Fourth Grade Journey

A Fourth Grade Teacher's Journey Through the World of Books

Monday, September 7, 2015

The Girl Who Could Not Dream by Sarah Beth Durst...

How I Heard About It:  Earlier this summer I received an invitation from Net Galley for an ARC of this novel.  I had not heard of it and I wasn't familiar with the author.  The book will be released on November 3, 2015.

What It Is About:  Sophie is an only child and doesn't have many friends at school.  Her parents own a very special book store.  In the basement of the store is a shop that buys and sells "dreams."  Sophie herself is not able to actually have dreams, but she does have another special talent that most people don't know about.  Her parents allow her to bring a "monster" from a dream and have him be her secret companion in her real life.  The creature is a friendly and kind monster and goes everywhere with her.  After coming home from school one day, Sophie finds that the book shop has been robbed, her parents are gone, and the dream making equipment is also missing.  She and monster aren't sure what to do, but the with help of a popular boy at school, the three of them hit the trail to find out what happened and find her parents.  During the search the townspeople realize that two children are missing and Sophie knows that she is the connection because she recently gave them dreams.  Sophie thinks she knows who is responsible for all of the disappearances, but isn't sure she will be able to locate them in time.  

What I Thought Of It:  The story started a bit slow, but within a few chapters I was hooked to the story.  I recently read Took:  A Ghost Story and thought that novel was a bit too "scary" for middle-grade readers.  This particular story is perfect for those readers.  Even though it is about dreams, both good and bad, has an array of creatures/monsters, and a really BAD guy, the story is right up the ally of this age group.  Sophie is a strong, kind, and loyal girl and I loved that once the other characters got to know her they fell in love with her as much as the reader does.  The plot was creative and engaging.  The premise was unique and quite interesting to think about.  The more I got into the story the more I couldn't stop reading.  I'm pretty sure this will be one of our read alouds this coming year.

Who Should Read It:  This book would be the perfect read aloud for students in grades four, five, or six.  Independent readers would be most successful if they were a strong reader in grade four, or a reader in fifth and/or sixth grade.  If adult readers enjoy fantasy with some realistic fiction elements thrown in, then this is the book for you.  I'm excited to get my hands on the actual copy of the book when it is released in November.  Happy Reading!  

Rating:  4 STARS out of 5 Stars

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