An Author In Progress: The Dream Keeper

Saturday, June 1, 2013

The Dream Keeper

I was really impressed with the book The Dream Keeper by Mikey Brooks.

"Dreams: Dorothy called it Oz, Alice called it Wonderland, but Nightmares call it HOME."

Blurb:
Loser—the most frightening word to ever be uttered in middle school. Even the coolest kids are afraid of being associated with it. 14-year-old Parker Bennett is no exception. He can’t even be himself around his friends for fear they might not accept who he really is. When circumstances force him to team up with Kaelyn Clarke, the biggest loser in the ninth grade, Parker has to decide what is more important; protecting his social status or saving the world. Nightmare named Fyren has taken over the gateway to the realm of Dreams, with the intention of controlling mortals, and it falls on Parker, Kaelyn, and Gladamyr – the Dream Keeper – to stop him. They learn being called a loser is no longer a fear, when compared to the terror of real nightmares.

Review:

I admit to being a bit leary at first, as this story is told from three different perspectives, but I was surprised to find how easy it was to follow and how quickly the story pulled me in. I found myself reading it at odd times during meetings and when I should have been sleeping. The characters were engaging and very real. It was easy to fear the villains and cheer on the heroes as the characters came to life on the page.

The idea was new and fun, bringing in twists, turns, and characters I had not expected but was delighted with once I encountered them. Mikey did a great job of not only engaging us in this story, but in setting up for the sequel. I'm eager to see how the characters continue their quest in the next book. Through their adventure the characters taught the value of being true to yourself and to those you love, which I really appreciated. I would easily recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a YA fantasy.

Bio:

Mikey Brooks is a small child masquerading as adult. On occasion you’ll find him dancing the funky chicken, singing like a banshee, and pretending to have never grown up. He is the author/illustrator of several books including BEAN’S DRAGONS, the ABC ADVENTURES series, and author of the middle-grade fantasy-adventure novel, THE DREAM KEEPER. He spends most of his time playing with his daughters and working as a freelance illustrator. Mikey has a BS degree in Creative Writing from Utah State University. He is also one of the hosts of the Authors’ Think Tank Podcast.