Silent Dreams [Hardcover]

Dandi Daley Mackall (Author), Karen A. Jerome (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Orphaned Camilla and her aunt, two of the many homeless persons in early twentieth-century America, forget their difficult lives when they go to the Saturday motion picture matinee. Includes an historical note on silent movies.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 4-This picture book is set during the early 1900s. Camilla, who has lost both parents in a flu epidemic, lives with her homeless aunt, who is mentally ill and has stopped speaking. After that bleak page, the outlook improves somewhat. In fact, kindhearted homeless characters donate their pennies throughout the week so that Camilla and her aunt may see the silent movie at the Saturday matinee. That entertainment provides their only brief escape from poverty. After the movie, the two return to their cardboard box by the river and Camilla reenacts the action for their friends around the fire and Auntie finally speaks. A historical note and glossary accompany this story, which is told in rhyming couplets. The impressionistic watercolor illustrations in many shades of purple and varying degrees of shadow suggest isolation and hardships. Yet, dabs of rich reds, oranges, and yellows suggest that life includes some warmth and comfort. This book may have limited appeal, situated as it is in an era that does not receive much attention in school curricula.
Laurie von Mehren, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Parma, OH
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (February 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802852009
• ISBN-13: 978-0802852007
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.9 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,611,110 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dandi won her first writing contest as a 10-year-old tomboy. Her 50 words on "Why I Want to Be Batboy for the Kansas City A's" won first place, but the team wouldn't let a girl be batboy. It was her first taste of rejection.
Since then, Dandi Daley Mackall has become an award-winning author of over 400 books for children of all ages, with sales of 4 million copies in 22 countries. Recent picture books with Sleeping Bear Press include Legend of Ohio, Rudy Rides the Rails: A Depression Era Story (Notable Book 2008 - Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People National Council of Social Studies & Children's Book Council; winner of the Angel Award, 2008; Winner of the "Award of Excellence" from Chicago Book Show 2007) and 2008 release, A Girl Named Dan (her own "batboy" story, and a lesson on Title IX), 2 Mom's Choice Awards & Amelia Bloom Award. Eva Underground, Harcourt young adult novel, nominated ALA Best Book 2007, starred Kirkus review, awarded a Top Teen Read by New York Public Library, finalist for Ohioana Award, was based on the author's experiences behind the Iron Curtain. Love Rules was awarded Romantic Times' Top Pick. Middle-grade fiction, Larger-than-Life Lara, Dutton/Penguin, which teaches how to write, while tackling the problem of bullying, is on the KY Bluegrass Award List 2007-8; William Allan White Award list, 2008-9; KS and KY Children's Choice lists. Her Winnie the Horse Gentler series has sold over half a million books and Starlight Animal Rescue is a Gold Medallion finalist. Dandi received the 2009 Helen Keating Ott Award for distinguished contribution toward promoting high moral and ethical values in children and young adult literature. She also received the Distinguished Alumna Award in 2008 from the University of Missouri. Dandi is a national speaker, keynoting at conferences and Young Author events, and has made dozens of appearances on TV, including ABC, NBC, and CBS. Visit Dandi at www.dandibooks.com, winniethehorsegentler.com, and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85oaIUbJ8j8

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A somber yet upbeat picture book story, December 14, 2003

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Silent Dreams (Hardcover)

Written by Dandi Daley Mackall and illustrated by Karen A. Jerome, Silent Dreams is a somber yet upbeat picture book story set in the early twentieth century. Hard times have a crushing effect on the poorest, homeless segment of the population, yet a young orphan girl and her aunt find escape from the pressures of survival in the excitement of stories on the silent movie screen. The girl shares the rapture of the stories with fellow down-on-their luck survivors in this engrossing, simple tale which is commended to the attention of school and community librarians for young readers ages 5 and older.