- book 4 of fantasy series based in a world where dreams (bad & good) come to life
- massive war ensues to protect the entire planet from nightmarish invasions
- themes include: teamwork, courage, friendship, time travel, good vs. evil
- language: x2 stupid
- convo: magic, fantasy creatures (bad & good), some lying, a boy staying overnight at a girl’s house (brief mention)
Type: chapter book
Ages: 11-15
Author: Kathryn Butler
Lily is still 12 in this installment of the series and continues to be the main character. Have you read the first three books? I’ll link to them below. Lily teams up with friends, new and old, human and not, to resist the evil creatures invading earth at multiple points. It’s a race of a story!
The book does not have a didactic feel, but there are certainly allegorical moments that speak universal truth. For example, the locations where the enemies are entering earth’s realm are the weak points. “The barrier gets broke where it’s thin and rotten. In the Realm, that’s down deep underground, but in our world [Earth] what breaks the barrier is pride.” This visual is further driven home by a comment by a good dragon friend, “…when your kind worship what you’ve made with your own hands, rather than the one who made you.”
One thing that irked me is how weak and, in some ways, immature Lily’s dad was. He’s mopey and fear-driven for most of the book. It’s not an overwhelming element to the story, but it’s significant enough to note.
On the flip side, there is a wonderful message of truth being the way to fight evil. Truth is the only way to stamp out evil. Truth wins!
For fun, here are some of the literary references made in the book:
- King Arthur
- Japanese folktale Why the Sea is Salty
- Arabian Nights
- Jack and the Beanstalk
- The Time Machine, Wells
- Paddington the Bear
Overall, the writing style improved in this fourth book, compared to the first three. There were fewer scenes that felt forced (something I felt throughout books 1-3), and I appreciated the author’s effort with such a creative story idea. For some reason, I was completely wrong in thinking this was the last book…until I reached the abrupt ending and learned there is one more! We have it pre-ordered, and I’ll get a review up as soon as I can. 🙂
In the meantime, here are my thoughts on the other books:
Review on Book 1: The Dragon and the Stone
Review on Book 2: The Prince and the Blight
Review on Book 3: Lost in the Caverns
Happy reading!