Dream Journal

by Karen Halvorsen Schreck

Book Overview

Will she die soon? Sixteen-year-old Livy Moore has finally summoned the courage to ask about her mother's illness. But she already knows the answer: for two years, Livy has watched her mother grow... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1423101057
• ISBN13: 9781423101055
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Hyperion Books for Children
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.9" x 5.9" x 8.5"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

Livy Moore is sixteen years old, and facing something no sixteen-year-old should have to face. Her mother is dying. Upon learning this, upon hearing for certain that it is inevitable, Livy shuts herself off from her friends, from her family, and from her own life. Recording it all in her journal, Livy shares with readers the powerful emotions involved in love, loss, and life. She's forced out of her hiding place, forced to confront the reality that hiding from life will not make it all go away and will not make it any easier. DREAM JOURNAL is a painful, honest, and wonderfully written story that should not be missed. Populated by realistic characters and full of the emotions that make Livy's story real, it's a sad, hopeful story, and one readers will not soon forget. Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

A Compelling Read

Dream Journal is compelling from beginning to end. The author draws you close into Livy's world - madly gone awry as the realities of her mother's terminal illness hit home. As Livy copes and doesn't, you find yourself living in this dream journal with her. I was touched in ways I did not expect, and was surprised at how this story helped me process some of my own. A great book for teens and adults alike. Thank you to Ms. Schreck for a book that gives much more than a compelling read.

A Wonderful Gift

Here is what my wife, a pastor in the United Methodist Church, has to say about Karen Halverson Schreck's new book: "I am an adult, a pastor, and a friend to many adults and teens who have had a parent die. When I read "Dream Journal" I had an experience of the painful realities of a family going through illness and death. The emotions, dialogue, relationships that are a part of this story are real and at times as hard to read as they are to live. Thank you to the author for facing all of it and writing with such courage and honesty. I have already bought four copies to share with friends. It is a gift to be able to share such a poignant and good book."

A Blessing to Read

This book is written for adults as well as teens. As the characters let go of their emotions, you will let go of yours - beautifully written! Something to read and then keep on the shelf until you need it or want to pass it on to someone who needs it.

What a wonderful story!

Dream Journal takes on two tough subjects: a mother's fatal illness and the two-headed monster, teenage alienation/ rebellion. And the result, in well-written prose, successfully delivers suspense, tears and joy. The story centers on Livy the summer before her seventeenth birthday. She is a bright, responsible girl whose mother is dying inside the home. Her father, a football coach, spends much of his time at the mother's bedside. But sometimes he leaves the house and Livy becomes the reluctant caretaker. She is lonely and isolated until she opens the door to her best friend. Together they explore life without adults, make new friends, and harvest the consequences of poorly thought-out choices. The readers are led into Livy's world in her Dream Journal, which is her repository of hope, dreams and reality. It is in her journal that her heart opens to her mother, father and self. The result is a page turner, every word a well-crafted pearl. Bravo Karen Halvorsen Schreck!