The Circus of Stolen Dreams

July 15, 2020
A circus of dreams seems like a wonderful escape for a grieving girl, until it turns into a nightmare. Shortly after their parents' divorce, Andrea's little brother, Francis, vanished during the night. Three years later, Andrea still feels constant sadness and guilt. When a magical circus called Reverie appears in the woods, she learns it is a place where she can forget her troubles. She simply has to give up a dream as the price of admission for one night. Inside, circus tents are filled with other children's dreams, from the excitingly magical to the thrillingly scary. When she discovers a tent with her brother's recurring nightmare, Andrea begins to suspect something isn't right and the man in charge, the Sandman, is not who he seems. As the dream world becomes a nightmare, Andrea has to remember and face her pain if she is ever to get out. Although this debut is full of appealing elements, the story as a whole falls as flat as its characters. Dreamy prose is sometimes evocative but mostly overwritten, bogging down the pace. Worldbuilding is underdeveloped, and, as in dreams, it doesn't always make sense. Reverie is filled with children from all over the world, but main characters all present White. The magic just isn't there. (Fantasy. 9-12)

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Starred review from August 1, 2020
Grades 5-8 *Starred Review* Three years after her little brother, Francis, went missing from their shared bedroom in the middle of the night, Andrea is desperate to escape her pain and guilt. When she happens upon a flyer for Reverie: Land of Dreams, a fairground that promises to help you forget your troubles for the price of one memory or dream, she's happy to pay the admission, ridding herself of the recollection of that horrible evening. Reverie's proprietor, Mr. Sandman, has fashioned a circus of wonders where every tent contains discarded memories. Anyone can enter and experience the exhilarating dreams or thrilling nightmares, all in the safety of the fairground's embrace. Initially, Andrea is delighted to throw herself into the enchantment, but when she happens upon one of Francis' nightmares, she realizes that the magical setting may be hiding her brother?along with something much more sinister. Savaryn's unconventional story makes for a bewitching debut, filled with dazzling descriptions and real surprises. The dreams?and nightmares, too?are incredibly vivid, and readers will find themselves transported; the bittersweet musings on the importance of embracing both the good and bad in life are an encouraging balm to anyone trying to make sense of the beauty and pain that the world has to offer.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)