Dream Within a Dream (Hardcover)
Staff Reviews
Just a beautiful, simply worded book about a young girl's summer on Deer Island as she starts to gently mature and have her first crush, including her first kiss. A sweet delight of a story that will surely resonate with tweens.
— From Staff Picks by Maureen
A young girl finds herself—and so much more—during a summer stay with her grandparents in this tender novel from Newbery Award–winning author Patricia MacLachlan.
When Louisa (short for Louisiana) is sent to stay with her grandparents for the summer, she’s not looking forward to it. While her brother is determined to find a way to stay on Deer Island forever, Louisa would rather be off having adventures with their globetrotting ornithographer parents. She’s a writer, and there’s nothing on all of Deer Island to write about—right?
Louisa quickly discovers that small doesn’t necessarily mean quiet, and the island has plenty of scope for the imagination. It also has George, the boy who helps her see the world in a whole new light.
The end of summer is coming fast, and Louisa must decide what she really wants: travel the world with her parents, or stay on Deer Island with the people she’s only just learning to love?
* "MacLachlan delivers a sweet, evocative tale of love young and old, the entrenched and enduring paired with the new and tenuous. Her prose is stunningly extravagant in its sparseness, painting a watercolor canvas of emotion with the barest of strokes...this book clings to the heart and echoes in the soul for days." - Kirkus Reviews, starred review
* "A resonant story of community, love new and old, and embracing the unknown." - Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Newbery author MacLachlan's writing is both lyrical and succinct, providing readers with everything they need, yet leaving much room for contemplation...heartwarming and rare, perfect in its dreamy innocence." - Booklist
"MacLachlan continues to be a master of gentle family drama." - BCCB
"Perfect for readers who love a gentle, heartwarming tale." - School Library Journal