I was unable to read this title at the time given. I had a family situation that took me away from Netgalley and my blog. I hope this doesn’t too much effect my ability to review titles in the future. My apologies to Netgalley and the publisher.

A great addition to the growing collection of character education middle grade fiction. Zoey's dad sometimes makes choices that are hard to believe, but Zoey reads like an authentic character with many facets for young readers to relate to.

This is one of the best middle grade books I've read in years! I loved the Latinx rep, and Zoey's sheer ambition and heart made me love her even more! Also, I'm going to need that ropa vieja recipe...

This book was about friends and chasing your dreams. I loved following Zoey's story through her troubles with friendship and helping keep her grandfather's bowling place open. Along the way, she makes a few valuable friends and realizes what she truly wants. This book is so valuable and it is perfect for readers ages 9-12.

As a member of the Notable Books for a Global Society Selection Committee, I am not able to give feedback at this time as the book is under consideration for the list.

We are seeing an increasing number of books about biracial kids trying to figure out their place in the world, how they fit into two cultures and feel isolated from both, torn between the two sides of their family. Alegre adds to the conflict by showing us the extended family, the father brother and grandfather, at odds with one another. We have not only culture clash but ideological conflict and years of resentment. That alone is interesting. Then we add in peers and their interactions. Bullies, class divide, and social pressure. All of that together could easily have been too much, but Alegre keeps it in check. Mostly side issues are introduced in small moments and resolved within a few chapters. Characters clash over an issue and hash it out just a few scenes later. None of these side plots carry on very long. The final resolution is a bit rough, the conflict underdeveloped. So there are flaws, but its readable and enjoyable.

I really enjoyed this book. A nice story with a good message. Perfect for middle grades. I really loved the main character and the friends she develops.

With thanks to NetGalley for a copy in return for an honest review.

A delightful story that brought me back to summers spent at the Jersey Shore! Zoey, a pre-teen Cuban American, goes to live with her Poppy for the summer while her dad heads off to NYC to chase another dream. Zoey discovers bowling (I love that this book helps kids see the joy of bowling!) and as she navigates family and friendships, she discovers what it means to find, and pursue, your dreams.

Where's the nearest bowling alley? If you're like me that question will be on your mind as well after finishing this book. Zoey has just moved to Jersey which is nothing new to her since moving constantly is the only consistent thing in her life. That along with her focused brother and her dad who changes jobs like underwear. This move is different though since her brother will be headed to college at the end of summer and their new house is really her grandfather's house. Zoey has to deal with making new friends, holding on to her culture since her Cuban mother has passed away, save her grandfather's bowling alley, learn to let go of her brother, all while being stuck between someone who refuses to give up their dream and someone who can't stick to one dream. Zoey is so relatable and down to earth kids will love reading about her. Children ages 12 and up.

A delightful novel about family, friendship and BOWLING! Yes, that’s right, bowling Zoey and her brother have been following their dad from place to place as he gives up on anything he tries. New she and Jose are living with the Cuban-American grandfather on the Jersey shore, as he tries to keep his bowling alley going. Through bowling, Zoey makes some good friends and helps her grandfather as well.

A story that realistically deals with uncertainty and possibility, centered on a Cuban-American pre-teen and her family. Zoey and her family have been through a lot of changes; moving to New Jersey is just the latest. On top of news from her brother, their dad, and their grandfather. Zoey is also worried about both not being Latinx and girly enough. And oh, you know, helping her bowling team win the championship. Apart from an ending that wraps up a little too tidily, these concerns blend well together and make for a pleasant, relatable reading.

This was a great read that showed that team work and hard work can pay off. Also, this story explained that it's okay to disagree with your parents sometimes. Zoey was hesitant at first and kept everything inside, but with some help from her new friends, she learned that it was okay to speak up and speak out.
Also cool to read a little more about the shore and the businesses that exist there. Well done!

Twelve-year-old Zoey has been living with her dreamer father and soon-to-be college brother, José. Her Mami passed away at a few years ago due to a heart attack. So having any kind of girl around has been non-existent. Her father is a dreamer because he is constantly tackling new opportunities and chasing jobs that don't really turn in his favor. Her brother is chasing his dream too of becoming an engineer and going to college. Meanwhile, Zoey, she isn't sure what her dream is at the moment. They move often because of Zoey's dad always finding a new job, but they are in California living with her Poppy who is also a dreamer—he still own's his own bowling alley.

Well, everything changes when her dad announces that he has a new job and it's across the United States in New York City... This makes Zoey feel strange because yes, she is excited for him, but she also doesn't want him to leave her alone and she doesn't want to move. She is finally making friends that are GIRLS and she is starting to feel like this could be home. While her dad leaves for his new motorcycle dealership job, Zoey underestimates that hard work that it will take to help her Poppy. Her Poppy has less than a week until his bowling alley will be foreclosed. He is behind on the mortgage and he is giving up. Luckily, Zoey creates a huge plan to help save the bowling alley with her friends who are on a bowling league. There are many ups-and-downs, but Zoey is determined to fight for her Poppy, and for herself, especially when her dad wants her to move again.

Such a heartfelt story about a girl who comes to the realization that she is indeed confident, she can be who she wants to be, so many people genuinely care about her, she can have more than one dream at a time, & everything is going to be okay.

The Dream Weaver was literally a ray of sunshine. It reminded me of being back in middle school again and the awkwardness of making new friends and having new experiences. This is the kind of book that is enthused with hope and brings you back to that time where life has endless opportunities.

Zoey is spending the summer and the Jersey Shore and she is filled with worry because her brother is going away to college. And to top it all off, her dad is leaving the family for yet another one of his many dreams and she finds out her grandpa's bowling alley is in danger of closing. Along with her new friends, they figure out how to save the bowling alley and have the best summer of all.

After reading this book, it filled me with happiness and it reminded me that it's important to never lose that spark inside of us that believes the best in people. The Dream Weaver is like a warm blanket that will remind you that dreams are still possible no matter how scary the world gets.

Bowling with my family is a privilege that has not been available during the COVID-19 quarantine. That fact makes this book even more precious. Zoey's grandfather owns a historic bowling alley on the Jersey Shore. In this new middle grade novel, she fights to keep that bowling alley open while discovering her bowling skills and making new friends. What is a dream? What should we be willing to sacrifice for our dream? Can we follow the wrong dream and miss the right one? Explore these dilemmas with Zoey and enjoy this new summer read.

Thank you to Simon & Schuster and NetGalley for a DRC in exchange for an honest review.

Zoey has moved around A LOT. But this summer she has moved to her beloved grandfather's with her father and college bound brother. In an effort to save her grandfather's bowling alley, Zoey finally finds a group of friends and struggles to deal with her family relationships. A solid middle grade offering.

THE DREAM WEAVER is a perfect feel-good story for middle grade readers. A team of young bowlers tries to win a championship and save a historic bowling alley - this makes a fun story, but what really gives this book heart is Zoey, who has been bounced around her whole life, chasing her father’s dreams - or running from his grief? Her older brother is getting ready to leave for college, so making a home with Poppy and helping him save his bowling alley seems the perfect chance for Zoey to finally put down roots, find friends, and discover her own dreams. This is a story about feeling out of place, that awkwardness of adolescence, while finding your courage and your voice. Zoey is a character that many kids will relate to as she learns how to have real friendships, ask for help, try new things, and stand up to the family she loves.

Reina Luz Alegre’s The Dream Weaver is a heartwarming middle grade novel about learning to find a voice for yourself. Zoey is used to being moved around. This summer her father is seeking out yet another one of his pipedreams and leaving her and her older brother with their grandfather in New Jersey. While there Zoey discovers that her Poppy’s bowling alley is in financial trouble. With the help of her new friends, Zoey sets off on a mission to save Gonzo’s Bowling Alley and maybe help heal some of her family’s wounds along the way.

Zoey is one of the sweetest and most earnest characters I’ve come across in a middle grade. I saw so much of my younger self in her. She has the biggest heart and just wants her family to be happy. The tension between her brother and father sometimes feels unbearable and she’s learned to be the peacemaker. Unfortunately, this doesn’t solve issues between the two and Zoey is just beginning to understand that relationship are very complicated. Fixing one thing in a person life doesn’t fix everything, especially when they are reluctant to talk it out with the other person. Zoey has a very strong bond to her older brother José, but can’t help feeling a little resentful that he will be attending college in another state at the beginning of fall. She feels left behind by two of the strongest figures in her life and sometimes struggles to find the words to express her hurt.

It was very bittersweet to see Zoey reconnect to her heritage through her grandfather. On one hand, she is learning more about the Cuban part of herself, the one that ties her to her mother who passes away several years earlier; but on the other, these parts of her culture should never have been lost. Her father found it too painful to keep her mother’s things around, but they would have been invaluable to Zoey and her brother growing up without their mother. Poppy becomes her main link to both her mother and her abuela. Both were caring and a force to be reckoned with. Zoey doesn’t know just how much she is like both of them, but I loved seeing her finding that assertive part of herself; the part that tells her not to give up and the part that tells her she doesn’t just deserve to have dreams, but deserves to see them come true.

Besides family, The Dream Weaver also has an emphasis on friendship. Zoey isn’t always great at making friends because she moves so much, but she very much would like to feel like she belongs. She crosses paths with a middle school bowling team and while she doesn’t hit it off with everyone in the group right away, she does find her place among these peers. Isa is the first person to make her feel welcome and for Zoey, having a female presence in her life is both refreshing and a little intimidating. I loved that Zoey discovers that sometimes the first people to be in your corner are your friends and that they can be your biggest cheerleaders even if you are all very different from one another.

Reina Luz Alegre’s The Dream Weaver is perfect for readers looking for a middle grade that shows the power of determination and that being a sensitive and caring person can be your greatest strength.

Just not to my taste, personally. The concept was appealing, but the word choice and characterization felt strange and off kilter given the plot content.