Simon Pulse. 2008.
ISBN 9781416953579
$8.99. Paperback. 224 pages.
Readers Annotation
17-year-old Janie keeps getting sucked into other people’s dreams, and she can’t control when or where it happens.
Plot Summary
Janie Hannagan falls into other people’s dreams. This happens whenever she is near someone who is sleeping. She has seen her share of naked-in-front-of-a-crowd dreams, falling dreams, and sex dreams. She can’t tell anyone about her curse, but when she falls into classmate Cabel Strumheller’s dreams he begins to figure out what is happening. As their relationship develops Janie tells Cabel that it is driving her crazy. Janie and Cabel’s relationship is uneasy because he doesn’t tell Janie the truth about his life or work. Janie’s job at a convalescent hospital helps pay her bills, but can also cause problems when patient’s dream. When she meets Martha Stubin, a patient, she is drawn to her. Since Martha is blind, Janie spends time reading to her. When Mrs. Stubin dies she leaves Janie some money to help pay for college. She also calls Janie a “catcher.” This is the first time Janie has ever had a name for her ability, and it is the first time she meets someone who shares her talent. Janie blames Cabel for many things. It is not until he forces her to meet his boss, police captain Fran Komisky, that he is able to tell Janie everything. Cabel has been working undercover to crack a drug ring. Captain Komisky knows about Martha Stubin, and she offers Janie a job working with Cabel. As Janie continues to work with the police she also learns about lucid dreaming. Through lucid dreaming she is able to help people through her dreams. As the book ends, Martha Stubin visits Janie in her dreams. Mrs. Stubin tells Janie that she will come to Janie in her dreams to teach her how to be a better dream-catcher.
Critical Evaluation
Wake is an original work of fantasy fiction that is like no other. Each chapter is broken down by date and time, giving a clear time line of events. Much of the book is written in short clipped sentences, and sometimes sentence fragments, which completely make sense in the situation. Janie only has bits and pieces of her own life because she is continually drawn into other people’s lives through their dreams. As Janie enters the dream sequences the font changes creating an additional layer of clarity to the events. This makes the book a very quick read. Janie and Cabel are both intriguing characters. Their attraction to one another is romantic and edgy. Both Janie and Cabel have had damaged childhoods and are struggling to survive in an adult world. While those portions of the book are difficult to read, McMann treats the subject with integrity. This is book one of a planned trilogy. Book two, Fade, is also included in the blog. Book three, Gone, is schedule for release in February 2010.
Information about the author
Lisa McMann currently lives in Arizona. She was born of February 27, but won’t divulge her year of birth. She got the idea for Wake from a dream. You can find out more about Lisa McMann on her website at http://lisamcmann.com/ or on her blog at http://lisamcmann.blogspot.com/. She also has accounts on Facebook, MySpace, an Twitter.
Genre
Paranormal Fiction
Curriculum ties
None
Challenge Issues
Drugs
Challenge defense ideas
· Become familiar with the book and its content.
· Refer to the collection development policy of the library.
· Refer to reviews from Booklist, School Library Journal, and Publisher’s Weekly available for viewing on amazon.com at http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Lisa-McMann/dp/1416974474/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1258239398&sr=8-1
· Try to get reviews of the book from teens that have read it.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Discuss Janie’s ability to fall into people’s dreams, and how she thinks it is a curse.
2. Talk about Janie and Cabel’s relationship and how it develops.
3. Talk about Mrs. Stubin and how she identifies Janie as a fellow dream-catcher.
Reading Level/Age
Young adult. Ages 15 and up.
Why I included this title
This book is on the 2009 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers.
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