Shannon Hale, whose Real Friends graphic memoir series (illustrated by LeUyen Pham) has sold more than two million copies, collaborates with illustrator Marcela Cespedes for the first time to introduce Cassie Carpenter, an imaginative and upbeat girl, in the satisfying and spirited middle-grade graphic novel, Dream On.
It is 1984, and Cassandra "Cassie" Lucinda Carpenter usually sees the bright side of everything. But as one of six auburn-haired kids, getting Mom and Dad's attention feels impossible. Worse, her best friend Vali, the sole person who "really gets" Cassie, has befriended Stesha, a girl in their grade who calls Cassie and Vali's pretend fairyland fun "a baby game." When a magazine sweepstakes form arrives in the mail with promises of grand prizes (a waterbed, a VHS player, a 15" color TV), Cassie fills it out, imagining everyone will go crazy over her winnings. Instead of fabulous prizes, though, Cassie gets teased by Stesha, ignored by Vali, called "sensitive" by her family, and a subscription bill for $19.95.
Hale's remarkably relatable, comforting graphic novel fantastically captures that confusing time in childhood when kids transition to older play. Cespedes, with colors by Lark Pien, illustrates Cassie's beautiful imagination through curvy-lined panels that overlap and break into the "real life" grid of neatly lined panels; Cassie's emotional lows are made exceptionally clear by Pien's use of angry reds, sad blues, and lonely grays. Cassie knows she has big emotions but also loves "that wonder feeling" born of her sensitivity. Dream On is a luminous reminder that feeling things strongly also means truly enjoying the good parts. --Samantha Zaboski, freelance editor and reviewer