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popthebutterfly 's review for:
Sleepwakers: Sam Saves the Night
by Shari Simpson
Disclaimer: I received this book for free from the publisher. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
Author: Shari Simpson
Book Series: Sleepwakers Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Recommended Age: 10+ (little violence, some scary moments, and some definate do not attempt at home moments)
Genre: MG Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Press
Synopsis: What would you do if you could stay out all night and not get in trouble?
Thirteen-year-old Sam has no friends, but you can't really blame her. She lives her life in a state of chronic exhaustion thanks to her nightly sleepwalking jaunts, which include trips to the store, treehouse-building projects, and breaking-and-entering escapades-none of which she remembers in the morning. Her condition is taking its toll on her family (and her life), so when her mom takes her to see a wacky strip-mall sleep specialist, Sam is wary, but 100 percent in.
The night after the doc works his mojo, Sam wakes up outside her body, watching herself sleep. FREAKY! But once she gets over the panic attack, she realizes there's a whole world of detached-souls out there, called SleepWakers-cliques of kids like the Achieves, who use their sleep time to learn new things; the Numbs, who eat junk food and play video games all night long, and the OCDeeds who search for missing things and organize other people's stuff. And then there are the Mean Dreams, led by Madalynn Sucret, the nicest girl in Sam's school, who shows Sam that she can use her power to get back at a bully who's been tormenting her. Sam is intrigued-until it becomes clear that Madalynn is the real bully and the "tormentor" is just, well... sad. Now Sam is faced with uniting the various tribes of SleepWakers to fight back against Madalynn and the Mean Dreams in the most epic battle the night has ever seen.
Review: I loved this book and I thought it was a fun book for middle grade fantasy lovers and a great start to a new series. The writing was wonderful and very kid friendly. The plot was interesting from beginning to end and the characters were wonderfully complex but not outside the realm of understanding of younger readers. I also really appreciated the positive message and positive way you can deal with bullies and how you can come to a mutual understanding with anyone. The book really hammers in that everyone is going through something and it stresses that the reader, as well as the main character, look at the underlying reason why bullies and others might be acting out rather than to get revenge on them or paint a villain in such black and white colors.
However, I do think that there were some situations that would need to be explained but nothing that they shouldn't begin knowing about at the target age. I also thought the pacing was a bit slow in a few areas but it was still interesting enough to carry the reader through the story. I also thought the final battle was a bit flat and too complex and it left me with many questions and a possible plot hole?
Verdict: Definitely recommend this book for beginning fantasy readers!
Author: Shari Simpson
Book Series: Sleepwakers Book 1
Rating: 5/5
Publication Date: October 1, 2019
Recommended Age: 10+ (little violence, some scary moments, and some definate do not attempt at home moments)
Genre: MG Fantasy
Publisher: Disney Press
Synopsis: What would you do if you could stay out all night and not get in trouble?
Thirteen-year-old Sam has no friends, but you can't really blame her. She lives her life in a state of chronic exhaustion thanks to her nightly sleepwalking jaunts, which include trips to the store, treehouse-building projects, and breaking-and-entering escapades-none of which she remembers in the morning. Her condition is taking its toll on her family (and her life), so when her mom takes her to see a wacky strip-mall sleep specialist, Sam is wary, but 100 percent in.
The night after the doc works his mojo, Sam wakes up outside her body, watching herself sleep. FREAKY! But once she gets over the panic attack, she realizes there's a whole world of detached-souls out there, called SleepWakers-cliques of kids like the Achieves, who use their sleep time to learn new things; the Numbs, who eat junk food and play video games all night long, and the OCDeeds who search for missing things and organize other people's stuff. And then there are the Mean Dreams, led by Madalynn Sucret, the nicest girl in Sam's school, who shows Sam that she can use her power to get back at a bully who's been tormenting her. Sam is intrigued-until it becomes clear that Madalynn is the real bully and the "tormentor" is just, well... sad. Now Sam is faced with uniting the various tribes of SleepWakers to fight back against Madalynn and the Mean Dreams in the most epic battle the night has ever seen.
Review: I loved this book and I thought it was a fun book for middle grade fantasy lovers and a great start to a new series. The writing was wonderful and very kid friendly. The plot was interesting from beginning to end and the characters were wonderfully complex but not outside the realm of understanding of younger readers. I also really appreciated the positive message and positive way you can deal with bullies and how you can come to a mutual understanding with anyone. The book really hammers in that everyone is going through something and it stresses that the reader, as well as the main character, look at the underlying reason why bullies and others might be acting out rather than to get revenge on them or paint a villain in such black and white colors.
However, I do think that there were some situations that would need to be explained but nothing that they shouldn't begin knowing about at the target age. I also thought the pacing was a bit slow in a few areas but it was still interesting enough to carry the reader through the story. I also thought the final battle was a bit flat and too complex and it left me with many questions and a possible plot hole?
Verdict: Definitely recommend this book for beginning fantasy readers!