Dream Spinner

Bonnie Dobkin
Flux (2006)
ISBN 9780738709192
Reviewed by Tabytha Joy (age 15) for Reader Views (8/07)


“Dream Spinner” is about a girl named Jori who must go into her sister’s dreams in order to save her from death. Jori meets this old man when she and her friend, Newt, go to the house in which a dog disappeared with Jori’s backpack. They both continue going back to the old man’s house, wanting to learn more about going into their dreams.

From the beginning, Jori feels uncomfortable about living her dream instead of reality. She also thinks that it is all just a trick that the old man is playing. Jori chooses not to return to his home. That was until she realized that Newt, and her two worst enemies, Derek and Marisa, went back to the old man’s house to trade their real life to live a dream.

While Jori is looking through the room to make sure Newt is really there, she discovers that her missing little sister, Lisa, has also chosen to trade her life for a fantasy. Now, Jori must go into each of their dreams and try to save them before it is too late. Can Jori do it alone?

Honestly, I didn’t enjoy the ending of “Dream Spinner” as much as I liked the rest of the book. The reason I say this is because there was a lot of questions left unanswered. Did the other dreamers ever get out? What happened to the old man? What did Jori’s mother say about the dog? What happened to Marisa? What did Jori’s mother say when Lisa appeared home? How long was Jori in these dreams? There were also some really good parts to “Dream Spinner” as well. For instance, I liked how Newt, Derek, and Jori had to work together in order to escape and find Lisa. I think that this is a very valuable lesson as a lot of people, especially teens, don’t understand that teamwork is the best way to go at times. I think this book would be best for someone thirteen and older.

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