Dream Factory (Hardcover)

by Brad Barkley (Author), Heather Hepler (Author)
Key Phrases: fur characters, Robin Hood, Prince Charming, Merry Men (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
"Maybe letting someone know me past the costume, past this summer, past this very moment, is just too much." After her brother dies and her missionary parents move to Africa, recent high-school graduate Ella takes a job performing as Cinderella at an enormous Disney-like amusement park. Luke, who works as Dale the chipmunk, is drawn to Ella, even though he's dating "perfect" Cassie. As in their debut collaboration, Scrambled Eggs at Midnight (2006), the authors contribute alternating chapters, flipping the funny, intelligent narration between Ella's and Luke's voices. The gleefully detailed theme-park background, with its oppressively manufactured "magic," is an excellent foil for the characters' sly, cynical humor and also their earnest questions about how to trust and recognize intuition and individuality, beauty and truth. The hot-pink cover shouts chick lit, but the strong male voice, the upended fairy tale, and the characters' honest struggles will broaden the audience for this thoughtful romance. Engberg, Gillian

Review
"An appealing love story." KLIATT --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile (May 17, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525478027
• ISBN-13: 978-0525478027
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #704,361 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars LOVED IT, June 12, 2008

By	S. Steiner "This is her daughter" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I absolutly love this book! With the alternating chapters it allows you to get inside the heads of the two main characters and provides different points of view.
I am a picky reader and dont like many different books but i couldn't put this one down. It kept me interested and i found myself laughing out loud sometimes. I could really picture the book in my head and the story is a really fun idea.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 4, 2008

By	TeensReadToo.com "Eat. Drink. Read. Be Merrier." (All Over the US & Canada) - See all my reviews

Living so close to Disney, I had always wondered what would happen if the characters went on strike. Would the park close down or would the powers-that-be make it look like Disney was the still the "happiest place on earth?" I think it would be kind of fun to step into the role of a Disney character for just a little while. Brad Barkley and Heather Kepler tell a pretty good tale about a group of young adults who are hired to be "scabs" when the regular characters go on strike with DREAM FACTORY.

Costumes hide so much more than your face. Easily they can hide emotions you feel. The story centers around two of the cast mates - Ella and Luke. The book is told in alternating viewpoints of the two characters. Disney fans and fans of romance books will enjoy reading this one. I know I did.

Ella is a high school graduate biding her time until college starts in the fall. At the moment she is kind of lost, adrift in the world, bottling the sadness deep inside of her. Her brother died in a car accident and she is having trouble dealing with it. Her parents don't deal with the situation at all, instead running off to work in Africa on some missionary work. So now she is working at Disney as Cinderella's replacement. Ella is nothing like Cinderella and, truth be told, she just got the job because she was the right size. As she says, although it is a plum role, all the cheerful friendliness is starting to take its toll on her.

The guy that is Dale's replacement is a hottie -- but you would never know it because he is inside a hairy, smelly costume all day not saying a word, just waving to visitors both old and young. If you take a superficial look at Luke's life, you might be envious because it seems that he has everything, including a gorgeous girlfriend. But, as we all know, looks can be deceiving. Luke doesn't need this job - he has a job all set up for the taking in the family business. The problem is that he doesn't work want to work for his dad and this Disney gig is good delay tactic.

All the characters are made to participate in a scavenger hunt on Disney grounds. The people in charge thought it would be a great team-building, moral-boosting activity. Luke is paired up with Ella when his girlfriend, Cassie, bails on him to team up with the Disney know-it-all, Mark. Cassie wins, but at the same time she loses, as Luke and Ella discover the magic of Disney as well as the undeniable attraction between themselves .

Every story about Cinderella and Prince Charming has them living together happily ever after. Should Ella give a it go with Mark, a Disney fanatic, a really nice guy who plays the Prince to her Cinderella, or will this book rewrite history? Can you picture Cinderella ending up with someone other than Prince Charming? Can dreams really come true? Read DREAM FACTORY to find out for sure.

Reviewed by: coollibrarianchick

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reviewed by Amy Lignor, May 31, 2007

By	Front Street Reviews www.frontstreetreviews.com - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This is the story of a group of young adults who are hired as replacement cast members during a worker's strike at Disney World. From the first line of this young adult book, the characters are: beguiling, hysterical, sweet, villainous, and, above all, very, very real.

The story follows Ella (who, of course, dons the costume of Cinderella.) She is as unlike the fairy princess as possible. She can't even stand the color pink. She is a child who has lost her brother in a car accident. Her parents can't deal with the loss, so they move to Africa, and send her to live with an aunt who only wants someone to take care of her children while she gets her nails done. Prince Charming, Mark, knows everything there is to know about Disney. A font of information, handsome, smart, nice - but, there's just something missing in him.

The hero of this story is Luke, dressed quite un-fashionably in the Dale costume (of Chip and Dale). He's a boy who has everything including a fifty thousand dollar a year job in the family business, and the perfect girlfriend. Her name is Cassie. She's very ambitious and believes everyone, especially her boyfriend, should be too.

These two souls, who want so much more than what they have to look forward to, find each other. This book is filled with wonderful lines, as well as many one-liners that will hit home. The point: Everyone's life is filled with a wonderful cast of characters, but it takes focus to find the one that really understands you. It was nice to read about these kids who are just about to embark on their "responsible adult life" and they are just as confused as the adults who've been struggling with it for years. Ella makes the statement that everyone around her was given a life manual and she just got the CliffsNotes; offering the major plot points but leaving out the details that she longs to understand.

I will always remember this book on the basis of one very poignant line: The problem with perfection (Disney) is someone tried to package a dream so they could sell it. As soon as you package it - it stops being a dream.

Life with all its bad points may not be a dream - sometimes it's a nightmare. But, all in all, the point is to live the magic of it everyday, take chances, and enjoy. If you want to start enjoying now...read this book.