Dream Within a Dream

Starred review from March 4, 2019
Newbery Medalist MacLachlan again concisely and authentically conveys character and emotion in this novel about two siblings spending the summer on their grandparents’ Deer Island farm. When redheaded Louisa, almost 12 and a “secret writer,” resolutely tells her grandmother, Boots, “I hate change,” the wise woman replies that change can help “you find out who you are.” And change does, in fact, expand Louisa’s sense of self and connection with others. Her innate bond with her grandfather Jake strengthens as he loses his eyesight, and when Jake introduces her to brown-skinned George, a young friend and neighbor whom he’s teaching to drive, Louisa recognizes the perceptive and eloquent boy as a kindred spirit who “makes change sound more interesting to me.” MacLachlan tenderly captures their instantaneous friendship, burgeoning attraction, and uncanny ability to communicate nonverbally—a skill endearingly shared by Boots and Jake. Louisa’s younger brother Theo, a sensitive bookworm who longs to live on the island full-time, instigates another pivotal change that rewardingly caps this resonant story of community, love new and old, and embracing the unknown. Ages 8–12. Agent: Rubin Pfeffer, Rubin Pfeffer Content.

March 15, 2019
A kiss on the palm is at once simple and full of emotion, meaning, magic, and...wonder.MacLachlan's latest, too, offers much promise and wonder while also conjuring memories and dreams. Eleven-year-old (almost 12) Louisiana, nicknamed "Louisa," and her brother, Theo, travel to the tiny island where their paternal grandparents, Boots and Jake, live, same as every summer. Louisa does not like change, and her erudite younger brother craves the stability of Boots and Jake's quiet island refuge. Both children live with the gnawing uncertainty of life with bird-watching parents struck by wanderlust. This summer, however, is different. Jake is losing his eyesight. And Louisa meets George. Through these two changes, MacLachlan delivers a sweet, evocative tale of love young and old, the entrenched and enduring paired with the new and tenuous. Her prose is stunningly extravagant in its sparseness, painting a watercolor canvas of emotion with the barest of strokes. Each simple word glides easily to the next, making this a prose poem of discovery told as a story of interconnected lives and feelings. "Why," Louisa asks herself," when I look in the mirror now, do I suddenly look beautiful for the very first time in my life?" Louisa and her family are white, and George, the son of a Tanzanian immigrant and an American aid worker, is black.This book clings to the heart and echoes in the soul for days. (Fiction. 8-12)

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May 24, 2019

Gr 3-7-Twelve-year-old Louisiana, Louisa for short, and her little brother Theo are sent off to Deer Island for the summer to stay with their grandparents while their parents go bird researching. Every summer tends to be the same on the old sheep farm, but this summer feels different. Louisa is recognizing that her grandparents, Jake and Boots, are getting older; Theo decides he wants to stay on the island year-round and go to school; and Louisa meets George. George and his family live on the island, but they have spent their summers in Africa so the pair didn't meet until this summer-this summer, when Louisa learns that Jake's eyesight is failing, that Boots keeps secrets, and that she is falling in love. MacLachlan skillfully weaves a simple story of family, first love, and the quotidian events that shape human lives. The writing is gentle, innocent, and transports the reader right into text. VERDICT A satisfying journey to a summer island with friendly faces; perfect for readers who love a gentle, heartwarming tale.-Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2019
Grades 4-7 Twelve-year-old Louisa and her younger brother, Theo, spend every summer on Deer Island with their grandparents Jake and Boots while their parents do bird research. On the cusp of her teens, Louisa fears change yet knows it is inevitable. This summer, Jake contemplates blindness and giving up his beloved 1938 Cord car, and Boots becomes secretive. Theo dreams of living permanently with his grandparents, while Louisa explores her budding friendship with George. A project involving interviews and artwork highlighting some of the island's notable citizens brings many of the novel's subplots together and leads to a satisfying conclusion. Newbery author MacLachlan's writing is both lyrical and succinct, providing readers with everything they need yet leaving much room for contemplation. Her depictions of love are particularly idealized: Jake and Boots, who met as children, still dance; George's mixed-race parents share frequent PDA; and Louisa's career-driven parents (whom Boots describes as dense but disturbingly intelligent) keep their emotions to themselves. Louisa and George's blossoming relationship is both heartwarming and rare, perfect in its dreamy innocence.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)