An enjoyable and imaginative series opener, with teaser threads left dangling.
Burns’ middle-grade fantasy novel, the first in a series, introduces a uniquely gifted cadre of stuffed dogs recruited by the Bureau of Dreams to help children deal with nightmares.
A handsome, stuffed yellow Labrador sits on the top shelf of a toy store, hoping someone will buy him and bring him home. When a middle-aged couple enter the store and look up at him, the dog (who will soon be called Oliver) senses something different about these humans. The man walks over to him and pretends to study the small toys sitting on a lower shelf. He begins talking to Oliver, and, much to the Lab’s surprise, the man can “hear” Oliver’s responses (“‘You are hearing me, aren’t you?’ Oliver said. The man looked up. ‘Clear as a bell’”). In short order, the couple purchases Oliver, hides him in their car, and begins a long road trip to a site known as the “Outer Station.” Along the way, they explain to Oliver the secret mission of the Bureau of Dreams, cautioning him about other people who know of their work and want to steal the stuffed pups for their own nefarious purposes. At the Outer Station, Oliver meets other stuffed dogs of various breeds and sizes who enthusiastically welcome him into their fold. Several days later, the group of pups and their accompanying human, Amy, embark on a train ride that takes them to the Dream Ranger training academy, located in a mystical place known as Crossover. Aside from a dangerous car chase and escape during one of the recruitment expeditions and a hair-raising misadventure in Crossover (during which things look dire for Oliver and Diggity the Dachshund), the gentle narrative is a joyful frolic. Each of the dogs has his or her own personality, all of them delightful and doing their best to acclimate to the miraculous physical changes they undergo on the train and in Crossover. Wilhelm’s black-and-white illustrations lend the proceedings some additional charm. A healthy dose of humorous antics and dialogue should keep young readers engaged, but those hoping to learn how the Rangers work their way into children’s dreams will have to wait for Burns’ promised sequel.
An enjoyable and imaginative series opener, with teaser threads left dangling.Pub Date: April 15, 2024
ISBN: 9781732579958
Page Count: 282
Publisher: The Gabbro Head Press
Review Posted Online: March 29, 2024
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Broccoli: No way is James going to eat broccoli. “It’s disgusting,” says James. Well then, James, says his father, let’s consider the alternatives: some wormy dirt, perhaps, some stinky socks, some pre-chewed gum? James reconsiders the broccoli, but—milk? “Blech,” says James. Right, says his father, who needs strong bones? You’ll be great at hide-and-seek, though not so great at baseball and kickball and even tickling the dog’s belly. James takes a mouthful. So it goes through lumpy oatmeal, mushroom lasagna and slimy eggs, with James’ father parrying his son’s every picky thrust. And it is fun, because the father’s retorts are so outlandish: the lasagna-making troll in the basement who will be sent back to the rat circus, there to endure the rodent’s vicious bites; the uneaten oatmeal that will grow and grow and probably devour the dog that the boy won’t be able to tickle any longer since his bones are so rubbery. Schneider’s watercolors catch the mood of gentle ribbing, the looks of bewilderment and surrender and the deadpanned malarkey. It all makes James’ father’s last urging—“I was just going to say that you might like them if you tried them”—wholly fresh and unexpected advice. (Early reader. 5-9)
Pub Date: May 1, 2011
ISBN: 978-0-547-14956-1
Page Count: 48
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 4, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2011
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short.
In the dystopian, totalitarian world of 2099, 14-year-old Tessa and her family are desperate to solve the mystery of her twin brother Theo’s disappearance.
Tessa is growing up in a time when playgrounds are historical relics, surveillance cameras are everywhere, music is outlawed, and owning books is illegal. Under the absolute rule of Zokiris, the decadeslong leader of her territory, people are heavily controlled. When Theo vanishes under mysterious circumstances and his name is erased from the Territory Statistics list, Tessa’s 135-year-old neighbor, Miriam, gives the family contraband books that become central to figuring out Theo’s whereabouts. Most books have long since been seized and stored away in Building 903; Tessa is intrigued by their presence in her home, while her mother is terrified. Lowry, the acclaimed, award-winning author of The Giver (1993), shines in her creation of uncomfortably believable dystopian societies. Tessa’s painfully limited world is fully imagined, with its own history, laws, and norms. Her relationship with her brother reads as realistic and tender and is crucial to the mystery. Miriam is the most strongly developed character: wise and independent, unafraid and hopeful. While the climb to the book’s climax is captivating, the hurried resolution is disappointing. The powerful messaging around the importance of literature and imagination certainly resonates, however. The main characters present white.
A successful call for creating and imagining, even if the story itself falls short. (Dystopian. 9-12)Pub Date: Sept. 29, 2026
ISBN: 9780063515109
Page Count: 240
Publisher: Clarion/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: July 6, 2026
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2026
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