The Girl Who Could Not Dream

September 21, 2015
Twelve-year-old Sophie’s parents own the Dreamcatcher Bookshop, underneath which they maintain a separate, secret business that traffics in actual dreams. After securing “raw” dreams from dreamcatchers they distribute to bookstore customers, Sophie’s parents distill and bottle the dreams to sell. Despite Sophie’s family connection to dreams, she doesn’t dream herself; the one time she stole a liquid dream and drank it, she brought the monster within it into the real world. Monster—a catlike creature with tentacles, lots of teeth, and a sharp sense of humor—became Sophie’s best friend and serves as her sidekick when her parents and two students go missing. Durst (Into the Wild) makes the most of a truly creative premise in a novel filled with wit, empathy, and over-the-top dream moments come to life (including a colony of well-dressed, fierce-fighting, pastel rabbits that help save the day). Sophie’s loyal friendships with Monster and Ethan, a boy plagued by nightmares who comes to her aid, ground the story as Durst threads together a fast-paced adventure. Ages 10–14. Agent: Andrea Somberg, Harvey Klinger.

March 1, 2016
Gr 5-8-Sophie is a lonely, isolated 11-year-old, frequently teased by other kids. She lives with her parents above their bookstore. In addition to selling books, they make dreamcatchers. Sophie envies those who can dream, so one day while alone in the dream shop, Sophie drinks a dream and accidentally brings Monster to life. Monster becomes her fiercely protective best friend. Her parents recognize her affection for the unique creature and allow Sophie to keep Monster, but soon realize the danger in her special ability. Though Sophie knows better than to let anyone know about the dream business, a nefarious character learns about the shop and kidnaps Sophie's parents, makes nightmares real, and even has plans to expand the nightmare business. Monster and Sophie, along with newfound friends-both human and dream-created-save the day. Soneela Nankani provides well-paced narration. VERDICT This sometimes creepy, sometimes humorous, occasionally cliched tale will be enjoyed by many listeners. ["A fun, fast read with broad appeal": "SLJ" 7/15 starred review of the Clarion book.]-"Maria Salvadore, formerly of the Washington, DC, Public Library"

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 1, 2015
Grades 4-7 It's ironic that Sophie can't dream, since her parents run a dream shop in the basement of their bookstore. There they keep shining bottles of dreams collected by dream catchers, some given to their customers as gifts and others given by Sophie to her classmates who suffer from nightmares. One day, desperate to experience a dream, Sophie drinks down the contents of one of the bottles, and when she wakes the next day, she discovers that she's brought a creature from her dream, named Monster, to life. Monster vows to keep herand the secret of her newfound skillsafe, which comes in handy when Mr. Nightmare catches wind of Sophie's abilities and kidnaps her parents. Along with Monster, a glittery Pegasus, some rainbow-colored rabbits, and her friend Ethan, Sophie must save her town and her parents from monsters brought to life. With lighthearted humor, gentle spooks, and more than a couple nods to the classics, this adventurous fantasy will likely appeal to fans of Jessica Day George's Castle Glower series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)

Starred review from July 1, 2015

Gr 4-6-Middle school is rough even for ordinary kids, but Sophie is anything but ordinary. For one thing, her parents run a secret underground shop, where they distill, bottle, and sell dreams. Sophie herself has a special power that allows her to bring elements of the dream realm into the real world with her. Worries about getting her homework done and not having anyone to sit with at lunch are overshadowed by the imminent threat that she and her parents will be discovered by the Night Watchmen, a secret police force who prohibit dream-trading. Sophie isolates herself from her peers in order to keep the secrets of the dream shop safe, and her only companion is a wise-cracking, fierce, and furry monster that she brought out of a dream to be her friend. Sophie's carefully constructed world falls apart when a strange man appears at the shop, her parents disappear, and two kids who are connected to the dream shop go missing. To rescue them, Sophie joins forces with Ethan, a friendly boy from school who is troubled by nightmares. Along the way, a wild cast of characters helps Ethan and Sophie summon the strength to take on those who would use the power of dreams for evil. Frequent allusions to Harry Potter, Alice in Wonderland, and A Wrinkle in Time pay homage to those classic fantasy novels. The book is self-aware, playing with common fantasy tropes, thus reinvigorating the familiar underlying story of a loner having to learn to overcome her fears to save the ones she loves. Strong vocabulary is intergrated throughout the narrative, such as when Monster urges Sophie to "think pugnacious thoughts," or when Sophie is told that an event was "an aberration." A sort of overprotective, curmudgeonly Cheshire Cat, Sophie's monster (named Monster) steals the show with his witty one-liners and interjections of dry humor. Overall, a fun, fast read with broad appeal. VERDICT This is a first-purchase that is suited to reluctant readers as well as fans of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, or Colin Meloy's"The Wildwood Chronicles" (HarperCollins).-Tara Kron, School Library Journal

Copyright 2015 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from August 1, 2015
Sophie, whose overprotective parents run a bookshop but have a risky, secret side business collecting and selling people's dreams, suddenly faces, on her 12th birthday, all the dangers of the dream trade. As the cover art suggests, this fantasy tale is cinematic and madcap. Because her parents want to keep their daughter as inconspicuous as possible, Sophie's only friend has long been Monster-a cuddly animal rescued from a nightmare and possessed of soft fur, tentacles, and a penchant for cupcakes and self-improvement. Monster has to keep an even lower profile than Sophie, but an unexpected visitor exposes both of them to possible harm from an entity called the Night Watchmen. Also, Sophie's marginal involvement with certain classmates now endangers them as well. Sophie's parents discuss the situation behind closed doors: " 'But what if the Watchmen-' Mom cut herself off, then said loudly and clearly, 'Sophie and Monster, if you are up there listening at the door, I will revoke all book privileges so fast, you will have whiplash.' " With similar humor throughout, the book lets readers know that, however dire the situation, Sophie will be all right-but will Monster? Readers will not want to stop reading this quirky, fast-paced adventure until reaching its satisfactory, heartwarming conclusion. The text happily borrows familiar genre elements but wraps them in an entirely fresh package. Funny, warm, and highly imaginative. (Fantasy. 8-12)

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January 1, 2016
Sophie's parents run a secret shop beneath their bookstore selling dreams. One night Sophie, who Ycf2]can'tYcf1] dream, steals one and discovers that she has the dangerous power to bring dream-creatures into the waking world. Sophie's dream-friends Monster and the delightfully arrogant unicorn Glitterhoof keep the story merry with their precocious quips, but the adventure does take some turns through dark and perilous territory.

(Copyright 2016 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

November 1, 2015
Sophie can't dream, so she's never experienced the sort of nightmares that plague her classmates Ethan and Madison. Her parents run a secret shop beneath their cozy bookstore, selling dreams of every sort. One night she steals one and discovers that she has the dangerous power to bring dream-creatures into the waking world. When the mysterious Mr. Nightmare kidnaps her parents and two kids from townchildren whose bad dreams Sophie has been collecting for resaleit's up to Sophie, Ethan, and a few fantastical friends to find them without alerting the sinister Nightwatch agency to their secret. The human characters in this nicely compact domestic fantasy have to use their own cunning and bravery to stop the villains from doing great evil with the very dreams Sophie wishes she could experience. Her dream-friends Monster and the delightfully arrogant unicorn Glitterhoof keep the story merry with their precocious quips, but the adventure does take some turns through dark and perilous territory. While working with Ethan, and trying to rescue mean-queen Madison, Sophie comes to realize that everyone, asleep or awake, has his or her own troubles to combat. sarah berman

(Copyright 2015 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)