Jake, Lucid Dreamer is an inspirational middle grade realistic fiction book about love and loss. This was sent to me by the author, and will be released on May 4, 2018.Jake is 12 years old, a seventh-grader. His mom died when he was eight, and while his dad and sister can move on and enjoy life, Jake cannot find a hint of happiness. To make things worse, he is bullied at school. Jake barely gets through the days, his anger, sadness, and grief consuming him. Jake is also a lucid dreamer, meaning he can think clearly in his dreams. The issues of his day come up in his dreams at night, prompting him to reflect on himself and eventually face his biggest fear.
I thoroughly enjoyed this book! Jake's emotional struggle can connect to readers far and wide. I know that I was personally touched with the deepness of his rage and internal conflict. Even if one has not felt the loss of a family member, everyone deals with intense emotions at times and difficult conflicts that can be looked at in a different angle. Jake, Lucid Dreamer teaches common behaviors that we do and don't notice, and teaches techniques and types of healing after tragedy. This book is inspirational to all because everyone deals with obstacles that seem impossible.
His middle school experience is quite common, and I enjoyed how he uses his intelligence to outwit his bullies. Jake teaches valuable techniques of how to handle tough situations and can help many kids in similar situations in viewing a different perspective and staying confident.
I enjoyed the juxtaposition of his dreams verses the reality and the symbolism of the basement, clouds, GPS, kangaroos, and much more I probably did not even catch. This would be really good for required reading in school because of the vast analytical essay opportunities. The imagery of the dreams was also really good, and I liked how they were crazy and fantastical, but at the same time expected and relevant.
I highly recommend this book!
Title: Jake, Lucid Dreamer
Author: David J. Nailman
Publisher: Kwill Books
Pages: 156
Series: No
Rating: 5 Stars
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