Speaking with D.J. MacHale was a dream come true. As someone shaped by the eerie glow of Are You Afraid of the Dark?, I was thrilled not only to revisit the legacy of one of the most formative shows in kids’ horror but also to hear about his latest adventure in storytelling, The Tyrian League: Book One – Donovan 6.
MacHale’s new novel introduces readers to Donovan Park, a troubled fifteen-year-old foster kid who learns he was sent to Earth as a baby to escape a sinister galactic crime syndicate masquerading as a church. Like many of MacHale’s works, it’s a thrilling mix of sci-fi adventure, moral tension, and self-discovery. “If there’s one common theme throughout everything I’ve written,” he told me, “it’s self-empowerment.”
For MacHale, the heart of The Tyrian League isn’t just its interplanetary scope, it’s the humanity within it. He describes Donovan as a “reluctant hero,” a kid who makes impulsive, often messy choices but must learn to take responsibility when no one else can. “Doors keep closing on these characters until they realize, ‘If I’m going to get out of this, I have to do it myself,’” he said. “That’s kind of the theme that runs through all of my stories.”
Of course, we couldn’t talk about self-reliance and storytelling without diving into Are You Afraid of the Dark?, the Nickelodeon series that set a gold standard for youth horror. MacHale reflected on how the show’s lasting appeal comes from treating young audiences seriously. “People used to ask how we could make something scary for kids,” he said. “What’s scary isn’t what you see, it’s what you think you might see. We didn’t pull punches. We wrote for adults and cast short people.”
He spoke fondly of crafting episodes that mixed suspense with emotional weight, pointing to The Tale of the Shiny Red Bicycle as one of his personal favorites, a story about guilt, loss, and ultimately redemption. Even decades later, fans still reach out to ask what happened to certain Midnight Society members, proof of how deeply the show connected with its audience. “I didn’t realize just how important the Midnight Society would become,” he admitted. “It gave viewers characters to grow with, familiar faces who felt like friends telling you stories by the fire.”
Whether it’s around a campfire or on another planet, MacHale’s gift remains the same: empowering young people through story. The Tyrian League continues that tradition, reminding readers that courage often begins when the world stops making sense.
Jessie Hobson