Dream Where the Losers Go

June 1, 2006
Gr 7 Up -A richly layered novel that contains elements of both fantasy and hard-edge realism. At night, 16-year-old Skey dreams of dark tunnels. During the day, she is usually aware of her surroundings, a facility for troubled teens where she has lived since a suicide attempt. But even awake, she can slip into the comforting tunnels that keep her mind safe and where she encounters a wandering boy much like herself. Because her recovery seems to be going so well, Skey begins to attend school during the day. There she hesitantly rejoins her gang of old friends, led by her boyfriend, Jigger. The teens are alluring and dangerous and seem to hold the key to the trauma that pushed Skey over the edge. The deep bonding of a first sexual relationship is exquisitely portrayed, even as Jigger -s controlling behavior escalates toward violence. Readers will be held breathless as Skey begins to discover the truth about the gang and its terrible hold over her. Her journey is partly in the real world and partly through the tunnels, -the dreams where losers go - to find what they have lost. Through her growing friendship with the wandering boy, and the damaged classmate he so closely resembles, Skey ultimately summons the courage to save herself and her new friend. This portrayal of the inner lives of trauma survivors is accurate, respectful, and hopeful. A wise and compelling book that addresses the traumas of sexual assault and emotional betrayal." -Carolyn Lehman, Humboldt State University, Arcata, CA"

Copyright 2006 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.