Dracula Descends Upon Nyack This January

As night falls and the clock strikes 5pm on January 27, a spellbinding story will echo throughout the halls of the Nyack Library. That’s when the new children’s bookstore Homebody Books and the Nyack Library will host a reading and book signing of the graphic novel Children of the Night (When Monsters Wake, Book 1) by debut author and accomplished game developer Victoria Setian.

The contemporary re-imagining of Bram Stoker’s immortal classic, Dracula, aimed at grades 7–12, follows Mina Murray as an aspiring high school photojournalist unhappily working on the high school newspaper. When an assignment uncovers a dark secret of the new transfer student, Raf, Mina finds herself onto more than just a news story, and with the school under his thrall, it’s up to Mina to unravel the sinister events unfolding.

When Homebody Books opened a year ago, middle school and young adult books were not on shop owner Elisabeth Sydor’s radar. The original vision featured mostly used, classic children’s books for all ages, with a sprinkling of new, along with small retro toys. 

“I’d been informally collecting children’s books since the day my father brought home beautiful old Bobbsey Twin books from the junk yard. To start the shop, I emptied the shelves at home and drove boxes of old kids’ books back and forth in my Honda Fit.” 

Over the year, Elisabeth learned customers had a desire for more modern books and toys. Old favorites like Caps for Sale and Mike Mulligan’s Steam Shovel in both new and used versions are now side by side with new books by independent publishers like Enchanted Lion books or Purple Press, which specializes in bringing back out of print vintage books such as Bright April, the watercolor-illustrated story of a young black girl confronting racism for the first time. Homebody Books has now added the latest chapter books, graphic novels, and series for middle school and young adult—and tripled its inventory of new toys, to answer the need for a local toy shop, and to support the vintage book sales. 

Children entering the cozy shop make a beeline for the play space, with an antique dollhouse and classic wooden toys and puzzles. Some of the most beautiful toys for sale at Homebody Books are from European vendors—Germany, UK, Poland, Ukraine—with many affordably priced at $20 or less. Used toys are also sold.

When adults began buying titles from the small classic literature section for teens, that area got expanded too. A corner just for adults was also added, with select used and new adult fiction, non-fiction, parenting, poetry, art books, and doodads. Homebody also carries costumes, art supplies and craft kits, and artist-designed greeting cards for both adults and children. 

Part of the shop’s mission is to gather together both children and adults to use their hands, hearts, and minds exploring simple art, music, and dance. Events reimagine the small space—lined by white pine tongue and groove walls, with hardwood floors and natural sunlight streaming from a skylight—in inventive ways. Homebody Books hosts professionally-led workshops as well as informal crafting sessions throughout the year—for example, an Origami workshop with sessions for kids 4–13; and a Diwali celebration of light, where children gathered on the carpet to make colored lanterns from paper plates. The 2026 lineup so far includes a magic show, dance workshop, and a watercolor workshop; a new Mom and child group Wednesday mornings starting late January; and a discussion of Ellen Galinsky’s new book, The Breakthrough Years, on adolescence, to begin early February.

Space for the reading Tuesday, January 27, 5pm is limited, so please register in advance through the Nyack Library Calendar of Events. You may purchase books for signing at Homebody Books, 6 Park Place in Nyack, 845-598-8053 or at the event. But if you can’t wait to read Children of the Night, meet the characters and world in a free prequel mini-adventure game available now at victoriasetian.itch.io.