- Graphic Novels
- Ages 8–12
- Fantasy
Wilomina: The Land of Dreams and Nightmares
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On the way to visit her mum in hospital, Wilomina is swept into Nocturna, a parallel land where dreams and nightmares are born, and must find her family and escape before the darkness turns her into a monster. A Ghibli-tinged, full-colour graphic novel adventure.
- Best for8–12
- FormatGraphic
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The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Conversational
- Literary
Tone
- Suspenseful
- Whimsical
- Adventurous
- Dark
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
When Wilomina, her father and baby brother Kes break down in the middle of nowhere on their way to visit Mum in hospital, Wilomina makes a desperate leap aboard a mysterious passing train, and meets Mephisto, a talking cat. Moments later she is torn from her family and tumbling into Nocturna, the shadowy parallel world where all dreams and nightmares come from. Something is badly wrong there: the nightmares are rising up and taking over. With clever, cranky Mephisto at her side, Wilomina must cross monster-infested waters, outwit spectres, dragons and spider-witches, and solve impossible puzzles in the maze-like Premonition Library to find the gate that leads home, all while Nocturna slowly transforms her into a ferocious 'werepire'. Inspired by Studio Ghibli and Labyrinth, John Chalmers and Sandra Marrs of award-winning duo Metaphrog conjure a richly imagined, full-colour middle-grade quest about courage, family and fighting the monster within.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
A full-colour graphic-novel adventure for independent readers of 8-12. The nightmarish creatures, real peril and the werepire transformation make it too intense for sensitive younger children or bedtime, but confident readers who love a spooky portal fantasy will race through it.
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- Best fit · 8–12
- Read aloud · 8–11
- Independent · 8–12
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Patchy
Works well for
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Preview before sharing if a child is sensitive to: scary imagery.
Bedtime suitability
1 / 5 · Wide awake
Sensitive-child
2 / 5 · Use judgement
Graphic intensity
3 / 5 · Some
Best for
- Graphic novel fans
- Portal fantasy
- Spooky adventures
- Strong heroines
Avoid if
- Wants gentle bedtime
- Sensitive to scary
Particularly good for children who are…
- Nightmares or fears
- Illness in family
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
Falling through a mysterious train into Nocturna, with a snarky talking cat as a guide and spider-witches and dragons at every turn, is exactly the kind of thrilling, spooky quest kids devour. The ticking-clock danger of turning into a werepire makes it impossible to put down.
- Secret world
- Surviving danger
- Talking to animals
Why parents love it
Metaphrog bring a real artist's eye to this richly imagined nightmare-world, with echoes of Studio Ghibli and Labyrinth and a brave, resourceful heroine at its heart. Beneath the monsters runs a tender thread about family and facing your fears, and it pulls reluctant readers through pages fast.
- Beautiful illustrations
- Indie gem discovery
About the creators
About the creators.
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