The Dreaming Place - Softcover

Charles de Lint (charlesdelint.com) is the author of more than seventy adult, young adult, and children’s books. Renowned as one of the trailblazers of the modern fantasy genre, he is the recipient of the World Fantasy, White Pine, Crawford, and Aurora awards. The first book of the Wildlings trilogy, Under My Skin, won the 2013 Aurora Award for Young Adult Fiction. De Lint is a poet, songwriter, performer, and folklorist, and he writes a monthly book-review column for The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction. De Lint and his wife, MaryAnn Harris, a fellow artist and musician, recently released companion CDs of their original songs, samples of which can be heard on de Lint’s website. They live in Ottawa.

Grade 7-12-- A compelling fantasy that combines elements of Native American and Celtic mythology to create a fluid and unexpected otherworld, open to all with the ability to enter and traverse it. Teenaged cousins Nina and Ashley have shared a bedroom since Ash's mother's death three years earlier. Ash is often sullen, uncooperative, and in trouble, and the two are usually at odds. Then a series of disturbing nightmares in which Nina finds herself awkwardly inhabiting the bodies of various animals leaves her shaken and convinced that Ash is somehow responsible. What Nina doesn't know is that Ash has stumbled into the dreaming place--the spirit world--and may be the only one who can rescue her from the hungry manitou spirit who is causing her visions. Surprising combinations of formal and informal language from both spirit and human characters help to link the worlds, making the spirit world more accessible while readers' own becomes more mysterious. The satisfying conclusion hints at more otherworldly adventures to come. While Nina is a rather bland character, Ash and her colorful friends and adversaries, and icons such as the strange tarot cards that foretell her journey and the pomegranate that is pivotal in her quest, come alive through the text. Froud's effective illustrations depict the characters Ash meets as well as the cards themselves, and reinforce the mood of the tale. --Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
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