Awake and Dreaming
Written by: Kit Pearson
244 pages / $7.99 Puffin Books
Recommended for children 10-14

Young Theo dreams of being part of a “real family”. She lives with her mother in Vancouver where often they have to panhandle just to be able to eat. When Theo’s mother hooks up with a new boyfriend (who will have nothing to do with Theo), she takes her nine year-old daughter to Victoria to live with her sister. While on the ferry ride to the Island, Theo’s dream seems to come true when she meets the Kaldor family. This lovely group welcomes her into their home. Theo cannot understand it but she does not want to question her good fortune.

Eventually her dream fades and she returns to life with her mother and her aunt. Was it a dream or was it magic? Either way Theo longs for the days she spent with the happy Kaldor family in their cozy seaside home.

Intertwined in the story is the mysterious woman Theo sees late at night when everyone else is sleeping. Could this woman hold the answer to Theo’s question?

This magical story written by Canadian author Kit Pearson is one to be enjoyed by girls in late elementary and middle school.