Awake and Dreaming

by Kit Pearson

Book Overview

Theo and her young, irresponsible mother seem trapped in their miserable, poverty-stricken life. Theo dreams of belonging to a "real" family, and her dream seems to come true when she is mysteriously... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 014038166X
• ISBN13: 9780140381665
• Release Date: May 1999
• Publisher: Puffin Books
• Length: 228 Pages
• Weight: 0.35 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.0" x 7.7"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Awake and Dreaming

Awake and Dreaming is a book that helps us understand just how much we should be thankful for. It also helps us see that no matter how bad our situation, there is always someone in a worse predicament. The story is about a girl named Theo. She and her mom live in Vancouver, Canada. It is safe to say that they are poor. Theo's life was very hard and she was going through a lot. So her mother decided that she needed to go stay with some relatives for the time being. While aboard the ferry that Theo is taking to her aunt's house, Theo falls asleep and the real action begins. Theo goes into a deep sleep. She wakes up to find herself in a big comfortable bed. In a big house with a wonderful family. Theo is confused at first,but eventually she grows accustom to her new family. She has everything that she ever wanted. Then all of a sudden she is awken by a strong gust of wind and her dream family is gone. She knows that she cant live without them so she goes in search of them and is amazed at what she finds. If you like imaginitive books, then you'll love Awake and Dreaming!

Beautiful

This book is somewhere between realistic fiction and fantasy. Though it deals with very real issues, it also deals with reality, and whether consciousness is a dream, and dreams are reality, and whether the two are so dependent upon one another that it is impossible to be only one. That we are all Awake and Dreaming.The person at the center of the story is Theo, who is being raised by a single mother who is much like a child herself. Clean clothes and good food are not things Theo knows much about. The setting is British Columbia, Canada, not an often written about place, and the book itself is just beautiful.

What is reality?

I recently read this novel to my Grade 4 class, and it turned out to be one of their all-time favourites. The kids hated when I stopped reading each day. The prologue begins with a ghost, Cicely, who can't yet leave this world. The main character, however, is Theo, an unhappy girl with a single mother who acts like a teen-ager, makes Theo dance on the streets of Vancouver for money, and is more interested in her new boyfriend than in Theo. Suddenly, while on a ferry from Vancouver to Victoria to live with her aunt, Theo finds herself in a new family, the Kaldors -- a perfect, wonderful family with 4 kids, and they completely accept her as one of them. A dream? But it goes on and on for months! Then slowly it begins to fade, and she is back on the ferry, and begins another new life with her aunt. She finally meets with the ghost, Cicely, with whom the book begins, and begins to understand what has been happening, and what Cicely wants from her.Kit Pearson has woven a wonderful mix of reality and fantasy. It's a reality so real it helps kids understand poverty and disadvantaged children. And it's a fantasy so delightfully enticing you know it must be somewhere just under the surface of real life, if you look hard enough in the right places. This book is a rare gem, highly engaging for both children and adults. I'd highly recommend reading it to classes of Grade 4-6 students. Some very rich discussions will be sparked by it. It's a fairly challenging read for individuals, although better readers love it. All my students were entranced by it as a read-aloud.

Couldn't put this one down . . .

This book is a real page turner. It's a unique story; it definitely does not follow any writing formula. If you're looking for a book that will keep you wondering what will happen next, read "Awake and Dreaming".

A REAL PAGE TURNER; IT DRAWS YOU IN!

I read this book over March break,, and even though there are over 200 pages in it,i read it in 2 days because I just couldn't put it down! I usually have trouble staying in one spot long enough to read, but not with this book! So if you're like me, this book is for you, and if you're not, it's for you too! Take my advise, you wont regret it! This Canadian author is very gifted!