Customer Reviews

Swede Dreams (S.A.S.S.)

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Showcasing your individuality when you're one half of a set of identical twins is never an easy task. Just ask sixteen-year-old, Calista "Cal" Swanson. Up until eighth grade, Cal loved having an identical twin to share secrets with, and participate in giggle fests that lasted into the wee hours of the morning. But the moment she hit high school, Cal wanted nothing more than to shed her more sophisticated counterpart, Suzanne. Luckily, Suzanne seemed only too happy to comply. But as the gap between them widened, Cal began to feel as if Suzanne had it all, and she was left in the dust. Sure, she was the one who attracted all the guys, and had tons of friends to hang out with; but Suzanne was the one with a true talent for piano that could win her a spot at Julliard. As well as the skills to assist in her parents pottery shop, something Cal could only dream of. When Cal meets Jonas, a foreign exchange student from Sweden, however, Cal realizes that her niche is languages, and is determined to not only learn how to speak Swedish fluently, but visit the handsome Jonas in his native Sweden. Signing up for the S.A.S.S. (Students Across the Seven Seas) study abroad program, Cal quickly finds herself on a plane bound for Stockholm, Sweden. Cal couldn't be happier. Finally she'll be able to say goodbye to the preconceived notions about her and her family that have been created back in Moon Lake, Wisconsin, and create a new identity for herself. Not to mention catch up on some long overdue smooching with Jonas. But when Cal arrives in Sweden, she begins to realize that Jonas appears to have forgotten who she is, and hasn't contacted her even once, leaving her to hang out with her host family - Bengt and Britta. Luckily, her host family is totally cool, and are determined to make Cal's Swedish experience amazing from start to finish. Before she knows what's happening, Cal has been swept up into Swedish culture, and is soaking up everything around her - from the language to the history, and everything in-between. Cal has never seen a place so beautiful. And, as she begins to make friends with other students in her classes, she comes to realize that having a boyfriend isn't the most important thing in the world. In fact, sometimes flying solo is the way to go. But that notion goes out the window as she spends more and more time with the handsome, Prince Carl Philip look-alike, Hakan. Hakan has everything Calista has ever looked for in a guy - looks, brains, kindness, and the ability to make her heart flutter at the drop of a hat. But Cal can't figure out if he's the one for her, or if she's just searching for a sense of security in an unfamiliar place. To get her mind off of Hakan, Calista decides to immerse herself in a school project about Vikings, that gives her the opportunity to learn more about an unknown era, while, at the same time, creates the perfect chance for her to do some thinking. And, as the months fly by, and Calista begins to think of Sweden as home, she comes to the conclusion that sometimes, it takes leaving the country, to realize how important family, friends, and home truly are.

Having adored the Swedish culture since I was a child reading the AMERICAN GIRL: KIRSTEN series, I was absolutely thrilled to stumble upon Eva Apelqvist's S.A.S.S. contribution SWEDE DREAMS. Apelqvist's Swedish upbringing, and background make such a strong impact on SWEDE DREAMS, as her knowledge of the culture and the language, as well as the history, add an educational dimension to the tale that gives the reader the chance to learn a little bit about the lovely Sweden, while, at the same time, delve into the world of Calista. Cal is a character who is looking to find herself. Her insecurities, and determination to separate herself from her twin sister are visible from page one, when she hacks off five inches of her hair, and only progress as she leaves Suzanne out of various updates about her new life in Sweden. Her reliance on guys - especially those that are parent and/or friend approved - make her seem slightly naive; but also present a sense of familiarity and relatable-ness that work to make the reader feel a sense of comfort with Cal. What's so refreshing about Calista is that she is so excited about her Swedish adventure, and that excitement transports itself from the page, making it contagious for anyone reading Calista's tale. While her relationship with Hakan is slightly tumultuous at times, it never disappoints, as we have the chance to see Cal's step into a new pair of shoes, and view him as a perspective boyfriend, sans the rose-colored glasses that she has been wearing for so long. Suzanne, on the other hand, while we don't hear much about her - since she is back home in Moon Lake, Wisconsin - is a character whom is very down-to-earth, and, like Calista, determined to please everyone around her - from her parents, to her teachers - even at the risk of being unhappy herself. The two sisters seem to evolve throughout the story, and Apelqvist's heartfelt e-mail communications between the two really tug at the readers heartstrings. It doesn't hurt matters much that Cal's newfound friends - from the artistic Lena to the boy crazy Alabama exchange student, Monique - are present to share in her new experiences. I would have loved to learn more about the moody Moa, who appears quite often, yet never says more than one syllable, accompanied by a few grunts or a head tilt. Moa is a character who seems to have a lot to say, and I think it would be interesting to get inside her head; but perhaps that will be saved for sometime in the future. The amazing descriptions of Sweden - from the snow covered mountains, to the cobblestoned walkways - are absolutely breathtaking, and bring the unfamiliar environment of Sweden to life; while the beautiful language, and surprising history, leave the reader hungry for a cultural adventure of their own. A SWEDE way to spend the afternoon!

Erika Sorocco
Freelance Reviewer

Sweden means two things for Calista: getting away from her annoyingly talented twin sister, and being reunited with her boyfriend.

But Sweden isn't at all what Cal expects. For one thing, she can't get a hold of her boyfriend. She's also living with a host family, taking all of her courses in Swedish, and needs to learn the language pronto!

As the semester unfolds, Cal begins to notice things about herself that she'd like to change when she gets back home, but for now she's content with soaking up both the language and the culture.

SWEDE DREAMS is part of the SASS series of high school students traveling around the world learning different cultures and languages. Cal realizes her true self on foreign soil and she's anxious to make a new beginning. Teens will love this series!

Reviewed by: Jennifer Rummel

Having been an exchange student in Denmark, I really enjoyed the depth to which "Swede Dreams" explores the culture and daily life of a small Scandanavian country (albeit Sweden, Denmark's sister-rival). It brought back a lot of good memories of learning my way in a new place and learning about myself in the process. Calista is a believable protagonist: excited, yet unsure of herself; wanting to learn as much as she can, yet sometimes second-guessing both herself and those around her. In the early stages of the book, Cal seems a bit too enamored of Jonas, a Swedish boyfriend who is unfortunately not so much into her. As I read, I found myself wishing that she would just ditch the creep instead of trying to rationalize and make excuses for his lousy behavior. But, as a girl in love (so she thinks) for the first time, Cal's reactions are believable, if not exactly what one might hope them to be. Happily, as the novel progresses, Cal does come to realize her own worth, and that there are other, more worthwhile guys to focus on--one that actually cares about her quite a lot.

Overall, a very good read--especially for those interested in a fascinating, less well-known culture. Meget godt, tak!

Swede Dreams is both a fun and informative read for pre-teens and teenagers. It's easy to be swept into Cal's recognizable world of sibling rivalry and boyfriend problems, and readers gain an understanding of Sweden's history and customs along the way!

Very interesting & well-written!

I found this book very interesting, it has taught me a lot about the country of Sweden. It has every aspect that a good book should have.

I've very interested in Sweden and this book was perfect for me. I've read a few others in this series before and this one is just as good (if not better) than the others. It gives you good insights to the Swedish lifestyle and culture, as well as American (if you aren't from either country). It's low price was hard to pass up.

The story was cute, but it was very predictable. Still, it was a fun read until I got to the end...and it just kind of ends with no real explanation or resolution to the story. Which is why I gave it 3 stars. Its a breeze to read and fun if you like Scandinavian culture, but dont expect anything deep or a resolution to Cal's hangups about relationships.

Even though this book is for young adults, I loved it. The story was fun, it was an easy read. Highly recommended.

This book reads more like a travel guide than a novel.
I was constantly bombarded with morals and lessons-learned, and the author writes it like a 4th grade-level essay.
Calista is a teenager from the US who goes to Sweden to get away from her sister, (which would be a good reason in a book where something was wrong with the sister, but Suzanne only annoys Calista because she likes the piano!)The other reason Calista goes to Sweden is to see her boyfriend Jonas. Well, not surprisingly Jonas is a stereo-typical teenage jerk who doesn't even want to see Calista when she gets there.
This of course, is cause for Calista to do some major soul searching, but what she finds is anything but deep: she listens to other people to much. She doesn't live for herself enough. She tries to hard.
All of this was apparent from the beginning due to Apelqvist's ammatuer writing and completly obvious fore-shadowing. She takes the easy route by giving Calista problems that I had solved by the third chapter. Her character's have no depth, and the dialouges feel like they're out of the first draft of a bad made-for-TV-movie script. Calista's painfully nice host-parents, Bengt and Britta, are the ideal parents, from a fantasy world. They throw cool parties, aren't emabarrasing to friends and use just the right amount of compassion when Calista's upset. In short, they're overly sugary and by the end are totally predictable. Calista's friends are the same- perfect. They give and give and ask for nothing in return, which, besides being tiring, is also implausable, but it makes Apelqvist's job much easier if she doesn't have to make a story for them as well. It also makes the book that much worse.
All of those flaws are only the plot- the surrounding fluff is just as bad. Sweden is described just like it would be at the travel agent's office. Bengt and Britta seem to know more about Sweden than George Washington did about America, and everyone who lives there lives a life of total bliss and happiness. Calista's school in Sweden is perfect in every way- teachers, classrooms, everything is just right. It makes one wonder if anything bad will EVER happen.
The answer is no. Boy problems, (of course), but nothing major. Calista makes up with Suzanne, gets a new boyfriend and lives happily ever after. The reader however; does not. The only person I would recommend this too would be somebody living in a world of cotton candy, who's biggest problem is running out of lip gloss. For everyone else, you'll be sick of the predictably bad writing and story line by the second chapter.