Book Descriptions
for Gossamer by Lois Lowry
From Cooperative Children's Book Center (CCBC)
Memories are literally the stuff of which dreams are made in a captivating new novel from Lois Lowry. They have the power to haunt and, more important, the power to heal. Littlest One is a Dreamgiver who draws upon that healing power as she bestows dreams upon an angry young boy who was abused, and upon the lonely older woman who has agreed to be his foster parent. By day the woman offers the boy patience, understanding, and humor as she slowly builds his trust. At night it is up to Littlest One to strengthen the child’s sense of security. Perceptive and tender-hearted, the small being with the gossamer touch is sometimes willing to break the rules of dreamgiving as she looks for memories that will bring happy dreams and strives to keep the dark forces that want to bestow nightmares at bay. Lowry’s stirring, richly imagined story suggests parallels—and a profound connection—between the world of the Dreamgivers and the human world. Perhaps most important, in both worlds the power of love and kindness triumphs over cruelty and fear. (Ages 9–12)
CCBC Choices 2007 . © Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2007. Used with permission.
From the Publisher
A novel “as haunting as a dream” from the New York Times-bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Giver (Kirkus Reviews, starred review).
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? This imaginative novel confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare.
In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and fantasy, two people—a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy—face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
“Lyrical, richly descriptive prose ushers readers into a fascinating parallel world inhabited by appealingly quirky characters.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A beautiful novel with an intriguing premise.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? This imaginative novel confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare.
In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and fantasy, two people—a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy—face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
“Lyrical, richly descriptive prose ushers readers into a fascinating parallel world inhabited by appealingly quirky characters.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“A beautiful novel with an intriguing premise.”—School Library Journal (starred review)
Publisher description retrieved from Google Books.
