Warm, Fuzzy Dreams...

GOSSAMER, by Lois Lowry
AR Level: 4.4 Points: 4
Vocabulary Quiz Available

I listened to this book on audio, in the car. I attempted to start it three different times. The first time was with my best friend—she declared that “Lois Lowry is weird,” and we turned it off. For the second attempt I was with my oldest daughter, who is thirteen—she also declared it “weird and boring.” Finally, on the way home from our deer lease in Laredo, I plugged it in while riding with my ten year old, and hit pay dirt. We both loved this book. While it does start off slow, once more characters are introduced, this book causes the listener/reader to become engrossed in its story. It’s the tale of a group of dream-givers and the humans they encounter in their work. There is an old woman who takes in a young boy named John who’s been badly abused—and the boy’s mother who is trying to get her life together so she can regain custody of her son. The dream givers must bestow enough happy dreams on the humans, so that when the sinisteeds, or nightmare-inflictors attack, they will be able to overcome them. The book really made me reflect on my own weird dreams—I think children will enjoy this book—especially deep-thinkers who are intrigued by their dreams.