Dreamquest by Brent Hartinger is about Julie, a 12 year old girl who's a misfit at school and a wishbone pulled in opposite directions by her bickering parents. To make matters worse, she has terrible nightmares. One night she finds herself in the land of nightmares -- that's right, the dream factory that creates nightmares in much the same way that movies get made in Hollywood. The exception is that the execs and flunkies who produce Julie's nightmares range in species from human to shark to moon-faced silent beings. Julie has to find a way back to her real world, but first she has to get the studio to change its nightmarish venue before she goes crazy.

Dreamquest is a slim YA fantasy novel that is witty and engaging. I loved the dialogue! Dreamquest pays homage to the Wizard of Oz without borrowing from it. I like this book a lot. It was easy to read and fun to read.

Reviewed by Lynn Crow for TeensReadToo.com

Eleven-year-old Julie is torn -- torn between her parents, who constantly bicker and try to force her to pick sides, and torn up by her nightmares, which get scarier and more vivid every night. So it's not surprising that one night a tear opens in Julie herself, causing her to slip through her unconscious into the world where her dreams are made: Slumberia. There, she must try to find a way to convince the dream makers to stop giving her nightmares, and return home before the Julie of the dream world takes over her life back in the waking world.

DREAMQUEST is an amazingly imaginative novel, with a fully realized world full of fascinating images and creatures. From the moon people, whose faces only show themselves to those who truly care, to the moustached butterflies that act as messengers and the shark-turned-lawyers, these are beings unlike those in any other book. The setting, in the always-night Slumberia, with its desert full of ghosts and towering city of nightmares, is vivid and unforgettable.

Julie is a likable protagonist, and readers will enjoy following her journey as she learns to stand up for herself and fight for her own well-being. Her story is reminiscent of The Wizard of Oz, as she journeys through this strange world, picking up traveling companions along the way, finally confronting the source of her problems only to realize the solution lies within herself. Her friends and her parents are somewhat underdeveloped, but as this is the first book in a series, there's plenty of room to grow.

DREAMQUEST offers readers a vision of a frightening and intriguing world, with lots of adventure along the way and much promise for more to come. Readers will be eager for the next book in the series. ( )

http://books.moonsoar.com/archives/2007/09/11/dreamquest/ ( )