Title: Wake
Author: Lisa McMann
Genre: YA
This is another book that I read for the Read A Thon last week. I made the mistake of reading it last, and all the talk of dreaming and sleeping made me really, really, really tired-but despite that, I really enjoyed this book. This was actually a re-read for me. I had read this book before I started blogging and hadn't read any Young Adult books in years. I remember being shocked at all the swearing that was in this book-this time around it didn't bother me so much. You might be curious as to why someone who hadn't read a YA book in years would pick this book up. Well, here's the thing. The interenet is a small place. I felt like I kinda sorta knew the author because we hung out at the same Survivor forum for awhile, and it was the sort of place where every poster knew every poster and almost everything about them. By the time the book came out Lisa didn't post there any more, but we still felt loyal to her and wanted to help the sales of her book. I know it's weird, especially since probably doesn't even remember my user name from back then on that board, but I still think it's cool that she got published. Anyway, onto the review....
17 year old Janie Hannagan can do something no one else can-she falls into peoples dreams. She's getting tired of seeing the same dreams over and over again. It's gotten especially bad in high school where it seems that everyone falls asleep. She hates the fact that she can't tell anyone about her gift, because the kids at school would think she's even weirder then they think she is. One day though, she falls into a dream that's very different. She's not just viewing the dream, it's like she's participating in the dream. She's not sure what to do about it..then she meets a lady at a nursing home who seems to know exactly what she's going through, and then there's Caleb the guy who won't leave her alone and doesn't seem to the bad boy everyone at school makes him out to be-suddenly Janie doesn't feel quite so alone and through the help of a few people might just be able to turn her gift into something good instead of just seeing it as a major headache.
One of the things I really liked about this book was how strong of a character Janie was. She didn't take crap from anyone and wasn't afraid to do her own thing-even though there was a love interest in the book, the oh so cute Caleb, it wasn't the main focus of the story-which was Janie trying to figure out what to do with her ability of falling in and out of dreams. It was such a unique storyline that I couldn't help but like it. I'm not sure why, but Wake had me thinking about it long after I was finished reading it. This is a series lovers of the Young Adult genre should take notice of. :)
Sleep Meter: Medium
Swear Meter: High
Gasp Meter: Medium
