Dream Journal [Hardcover]

Karen Halvorsen Schreck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 16, 2006

" Will she die soon? " Sixteen-year-old Livy Moore has finally summoned the courage to ask about her mother`s illness. But she already knows the answer: for two years, Livy has watched her mother grow smaller and weaker. Now, in a series of journal entries, Livy chronicles the summer before her junior year--the summer she watches her mother slip away from her, as she succumbs to breast cancer. Livy has survived the pain of losing her mother by shutting herself off from the rest of the world. She has alienated herself from her best friend, and her and her father live as strangers in the same house, barely speaking, and never allowing themselves to share the grief that is tearing each of them apart. But when Livy gets swept up in a strong but ill-fated crush, and her mother`s condition worsens, she must learn to trust not only those around her, but herself. A beautifully written coming-of-age novel, Dream Journal gazes unflinchingly at the pain of loss and the beauty in survival.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-10–Livy Moore, 16, is best friends with Ruth, the pastor's kid, but has been neglecting the friendship since her mother became terminally ill. Ruth decides to playfully kidnap Livy and take her for a ride along with Gil, football player extraordinaire; his sister Jackie; Charlie, inseparable from Gil and also the running back; and Ed, a benchwarmer who's a bit goofy but has a great heart. They attend a party, get drunk, go home, and come together the next day to go to the Goodlove Forest preserve. Guys crashed cars there, girls got pregnant, and nobody went there for the nature walks. Tragedy strikes, and Livy must now deal with not shutting herself off from the rest of the world again. What makes this story so strong are the moments in which the teen remembers being with her mother before she was sick and the dream journal that opens each chapter and reflects on her feelings. The relationship with her father grows believably stronger at the end of the novel. Teens who have recently lost someone close to them, or know that it's about to happen, will appreciate this sincere and thoughtful novel.–Kelly Czarnecki, Public Library of Charlotte & Mecklenburg, NC
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About the Author

Karen Halvorsen Schreck is the author ofDream JournalandLucy's Family Tree,which was chosen as an Honor Book by the Society of School Librarians. She lives with her family in Illinois.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Hyperion (September 16, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1423101057
• ISBN-13: 978-1423101055
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.7 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,757,849 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What a wonderful story!, September 25, 2006

By 

Mary Herlehy (Oak Park, IL United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Dream Journal (Hardcover)

Dream Journal takes on two tough subjects: a mother's fatal illness and the two-headed monster, teenage alienation/ rebellion. And the result, in well-written prose, successfully delivers suspense, tears and joy. The story centers on Livy the summer before her seventeenth birthday. She is a bright, responsible girl whose mother is dying inside the home. Her father, a football coach, spends much of his time at the mother's bedside. But sometimes he leaves the house and Livy becomes the reluctant caretaker. She is lonely and isolated until she opens the door to her best friend. Together they explore life without adults, make new friends, and harvest the consequences of poorly thought-out choices. The readers are led into Livy's world in her Dream Journal, which is her repository of hope, dreams and reality. It is in her journal that her heart opens to her mother, father and self. The result is a page turner, every word a well-crafted pearl. Bravo Karen Halvorsen Schreck!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Courtesy of Teens Read Too, March 15, 2007

By 

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

This review is from: Dream Journal (Hardcover)

Livy Moore is sixteen years old, and facing something no sixteen-year-old should have to face.

Her mother is dying.

Upon learning this, upon hearing for certain that it is inevitable, Livy shuts herself off from her friends, from her family, and from her own life.

Recording it all in her journal, Livy shares with readers the powerful emotions involved in love, loss, and life. She's forced out of her hiding place, forced to confront the reality that hiding from life will not make it all go away and will not make it any easier.

DREAM JOURNAL is a painful, honest, and wonderfully written story that should not be missed. Populated by realistic characters and full of the emotions that make Livy's story real, it's a sad, hopeful story, and one readers will not soon forget.

Reviewed by: Jocelyn Pearce

5.0 out of 5 stars Thoughtful and moving YA novel, June 10, 2011

By 

Bookish - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dream Journal (Paperback)

This story of a 16-year-old girl working through her mother's battle with cancer treated some deep themes and intense emotional experiences with thoughtful care and sensitivity. It's full of beautiful images, memorable scenes, and very believable characters. I would highly recommend Dr. Schreck-Halvorson's work.