The Book of Stolen Dreams (1) (The Stolen Dreams Adventures)

Sometimes a book just sort of reaches out and grabs you. Reels you in. Doesn't let go until the final page. The Book of Stolen Dreams is that kind of a book, especially with such rich and robust characters. They have names like “pencil-thin” Johannes Slick. The despot “Charles Malstain,” dictator of Krasnia. Malstain’s ruthless bodyguard Rufus O’Hare and his eyes “like black islands of hate set in the vast ocean of his face.” Or intel dude Barrabus Clinch.

Are these names great, or what? The plot is also a lot of fun.

When young Rachel and her bro Robert help their librarian father steal a forbidden book, they are plunged into a world fraught with peril. Everyone is hunting for The Book of Stolen Dreams. With their father imprisoned and their mother dead, Rachel and Robert go on the run.

Meanwhile, Robert loves science. He also has a special ability: An infallible “internal navigational system.” Believe you me, that comes in handy when you’re running for your life from a bunch of bad guys. And a malevolent dictator, Malstain, who hates kids and decrees that they can never be outside. Except going to and from school. No playing in the park. No walks in the woods or picnics at the beach. No baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, or Chevrolet. Nopers. Children are to be kept indoors at all times. Malstain’s order.

Well. All h-e-double toothpicks breaks lose when Robert becomes embroiled in a foiled assassination attempt on Malstain. Robert soon learns that all roads lead to The Book of Stolen Dreams. But why?

Anyway, The Book of Stolen Dreams is supposed to open a gate. But a gate to what? Will Rachel and Robert ever solve the mystery of the missing page? Will they ever be reunited with their dad? Or their dearly departed mom? Can Rachel and Robert locate the Hinterlands? And if they do, what might await them there?

Desperate to survive, the kiddos must uncover the Book’s secrets and track down its mysterious missing page before it falls into the hands of the despotic Charles Malstain - and it’s too late.

Fresh and witty with a plot that goes Snap, Crackle, and Pop, this tightly written story is enlivened with full-bodied characters, vivid settings, and realistic dialogue. The Book of Stolen Dreams takes us on a mysterious journey and the magic of books. It’s a riveting ride. It’s also clever. Creative. And Too. Much. Fun!