The Book of Stolen Dreams (The Stolen Dreams Adventures): 1

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We don’t know why this has happened, but Farr immediately sets up a tense and unsettling atmosphere. We are introduced to our protagonists, Robert and Rachel Klein, when they accompany their father to the lending library where he works. This journey is done at night, and nobody is told about it so we know it is dangerous. All we know is that it has something to do with The Book of Stolen Dreams that Felix Klein steals - rumours are that it is scheduled to be destroyed - and charges his children with protecting until they can hand it over to a man called Solomon. Robert and Rachel are the two main characters who happen to be siblings. Their father, Felix, is a librarian who takes them on Rachel's birthday to the library in the quest of an adventure and to find a forbidden book, the book of stolen dreams. They get the precious book but Felix gets arrested by the brutal President Charles Malstains' soldiers and put into prison. The book withholds some secrets that Charles Malstain is after. Now it's up to Robert and Rachel to find the secret of the book and return it to it's rightful owners. But in the process of doing so, they make many friends but enemies too who are also after the book. Although it's not outright said, the names and places in this story gave me strong Russian vibes, so I presume it's set somewhere around there, but placing a date is a little harder. It's a fantasy world, that could be our own. Na última página, descobrimos que haverá um segundo livro, o que me agradou imenso, pois adorei a Rachel e o Robert. Esta história é inspirada na família do escritor, nomeadamente uma tia-avó e tio-avô, que conseguiram fugir nos Nazis, na Alemanha.

Rich and strange (and kitted out with an eye-catching cover), but stronger in the set pieces than the internal logic. From the west? A charming area. Full of the best-dressed women.” He studied her. “And yet I sense in you a different spirit.” As if sensing what she was thinking, the little man stood beside her at the rail and spoke quietly.Along the way we meet a host of characters - at both ends of the spectrum. Malstain is a shadowy villain, orchestrating terrible deeds for his own selfish reasons. Opposing him are a motley crew, and not all are guaranteed to do the right thing when asked.

Rachel isn’t sure why the secret she’s keeping is so important but she knows it holds the key to freeing Brava from its cruel, tyrannical dictator and the only way she’ll ever get to see her father again. Now the adventure itself is just so well done and wrapped up even better. There's nothing I can say that I didn't like. The pacing was perfect, I could easily keep up and it wasn't as predictable, which I was pleasantly surprised to learn. It felt like we were given a lot of clues, bits and pieces to put together along with our two main characters, and while it wasn't too complex, I had moments where I failed to piece the puzzles. That's absolutely not a bad thing at all. And when you actually finish the book, you get this sense of accomplishment and happiness that you were able to put these things together and come to a conclusion. This gave me all the vibes of Inkheart, and Northern Lights, while reminding me that these days, it's quite unusual for characters to die in middle grade books. Seeing characters killed off and tortured added to the stakes of this adventure story, I just found the middle quite slow. The overall atmosphere was fantastic, it was easy to imagine all the quirky clothing, from people having penguin hats to pointy noses that looked like beaks, to legs of dictators that looked like carrots. And then, of course, there is the aspect of a library and a book, and if you're a bookworm, which I believe most of you reading this are, how could you not be interested in a bookish, magical, adventure. Rachel shivered and took the rather grubby piece of old rug that he had unwrapped from around the violin case.Some children may skim over the deeper messages of this book, but they provide crucial opportunities for discussions, both at home and in the classroom. The children escape, but have to watch their father beaten by Malstain’s forces. They are subject to intimidation in their home as those under Malstain search desperately for the Book that the children vow to protect, though they don’t really know why.

No. I suspect you come from the poorer north of the city, from a family of artists. Your eyes are musical, and your nose gives me the strongest impression that you have a piano in your living room.” For teacher friends, this book would serve as a great stimulus to inspire writing. I would plan sequences of lessons around the following writing genres: The story is in part inspired by Farr’s family history, based on his Great Aunt and Uncle’s escape from Nazi Germany - but reimagined in a fantasy dictatorship. This is a story that values bravery, the magic of books and the influence of individuals who follow the right course even when the world around them feels oppressive. The Book of Stolen Dreams offers a tense and thrilling adventure, but one in which Farr allows the youngest characters to win the day - providing a hope-filled reminder that good can triumph over tyranny in a million small, everyday ways. The Book of Stolen Dreams is a powerful story that puts the heroes in danger almost constantly, yet still delivers a highly emotional and satisfying ending.

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Her brother, Robert, was also provided with chapters set from his perspective. This was necessary as they remained apart for much of the book but his actions were still important ones. He was initially involved in more scheming and so I enjoyed learning about the plans for Malstain's demise from him. As we follow Rachel and Robert in their task, they are placed in extreme peril. They suffer in the way that only young children in stories can. The odds are against them. They are pitched into a battle they might not win…but their determination to do the right thing and their bravery makes for a gripping story.