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Summary and Reviews of The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake

The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake

The Dreamwalker's Child

by Steve Voake
  • BookBrowse Review:
  • Critics' Consensus (5):
  • Readers' Rating (4):
  • First Published:
  • Apr 1, 2006, 320 pages
  • Paperback:
  • Mar 2007, 320 pages
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About This Book

Book Summary

A young boy, in a coma after an accident, wakes up in a new world full of danger and aventure.

Fifteen-year-old Sam Palmer’s life is dull—until a bizarre bicycle accident leaves him in a coma. Sam awakens in Aurobon, a world eerily similar to his own, only to discover that his “accident” was part of an elaborate abduction by a ruler with a deadly agenda. Now Sam must team up with a fearless girl pilot to outwit the enemy. Otherwise, dark forces will invade his own world on insects the size of fighter jets. But that’s if the terrifying marsh dogs don’t kill him first.

Simultaneously nail-biting and thought-provoking, The Dreamwalker’s Child marks the U.S. debut of an exciting new fantasy author.

Chapter One

When they are first born, most people find the world a fascinating, magical place. It is a place full of colours and sounds and wonderful things that they have never seen before. There are metal boxes that move up and down the street, bags of sweet powder that fill your mouth with explosions of delight, soft barky things that jump up and lick your hand, tall giants with rustling leaves and little feathery objects that fly around in them singing songs.

Everything is new and exciting.

But as time passes, people come to believe that these extraordinary magical things are not really magic at all, but just ordinary things with ordinary, dull names like car, sherbet, dog, tree and bird.

So after a while, they stop noticing them.

They forget how to look.

Which is why the grey speck on the corner of Sam Palmer’s bedpost would have gone unnoticed by most people. Most people would be too busy looking at televisions, magazines or each other.

They would ...

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Reviews

BookBrowse Review

BookBrowse

Steve Voake is a great writer who knows his target audience well. I strongly suggest you take a close look at this one if you have any reason to be buying or recommending books for children, especially if you're looking for that rare literary beast - a book with a strong female lead that can appeal to both boys and girls...continued

Full Review Members Only (346 words)

(Reviewed by BookBrowse Review Team).

Media Reviews

The Observer (UK)
A brisk, adventure-filled quest, complete with a gung-ho girl... and hordes of grisly adversaries.

The Sunday Times (London)
This elegant, intelligent book has a good sprinkling of wisdom ... a tale to remember.

The Times (London)
An ingenious and faced-paced thriller . . . his book buzzes and hums with ideas

Kirkus Reviews
Starred review. An immensely enjoyable read, one can only hope that a series will soon follow.

Reader Reviews

Alfred

Read the book and I dare you not to fall in love with it.
You know what I hate about The Dreamwalker's Child? The fact that it has very little recognition. Sure, the blurb did not give the book justice, but there is a reason why they say 'not to judge a book by it's cover.' The whole book was amazing, the ...   Read More
Lorna

An excellent read!
I was so surprised by The Dreamwalker's Child. I picked it up really as a last resort when I was shopping for books to take to London for the weekend. I was rather skeptical from reading the blurb-the whole insect fascination thing was rather strange...   Read More
Emma, 13

Dreamwalker's Child is awsome!
I read this book for a project, not knowing if I was going to even enjoy it. It just so happens that I couldn't put it down! The Dreamwalker's Child caught me and sucked me into its exceptional storyline and characters. I really felt like I could ...   Read More

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Beyond the Book



Did you know?

Steve Voake spent eight years as head teacher of Kilmersdon Primary School in Somerset, England; known as the "Jack and Jill" school because it is said that the original well referenced in the rhyme is in the grounds of the school.

Jack and Jill went up the hill
To fetch a pail of water,
Jack fell down and broke his crown
And Jill came tumbling after.

However, Kilmersdon is just one claimant to this particular nursery rhyme.

Some say that Jack and Jill is a reference to the 17th Century English King (also King of Scotland and Ireland), Charles I, who tried to reform the taxes on liquid measures by reducing the volume of a 1/2 pint of beer, commonly known as a Jack, while keeping the tax the same.  If...

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