Book Descriptions
for Dreamhunter by Elizabeth Knox
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Only a few people are able to enter “the Place,” a recently discovered land whose visitors bring back dreams they have the ability to share with others. In this slightly altered world of the early 1900s, an entire industry has quickly built up around the entertainment and healing value of the shared dreams. Dreamhunters, especially the very skilled ones, are paid well for the powerful and vivid images they project to nearby sleepers. Two fifteen-year-old cousins, Laura and Rose, both daughters of successful dreamhunters, have reached the age when they are allowed to attempt an entry to the Place. One is able to enter, while the other cannot break through the border. Their relationship and that of their families is strained by these events, and then shattered when Laura’s father, the man who first discovered the Place, disappears. A complex political scheme to manipulate public opinion by planting thoughts through dreams begins to unfold in this compelling fantasy that ends on a precipice. Described as book one of the Dreamhunter Duet, the successful blend of a highly original concept, intricate plot, well-rounded characters, and mounting suspense will leave readers breathless for book two. (Ages 12–16)
CCBC Choices 2007 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2007. Used with permission.
From The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY)
As fifteen-year-old Laura becomes a dreamhunter, one of a special few individuals who can enter the Place to catch dreams and broadcast them to others, her father’s disappearance leads her also into a world of intrigue and political corruption. The idea of selling dreams is thought provoking, as is the moral dilemma of the possibility of using a special gift for good or for evil. Knox builds a fascinating fantasy world with all-too-believable and disturbing aspects. ca
Bridges to Understanding: Envisioning the World through Children's Books. © USBBY, 2011. Used with permission.