The Dreaming Place (School & Library Binding)

by Charles De Lint (Author), Brian Froud (Illustrator) "I didn't see you at school today, Nina," Judy said..." (more)
Key Phrases: Upper Foxville, Lower Crowsea, Native American (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal
Grade 7-12-- A compelling fantasy that combines elements of Native American and Celtic mythology to create a fluid and unexpected otherworld, open to all with the ability to enter and traverse it. Teenaged cousins Nina and Ashley have shared a bedroom since Ash's mother's death three years earlier. Ash is often sullen, uncooperative, and in trouble, and the two are usually at odds. Then a series of disturbing nightmares in which Nina finds herself awkwardly inhabiting the bodies of various animals leaves her shaken and convinced that Ash is somehow responsible. What Nina doesn't know is that Ash has stumbled into the dreaming place--the spirit world--and may be the only one who can rescue her from the hungry manitou spirit who is causing her visions. Surprising combinations of formal and informal language from both spirit and human characters help to link the worlds, making the spirit world more accessible while readers' own becomes more mysterious. The satisfying conclusion hints at more otherworldly adventures to come. While Nina is a rather bland character, Ash and her colorful friends and adversaries, and icons such as the strange tarot cards that foretell her journey and the pomegranate that is pivotal in her quest, come alive through the text. Froud's effective illustrations depict the characters Ash meets as well as the cards themselves, and reinforce the mood of the tale. --Susan L. Rogers, Chestnut Hill Academy, PA
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Description
When a manitou, a winter earth spirit that is withering and in need of blood, fastens upon Nina, her sixteen-year-old cousin Ash enters the Otherworld to stop the spirit.

Product Details

• Reading level: Young Adult
  
• School & Library Binding: 138 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; Library Binding edition (November 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689315716
• ISBN-13: 978-0689315718
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,340,709 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Newford Lite, October 24, 2002

By	Kristin Tomic (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Dreaming Place (Mass Market Paperback)

Let's face it...there are some Newford books that you have to make charts and maps and timelines for just to figure out what's going on. Not that I'm complaining--Jilly and Wendy and Sophie, Christy and Geordie, and newcomers like Mick and the Crow Girls are like slightly out-of-town best friends, and the city of Newford sprawls out on the landscape of one's imagination--it's a city that EVERYONE wants to visit.

"The Dreaming Place" is a Newford book without all of the backstory, which is vaguely annoying and slightly relieving at the same time. In "The Onion Girl," I kept a list on the inside cover of who all the minor characters (Mona, Margaret, etc.) were, and where I remembered them from. Here, there was none of that...just a straightforward story about an angry young girl having trouble finding a place in a stange country after losing her mother. So much trouble, in fact, that she attracts the attention of Something Nasty, and gets her naive cousin in Big Trouble.

Fans of de Lint's urban fantasy won't be disappointed in this light read. (Also, Newford buffs, I believe that this marks the first appearance of Cassie and Bones, of "Trader" and "The Onion Girl" fame.) the only thing that really got to me was the atrocious font that this book was printed in, and believe me, I got over that pretty quickly. So don't judge this book by its length, or the fact that it's classified as a children's book. "The Dreaming Place" fits flawlessly into the heart and soul of Newford.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars dreaming in place, April 2, 2000

By A Customer

The Dreaming Place is a charming gem. It is one of deLint's early works but already shows his potential. The author deftly uses diverse mythologies to create a context which makes the plotline credible and intriguing. The characters are evocative and attractive while their interactions and individual complexities add to the novel's appeal without becoming overdrawn or distracting.

Readers familiar with deLint will find little new here but nothing to turn them away. New readers would find The Dreaming Place a good introduction to Charles deLint or urban fantasy in general. As in many of his other books, deLint weaves a complex fabric assimilating strands of mythology and popular culture into a gestalt fabric of beauty and haunting appeal.

Overall, a good read and a useful dreamsource.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars This is a SHORT story people, December 17, 2002

By	C. A Baker (Santa Rosa CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: The Dreaming Place (Mass Market Paperback)

This is a delightful SHORT story by CDL. Full of interesting characters with the same sort of style we expect of CDL.
This book, originally printed in 1990 with Brian Froud's illustrations, was part of a special project I beleive conceived by Froud and CDL with others. I am very fond of this book and do not agree with folks that this isn't as good as his later work.
CDL had already written many novels by the time this book was released it was never intended to be a novel but just a short excusion into the world of Newford.
In all honesty I have been more disapointed with his more recent work, it all seems rushed contrived and almost boring in some cases. In fact, much of his new writing is too predictable now whereas this and his other older work is still amazing and new something to truly savor and enjoy.