{"id":28639,"date":"2015-11-28T22:25:01","date_gmt":"2015-11-29T02:25:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=28639"},"modified":"2015-11-28T22:25:01","modified_gmt":"2015-11-29T02:25:01","slug":"review-of-the-girl-who-could-not-dream-by-sarah-beth-durst","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sonderbooks.com\/blog\/?p=28639","title":{"rendered":"Review of The Girl Who Could Not Dream, by Sarah Beth Durst"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"girl_who_could_not_dream_large\"<\/a>The Girl Who Could Not Dream<\/em><\/p>\n

by Sarah Beth Durst<\/p>\n

Clarion Books, November 2015. 380 pages.<\/p>\n

Have you ever wondered if dreamcatchers really work? And what would happen if they did?<\/p>\n

In the world of this book, Sophie\u2019s parents run a Dream Shop in the basement of their used book store. They collect dreams by giving dreamcatchers to people who dream, then distill those dreams into bottles with their skilled use of a dream distiller. They can see what is in the dreams by using their somnium. And then they sell the bottled dreams to special customers who know about the shop.<\/p>\n

Sophie, however, is the girl from the title. In her twelve years of life, she\u2019s never dreamed on her own. But there was one time she stole a dream and drank what was in a bottle \u2013 and the monster she met in the dream befriended her and came to life.<\/p>\n

Sophie\u2019s parents let her keep Monster, but they\u2019ve warned her never to drink any more dreams, because there\u2019s no telling what will come out. And if the Night Watchmen find out about her, they would kidnap her and put the shop out of business. People who make dream creatures come to life are dangerous!<\/p>\n

But then a sinister customer who calls himself Mr. Nightmare comes to the shop and sees Monster. And the next day, she gets a note from him in her locker at school. But it\u2019s when Sophie\u2019s parents disappear \u2013 along with two kids from school who used dreamcatchers from the shop \u2013 that things really get sinister.<\/p>\n

Sophie doesn\u2019t dare call the police. The Night Watchmen can\u2019t find out about the shop. Or about her. So it\u2019s up to her and Monster \u2013 and a new boy from school she was going to help with nightmares \u2013 to find out if the disappearances have to do with Mr. Nightmare. Sophie may need to dream up some more help.<\/p>\n

I confess, I tend to get hung up on the details of stories where dreams or books come to life, which definitely hurts my suspension of disbelief. I also had trouble with the bad guys\u2019 motivation \u2013 why would they turn to crime? And is it really true that the same kids have nightmares over and over? That you could rely on certain kids to supply you with nightmares? I would have thought that some kids have bad dreams more often than others. But every night?<\/p>\n

So readers who would be bothered by details like that might not be the best audience for the book. However, if you can accept the background of the book \u2013 it does contain imaginative details and creative problem-solving that are a whole lot of fun. The Dreamcatcher Bookshop is a cozy place, and it\u2019s nice to read a book where the character has a loving, if a bit quirky, family.<\/p>\n

And what if you could indeed bottle dreams? Would any of your own dreams be marketable? Which dreams would you want to catch and dispose of? And how would you fight nightmares come to life?<\/p>\n

I love Sarah Beth Durst’s teen fiction, and this book for children has her trademark imagination along with likable characters you want to spend time with.<\/p>\n

sarahbethdurst.com<\/a>
\nhmco.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Buy from Amazon.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Find this review on Sonderbooks<\/a> at: www.sonderbooks.com\/Childrens_Fiction\/girl_who_could_not_dream.html<\/a><\/p>\n

Disclosure: I am an Amazon Affiliate, and will earn a small percentage if you order a book on Amazon after clicking through from my site.<\/p>\n

Source: This review is based on an advance reader copy sent to me by the publisher at the author’s request.<\/p>\n

Disclaimer: I am a professional librarian, but I maintain my website and blogs on my own time. The views expressed are solely my own, and in no way represent the official views of my employer or of any committee or group of which I am part.<\/p>\n

Tweet<\/a>