved it, to the point where I've put the first book on my To-Read list too.
The Bizarre Bazaar: Down A Dark Path by Daniel Nayeri & Lesley Vamos was published January 13 2026 by Little, Brown Ink and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
1/15/2026 This is a positive review, I promise, I just need to get something (not necessarily negative) about the publishing industry off my chest first.
The titling of kids' series books, and especially kids' graphic novels, continues to confuse me. Should we call it first by the series' name and number as we do with most graphic novels and popular kids' series, with the actual title usually an afterthought? Or do we go by the book title as with adult prose, with the series name usually an afterthought? I know these are all mostly marketing concerns but every time I have to review one of these volumes, my brain snags on the issue and then I have to write several dozen words on the subject, lol (and it's not like I'm entirely separate from the marketing machine any more either, so it is a subject of genuine concern to my livelihood.)
What makes it especially odd in the case of this title is that Down A Dark Path is actually the second book in a series that started with Mirror Town. You don't have to have read the latter to enjoy DaDP, tho I do feel that there's a clear allusion in the text here that I would have been better prepared for had I read the series debut. That said, I really liked this volume, and very much hope we'll be seeing a lot more of these fun, creepy and frankly quite gorgeous hardcover books! Seriously, unwrap the dust jacket to see the painted covers: they are a treat!
Anyway, the framing device of the series involves a store called The Bizarre Bazaar that pops up in random towns. It's run by Babs and Bruno, a rather acerbic pair who seem to have more fun warning customers away from buying their wares than actually selling anything. Babs is probably a fairy and Bruno is probably a djinn: both have definitely been stuck with the store and their partnership for obscure reasons that they don't really like to talk about (tho Babs does blab about Bruno's background in this volume.)
But even as they warn readers against touching the goods, they tell the weird tales behind the more curious items, such as a winsome angel-shaped nightlight that is also... a vampire relic. That's a result of something passing strange that happened to two sisters, Lucy and Frida Bufort, who lived on a remote farm in the Carolina Inner Banks. July is a month of heat and boredom, especially when their parents won't let them go visit the nearby town. But when something in the woods starts ripping out trees and scaring the animals to death, the girls will have to gather up all their courage to solve this mystery and figure out how to stop more bad things from happening.
The story is delightfully clever, with twist hidden inside twist, both in the A plot and in the framing narrative. I loved how Babs and Bruno kept editorializing the girls' tale, too, injecting humor in what might otherwise be just a little too scary for younger readers. But what I loved the most was Lesley Vamos' art, which is wonderfully expressive and plays with focus in ways I very much enjoy. When I got to the back of the book and read where she listed the wonderful Vera Brosgol as one of her influences, I was completely unsurprised.
I'm going to give this to my own tween kids to read next, as they're definitely at the age of appreciating horror stories. Will update this review with their responses, but I absolutely loved it, to the point where I've put the first book on my To-Read list too.
The Bizarre Bazaar: Down A Dark Path by Daniel Nayeri & Lesley Vamos was published January 13 2026 by Little, Brown Ink and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
This isn’t too bad a book, once you realize it is a story within a story. Once you get past that, you can enjoy what you are being told. The two narrators keep making remarks through much of the story, as though we might have missed something. I get that this is funny, perhaps for some readers, but I found it a bit patronizing.
The story is about two girls that live on a farm, and are never allowed to leave it. Their brother came back from the war, and doens’t talk much. (We don’t know what war), and their father goes into town for supplies, but the girls have to stay home.
There are also weird noises at night, monsters, one of the girls thinks. We don’t know, because we only see things from her point of view.
This would be a good introduction for kids looking to see what they like in graphic novels.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 13th of January 2026.
The story is about two girls that live on a farm, and are never allowed to leave it. Their brother came back from the war, and doens’t talk much. (We don’t know what war), and their father goes into town for supplies, but the girls have to stay home.
There are also weird noises at night, monsters, one of the girls thinks. We don’t know, because we only see things from her point of view.
This would be a good introduction for kids looking to see what they like in graphic novels.
Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review. This book will be published on the 13th of January 2026.
October 30, 2025
I agree with myself after reading the first one, this is still
Perfect for younger readers. This one just felt like more emphasis on the Djinn and his partner than it was the actual story, and even this one didn’t feel as strong of a overall lesson for the children but rather just a story of another curious object in the shop. It was entertaining, flowed well, and the illustrations were still great, but felt like it was taking a slightly different path in terms of the reasoning for creating these than the original had setup for.
Perfect for younger readers. This one just felt like more emphasis on the Djinn and his partner than it was the actual story, and even this one didn’t feel as strong of a overall lesson for the children but rather just a story of another curious object in the shop. It was entertaining, flowed well, and the illustrations were still great, but felt like it was taking a slightly different path in terms of the reasoning for creating these than the original had setup for.
November 4, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an arc of this book from my honest review. As a middle school teacher, I think that this book is great for middle school readers. It was very fun to follow along with the main characters and their antique collectible shop. The twist within this book were crazy and for the main characters to appear the way they did and come in and out of the story I think is a great concept. I love the art. It was very bright very enticing. I think the cover really also pulls people in to read it.
this book is overall great and I give it four stars.
this book is overall great and I give it four stars.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
This is an inventive middle grade graphic novel with a story within a story within a story, and a slight horror slant. My 8-year-old and I read it together, and we were both quite enthralled with what was going to happen next. We had not read the first book, which I've now placed on hold at the library. I would've like 25-50 pages more to add more context and story, but it's still a fun read that I would recommend to kids who enjoy graphic novels.
October 30, 2025
An entertaining read for the younger readers. The story has suspense and humor as well as a bit of mystery, The characters and artwork are well-done, and it will keep your attention. A good, fun, and quick read.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.
September 30, 2025
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews