The Girl Who Could Not Dream

bibliophile - "Dreams can't die... but they can be lost... And then found again..." This heartwarming tale gives the reader an acknowledgement of celestial and magical creature found in DREAMS. (**IT MAY CONTAIN SPOILERS**) It starts off with Sophie (Betty), a non-dreamer, and a soon to be hero, soon befriends Ethan (the new kid who is "swarmed" with many friends due to his ability of playing sports) after realizing that he has nightmare, Sophie reachers out and gave him a dreamcatcher that can assuage his nightmares... BUT a horrible occurrence happened!!!!!! A gray-giraffe tried to kidnap Ethan, however Sophie and Monster saved him... Sadly they could not retrieve Lucy and Madison, who also have horrid nightmares, where Mr. Nightmare kidnapped them... Before I go any further I wanted to say Monster is a protector/pet who belongs to Sophie after she made Monster from her dream (MONSTER CAN TALK)... And yes, Sophie can have her dreams be real in actual life... Anyways Mr. Nightmare, aka Eugene, is a buyer from Sophie's parent's dream store... So now with Ethan and Monster's help, Sophie is now in a quest to look for her parents (where there number one suspect is Mr. Nightmare), but as they approached to his house... Mr. Nightmare seemed like a complete, ordinary human being. But... WRONG... he in fact stole all the monster dreams and kidnapped Sophie's parents, Lucy, and Madison... With all this imagination, Sophie soon becomes surrounded with a pegasus who poops rainbows (and loves apples) and with tons of ninja bunnies to help save the people who Sophie loves... Not to mention where they meet hideous looking monsters, where they meet Christina... Now secrets unravel like a spider's web... And now to save the people she loves may cost a sacrifice... DUN DUN DUNNNNNN... So what I loved about this book was the cliffhangers of course... Also when Ethan first meets Sophie... is just so... AHHH.... I cannot describe in words... Just YOU have to read this... Also the dry humor and irony really got to me... It's just hilarious... "Her first thought was, I'm not Betty..."... And MONSTER... he's adorable... Like I wished I had a friendly monster named Monster... Everything about this book is so creative and imaginative! To be honest... I thought it would be this cliche book... Where the hero saves the day... and it's kind of like that.... But just all the twists and turns reminds me of a roller coaster with it's unexpectedness...*cough Ms. Lee* *cough-cough* So if you can take a toll with nightmares because everything you might've dreamed of will be in this book... then this book is perfect for you! I realized this book is so similar with the movie Big Hero 6... Like seriously I can name the comparisons but I would be giving out too many spoilers... So if you like sweet, sentimental, but an adventurous story... This book is for you... Read it:D!!!!

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"

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