"THE DREAM STEALER," by Sid Fleischman, illustrated by Peter Sis, HarperCollins, $16.99 (ages 9-12)
When we dream then wake up, where did the dream go? Sid Fleishman knows.
There is a Dream Stealer — or so it's said — that swoops in and captures the dream, concealing it in a secret castle with many others. There are both good dreams and nightmares hidden away behind bars and cages.
The Dream Stealer is a strange creature, with wings and feathers, orange and red polka dots and "teeth as sharp as broken crockery. And a full moon of a face, with cunning eyes protruding like a frog's."
Susana was having a dream — a good one — when the Dream Stealer filtched it. She never found out how the dream ended. She wanted her dream back and trapped the Stealer, demanding the dream be returned. When he promised to find it in his past collection, she flew with him to his cache of dreams, "Bad dreams that'll turn your blood cold."
Ultimately the dreams escape from a mutinous hoard of bad dreams with wide swipes of Susana's resourcefulness.
The Stealer promises to stop stealing good dreams and a true friendship is bonded.
The Fleischman/Sis collaboration is perfect for this short fantasy. (They are the duo behind the 1987 Newbery Medal winner, "The Whipping Boy.") The tongue-in-cheek text and the stoic black-and-white sketches carry the night fear message clearly. Young readers will not miss the fact that Susana can handle the dreams as they come, perhaps as they, too, will learn to do.
"The Dream Stealer" is a great read-aloud for family enjoyment.
Camron Keyvani, fifth grade, contributed to this review.
e-mail: marilou.sorensen@att.net