A combination of Fantasy, SciFi, and Mystery. This is a fun, mysterious story about a couple kids whose mom has disappeared and even though they have been told “not to worry”, the family can’t help it. On top of all the missing mom mystery, they have been sent to help their grandma pack the family cabin so it can be torn down and the land redeveloped.

The first night at the cabin, Max and Rosie experience the same dream. While in the dream, they meet a whole group of new friends and experience adventures at the lake and cabin that they haven’t experienced before. So, how can they both have the same dream about the same experiences if it hasn’t happened yet? Then they hear about the “Second Sleep”. That sweet, relaxing dream state you fall into when you fall asleep after you have awakened from the first part of your night's sleep.

While in his second sleep, he meets some loyal friends who may be a link to his missing mother. If he can figure out what that link is, he may be able to locate her.

I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This book is well written and the characters are described well. The narrator did a good job reading this book. This audiobook is in stores now. I absolutely enjoyed this authors writing style. I would definitely recommend listening to this audiobook to anyone and everyone.

Second Sleep held my interest all the way through. The way the story moves through different dimensions is magical. It perfectly captures the senses in the description of a child's summer at a lake away from home. The characters were very relatable. The ending comes full circle and ties the whole thing together. I'd highly recommend this book.

Not exactly time travel, not exactly magic. This one straddles genres. The disappearance of his mother becomes a symbol of upheaval and change in the protagonist's life. The plot is pretty out-there but doesn't push believably too hard. Stanley doesn't try too hard to explain what's happening. The characters simply embrace it and learn from it.

I bought this book for my middle schoolers. A book about a grandmother who takes her grandchildren to a cabin her late daughter spent a lot of her childhood at for a unique connection. The children enter a world of magical realism. This is a wonderful book of life, love, and friendship. It's extremely thought-provoking.

Thank you to @Netgalley for this advanced reader's copy for an honest review.

I was extremely surprised by this one. I got to the end and never knew what was going to happen and I LOVE when that happens. I hate when I can figure it all out so early on. It annoys me. But I never could in this. I loved the intrigue and the magic and the mystery. I was so enthralled that I got to the end and added it to my next book order list so I could order it for the kids at work and force it on them!

I recently went to the library to borrow a copy of this book since I missed the download window!

I loved this story! It was a really interesting premise and I think that Max and Rosie were very believable characters. The second sleep concept where you have the opportunity to meet people from other times was wonderful! I can't wait to add this to my classroom library.

Thank you again for the chance to read and review.

This book had such a cool concept; I love the idea of a second sleep where you get to meet with people from the past and/or the future. I thought Max had a great story arc, he grew a lot as a person and it was fun to watch.

The audio was computer generated so I cannot comment on the final narration but I will be recommending this book to the 9-12 readers in the store, it was a great story.

Max and Rosie's mother disappears. She is helping a friend. However, she left her phone behind and her behavior is completely out of character.

Their grandmother, Mozelle, takes Max and Rosie to pack up the family cabin which is being sold. The cabin is rustic with no electricity. The children go to bed early, wake up in the middle of the night, and then have their Second Sleep. Second Sleep takes the children to a dreamland where children from different years interact with each other and have wonderful adventures. How is this phenomenon possible? Is there a link between the Second Sleep and what is happening with Max and Rosie's mother?

This is a great story about friendship, seeing parents as complete people, communication between children and the adults in their lives, and doing the right thing. Middle School children will enjoy this story. It is also a good book for parents to read with upper elementary children. It lends itself to honest conversation.

Max and Rosie are missing their mother. She was there one day and then she wasn't. Their father isn't overly concerned. Apparently she went to help an old friend and doesn't want any of them to worry but the children do anyway.

Their grandmother Mozelle has the perfect idea. She takes Max and Rosie to an old cabin where their mother used to go. Mozelle tells the children that when it is dark, you go to bed, no matter the time. Also, this is the time for the best dreams, dreams their mother had.

So, the children listen to Mozelle and on their very first night they do travel in their dreams. They experience joint moments of magic that they feel are quite real. Going to sleep never felt so good. This second sleep is just as mysterious as their mother's disappearance, but does slowly begin to make things appear clearer to both Max and Rosie.

Max finds the dreams and the people they meet in them as a means to figuring out why their mother left and how they can possibly bring her back to the family.

I don't read much middle grade, and I also don't read many fantasy stories with magical elements, but I found Second Sleep to be an enjoyable read, and loved looking through the eyes of Max and Rosie as they sought answers.

I had this ARC for review as a computerized audiobook and I will say that it was done quite well. Not sure if NetGalley will continue producing review copies in this format, but if they do, I will continue to download them and listen to them.

Many thanks to HaperCollins and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.

Thank you Netgalley, Harper Audio and Harper Kids for the gifted book!

I'm sure there was a good reason I put this on my TBR and requested it from Netgalley. But as it sat on my TBR I forgot what it was about and was kind of not looking forward to reading it. BUT AM I SO GLAD I DID. This book is delightful. It has so many elements of middle grade fiction that I love. The protagonist has to grow up a bit to deal with a hard life situation. There is a sibling relationship that has a lovely push and pull. The middle grade protagonist and the adults have to trust one another. And there is one of my favorite plot devices that I can't give away because it's a bit of a spoiler, but it is used so beautifully that I just can't help but love this book. This would be an interesting one to read with your child because there is much to discuss about friendships, responsibilities, and how to act in hard situations.

This book had quite an interesting plot. Max’s mother goes missing after leaving his dad a somewhat cryptic message. While his father tries to figure out where his wife went, Max and his little sister, Rosie, go to help their maternal grandmother, Mozelle, pack up a family cabin that’s been sold. The cabin is Max’s mom’s summer vacation home with no electricity, so the family ends up following a new sleeping pattern where they fall asleep after dusk, wake up in the middle of the night, then fall back asleep for their “second sleep”. Max and Rosie end up in this ultra vivid dream where they meet a bunch of kids from the surrounding cabins on the property. Max meets Lila who is about his age only to find out after a few second sleeps that she is much older than he first thought!

I loved the mystery and magic mixed into this book! I don’t quite know that I have anything to compare it to. At times Max seems a little too grown up, like the way in which he figures out that his mom is missing, but if the book was up against an Artemis Fowl novel, his connections and sleuthing skills are actually pretty believable and impressive.

As for the audio produced for review purposes, I really wish you all would pick a different narrator. My rating is definitely for the plot, not the narrator.

MY REVIEW:

Second Sleep
by: Diane Stanley
Harper Audio

This is a well-written story especially for middle school students. It is engaging, original, and interesting. It will be a welcome addition to the bookshelf of children in this age range, with mystery and intrigue.
Thank you to Net Galley and Harper Audio for the advance reader's copy and the opportunity to provide my unbiased review.
#SecondSleep #NetGalley

Thank you NetGalley for the arc in exchange for my honest review.
4/5 stars
This is such a cute middle grade novel! The story is similar to “Where’d You Go Bernadette” but written for a younger audience and I honestly enjoyed this book more. There are elements of Magic and a strong emphasis on friendship and family. The author did a great job of developing the characters. The book takes place in the normal world so there wasn’t too much world-building needed. I loved following along with the mystery while the MC solved the puzzle of his disappeared mother. I highly recommend this book.

Got this free from NetGalley in order to review. It was pretty interesting and well-written, but I grew bored after they got to the cabin and my dislike of middle grade resurfaced. I really need to see if that tree pruning game was for real. It sounded cool. :)

Second Sleep by Diane Stanley was such a touching story. Max and the gang are wonderful characters that middle grade readers can easily connect with and learn from: they are adventurous and fun, but still respectful of their elders and the rules.

I was very impressed with how the author made what almost amounts to a time travel/portal fiction story seem both plausible and dream-like. I also appreciated how she very cleverly worked around what could’ve been awkward/creepy ages differences for love interests. And I loved her explanation of “second sleep,” and how she even explained its historical significance in middle grade terms. It was very enjoyable to get lost in Max’s story.

This is one I would most definitely recommend for middle grade readers. I listened to the audiobook voice galley and would love to listen to the final production. It was all that the blurb promised it to be: insightful, tender, thought-provoking, and more. 4 out of 5 stars. 🙂

Many thanks to HarperAudio and NetGalley for the voice galley of this story for review purposes. I was not required to give a positive review. All opinions are my very own! 🙂

Max and Rosie's mom has disappeared. No on, least of all their dad, knows where she has gone. This isn't typical for her and everyone is worried about what may have been so important that she had to disappear with very few details.

To help the kids get their mind off the mystery the kids grandmother, Mozelle, takes them up to their old family cabin which she needs to clear out before developers come and knock it down. As a city kid, Max is unprepared for life without his phone and wi-fi, let alone electricity. When he has to fall asleep early he finds there is something magical about the cabin and finds himself transported to a fun lake-side location with new kids to make friends with. As Max discovers the secrets of the lake he also starts finding new ideas for how he may be able to help solve his mother's disappearance.

While reading this book you definitely need to keep in mind that it is a middle grade read. If you go in expecting an adult or even a YA book you will be disappointed. At times I felt myself critical of the mystery and the resolution process but when you remember the intended audience and take this book at its level it has a good message and is a good overall story.

I started listening to this while I was reading another book that took place in summer, with unknown things about a parent, and a magical realism in it. I decided I needed to put this on hold and come back to it later so I wouldn't get the two books confused. I enjoyed this book so much better than the other one.

When Max's mom doesn't return home or return any phone calls his family is unsure what happened to her. When Max finds her cell phone hidden in a drawer he comes really worried about what is going on with her. The only clue she left behind is that she had to leave to help an old friend and can't say more.

Max's grandmother takes him and his sister, Rosie, to a cabin she owns to help her pack it up before it's demolished. She's hoping this will be the perfect distraction for Max and Rosie while their dad tries to find out where their mom is.

At first Max thinks time is going to move slowly since their isn't any internet and his cell phone is dead. How will he pass all this free time he has and stop worrying about his mom? Before long Max discovers something special about this cabin that allows children to have a "second sleep". During second sleep kids meet other kids in their dreams even kids from different time periods.

That's the plot. As for my thoughts, hmm. I'm not a fan of time travel in anything because I feel like there are always errors with timelines and then books/movies/tv shows can change anything they want based on a disruption in the paradox or a different version of a person doing something. Not a fan. So while this wasn't time travel per say, it was close enough. I feel like some of the events could have worked, but I feel like for as long as this has been going on, there would be some major disruptions in time. Also, they mention that kids eventually out grow the second sleep. It's never really explained how this happens and it's confusing since the kids are from different periods of time. They've since grown into adults, but yet a part of them is still there in present day? I didn't follow all of that.

The dialog in this book made me laugh out loud at times. Not because it was supposed to be funny, but because it was so awkward. It didn't feel like a real conversation between kids and their parents. Too informal perhaps? I can't quite put my finger on what it was, but I didn't find it believable and it made for the worst parts of the book.

Overall, I did enjoy the story. A few things could have been better and the way the second sleep works isn't my cup of tea, but overall that didn't distract from the story so I still enjoyed it.

This magical realism story was it take on dreaming that I've never read before. The main character Max reminded me a lot of my nephew. He's very logical in a magical world. I enjoyed the mystery of his missing mom. I could picture myself at the cabin playing in the woods with the other characters in the book. I enjoyed the friendship that Max made with the other children and I loved the relationship between Max and his sister. The grandmother also was a great character. I can't wait until this book comes out and I can listen to the audiobook. If you like middle grade books with a little bit of a mystery, a little bit of magic, and friendships I would recommend reading this book.

ARC was kindly provided by the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for a honest review.

When Max’s mom doesn’t come home as expected, his grandmother convinces him to go with her to her cabin in the woods that she needs to pack up. Max and his sister Rosie discover the magic of the place when they have dreams together. As Max works to solve the mystery of his mom’s disappearance, both he and Rosie come to understand each other better. Max’s drawing and writing are an interesting facet of his character.

Middle grade readers will connect with Max’s annoying younger sister and his worries about his missing mom. They will enjoy suspending their beliefs about dreaming and perhaps try for a second sleep of their own. I will enjoy recommending this book to my middle schoolers and will have a print copy in the library.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the chance to read this arc in exchange for an honest review.