The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham

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Author(s)

Ryan James Black

Publisher

Nancy Paulsen Books

Genre(s)

Age Range

10+

Release Date

August 26, 2025

ISBN

978-0593698068

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Set during World War II, a twelve-year-old orphan who accidentally unleashes a shadow monster onto the streets of London must team up with unlikely allies to hunt it down.

“The twists and surprises just keep on coming. My kind of book!"—R.L. Stine, author of Goosebumps and Fear Street

Surviving on the streets of World War II London alone certainly hasn’t been easy, but Nimble Nottingham has perfected the art of going it alone—and that’s just how he likes it. The only friend he needs is his beloved dog, Winnie. To pass the time between rolling blackouts and bombs falling through the air, Nim spends his days fence-climbing, roof-jumping, and gargoyle-perching…that is when he’s not scrounging for food to stave off the ever-present hunger the war has brought to London.

So when opportunity strikes in the form of a bomb falling onto the notoriously creepy Gravenhurst Manor, Nim knows he has to get inside and find whatever spoils he can get his hands on to sell for food. Get in. Get out. Quick as a flash. At least, that was the plan until Mouse—a member of a local street gang called the Dead End Kids—shows up and invites himself along for the heist.

Inside, Mouse and Nim encounter far more than just crumbling walls and shattered windows. Beneath Gravenhurst Manor lies a secret room and inside that room is a locked safe. Nim, inspired by the Hardy Boys adventures he used to read at Waifs and Strays orphanage, knows that something this protected has to be valuable, and so he cracks the safe and unknowingly unleashes a monster.

A shadow creature is now loose on the streets of London, and it’s up to Nim, Mouse, and a band of unattended children to end its reign of terror.

Editor review

1 review

An insatiable evil

July 01, 2025 (Updated: June 09, 2026)

Overall rating

5.0

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

5.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

What worked:
Nimble Nottingham has been alone for as long as he can remember. Even when surrounded by other kids at the orphanage, he’d rather perch on the roof by himself than be teased and bullied. Now, he only cares for himself and his partner Winnie, a scraggly, one-eyed dog he found. Gangs of other homeless kids don’t want him, and that suits him just fine. He’s “not very good at people”, although he tolerates a tag-along kid named Mouse. Nim doesn’t want help from anyone, but he slowly learns that he doesn’t need to live that way. However, it also means there are more lives for him to worry about. Nim’s character narrates his first-person account of the incredible events.
The author is a master of description, and readers are immersed in a creepy 1940s London. The countdown to October 31 is a fortunate coincidence. The book opens with Nim preparing to enter the “gloom at Gravenhurst Manor”. “… darkness waited… Even moonlight knew better than to linger.” Hidden doors pop up in different buildings, and Nim knows hidden doors “always-always- led to treasure.” He unlocks a secret safe and the “reek whooshed out”, and he finds a “greasy, flickering black candle”. Nim’s first descriptions of the shadow monster “splatting like wet meat” are like “a lump of liquefying tar… a bubbling inky puddle”. Young readers will be unnerved as it lurks in the darkness, waiting to pounce on its next victim.
Some books have satisfying resolutions, while others don’t fully resolve all of the issues. This book teases readers, as Nim is ready to stop the shadow monster, only to have something unexpected happen to keep the threat going. The problem isn’t solved even after the creature is captured. Then, a conflict arises when characters disagree over what should be done with the shadow monster. Pieces of information are slowly shared, and Nim is frustratingly angry when he realizes he’s not getting the whole picture. However, his haste to stop the creature blinds him to the full truth when he should have his eyes wide open.
What didn’t work as well:
The shadow monster’s demise is predictable, as Nim immediately realizes its sensitivity to light. However, the details of its defeat aren’t known until the end, when the author builds to an inevitable showdown.
The final verdict:
Young readers enjoy scary stories, so they should love this book. The author’s skillful ability to evoke emotions and mental images will captivate all readers, and I highly recommend you give this book a shot!