So good. Shannon Hale knocks it out of the park again. It's a fantastic graphic novel about friendship struggles in middle school, finding your place in your family, and figuring out how to appreciate yourself when others tell you you are too sensitive. Sequel coming soon!

Cassie Carpenter is the middle child of her family with many siblings. She longs for attention from her mother who is always too busy tending to the younger children. Her father is not at home too often due to work. One day Cassie finds a magazine sweepstakes entry in their mailbox that is addressed simply to C. Carpenter, most likely intended for her father Carl. Thinking that it was addressed to her, all she has to do is place the gold star sticker on the form and return it. Cassie dreams of all the grand prizes she can win. After all, she’s a guaranteed winner because no purchase is necessary, right?

Vali is Cassie’s classmate who is also her BFF. They did everything together including making up pretend games. Cassie tells Vali about the sweepstakes and hopes she wins a trip so they can go together. Mean classmate Stesha interrupts Cassie’s and Vali’s flow by saying their pretend games are for babies and that their teacher Mrs. Farmer (whom Cassie adores) is weird. Stesha’s little lies create a chasm between Cassie and Vali and the next thing you know Stesha and Vali are tight BFFs, leaving Cassie as the third wheel.

Cassie has been told she is too ‘sensitive’ by a few people. In actuality, Cassie is a dreamer with her heart in the right place. She just wants things to be without conflict but oftentimes her expectations are not met. She dreams about giving her family many riches such as a second car, expensive vacations, and new furniture. She dreams about being a woman of the world and marrying a prince like her teacher. She dreams of being admired by her peers and getting Vali back as her BFF. Cassie continues to dream on which helps her to cope with being a middle school girl.

This book is very reminiscent of the author’s Real Friends series. There are a lot of similarities, which I really enjoyed as that was one of my favorite middle grade realistic fiction graphic novel series. The story is top notch, the illustrations perfectly depict each scene, and the colors were effervescent and cheery. I’m not sure if this is intended to be a new series but if it is, I will be anxiously waiting to read more!

This book is very, very sweet and I related to it quite a bit as a former sensitive kid (and a current sensitive adult, if we're being honest). I think there's a lot of kids who can benefit from reading it. Plus, the art style is lovely!

Cassie has big emotions and a big imagination. When she gets a letter in the mail saying “You’re the Winner!,” she begins to picture what she would do with all those prizes. She could make her mom’s life easier, so she could have a little extra time and attention. She could take her best friend on a fabulous vacation to try to win her back from a new friend competing for her attention. The options are endless.

This book is a love note to kids with high sensitivity and active imaginations. It so authentically captures the emotions of childhood that at times my emotions were swinging right along with Cassie. I would strongly recommend it for kids with big emotions or who are struggling with friendship challenges or anyone looking to spark conversations about kindness and empathy.

I enjoyed reading Dream On. Some parts reminded me of when I was a little girl and would have such big feelings and cry easily. My older sister often teased me about it, too. Cassie has big feeling all the time too. Her older sister will tease her too. Cassie is the middle child of her large family of eight. Sometimes she feels left out and other times not so much.

Changes seemed to start when her teacher rearranged everyone's seats in the classroom. Cassie was no longer next to her best friend Vali. Her and Vali did everything together, that's what best friends do. But now Vali is sitting next to Stesha. Stesha and Vali are doing more things together and Cassie is feeling left out. Plus, Cassie doesn't like the way Stesha treats her (Cassie), so she doesn't always want to hang out with them.

I liked the deep feelings Cassie feels throughout the book. She wonders if "being too sensitive" is a bad thing or a good thing. She has ways to deal with her feelings but they don't always work or too hard to do during class time. Cassie wishes she could talk with her mom more but she is busy a lot with the three little kids.

Dream On is a great graphic novel for those readers who enjoy realistic fiction, friendship stories. I think this book would be a great classroom read aloud to discuss having various feelings and ways to deal with them. Cassie never acts out in anger or frustration but still could use some help. She sad (depressed) and lonely a lot of the time too.

I also think this book would be a good read aloud together with a parent. Parents (I think) sometimes forget that their children need attention even when they may not be seeking the attention or maybe a 'checking in' time on a regular basis. I remember what it's like to have so much going on and never enough time to do it all. Parents sometimes forget. This book, could be a great discussion starter for both parent and young readers.

It's important to validate other people's feelings even if you don't agree with 'how' they are feeling. Maybe Cassie is "too sensitive", maybe she is "weird" like her teacher. It's okay to feel all the feels and being weird is okay too! That's what I took from this book!

@ShannonHale #ShannonHale #DreamOn #SchoolLibrary #SchoolLibrarians #PublicLibraries #PublicLibrarians #ReadABook #ReadThisBook #Books #Read #MGReads #MGBooks #MGLit #KidLit #ElementaryBooks #ElemReads #NetGalley

Fourth-grader Cassie is dealing with a lot: feeling unseen and ignored in her big, busy family, growing apart from her best friend when a mean girl inserts herself into their group, and being constantly told she's just too sensitive. Even Cassie's strategy of daydreaming all the bad things away doesn't seem to be working anymore. But when a magazine sweepstakes arrives in the mail saying she is the winner of multiple extravagant prizes, Cassie is sure all her problems will disappear.

Dream On is beautifully illustrated and follows a cast of well-developed characters. I'm already looking forward to the sequel.

Quick Take: A heartfelt, funny graphic novel about growing up, shifting friendships, and what happens when your biggest dream comes true—sort of.

Why We Loved It: This series captures the emotional rollercoaster of being a tween so well. My 8-year-old really connected with Shannon’s big feelings, the excitement of the sweepstakes, and the relatable moments with friends and family. It didn’t quite top Best Friends or Real Friends, but it was still a hit in our house.

Great For Readers Who… enjoy graphic novels about friendship, growing up, big feelings, and dream-come-true moments that don’t always go as planned.

Content Notes: Touches on anxiety, self-esteem, and navigating changing relationships in an age-appropriate, gentle way.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the service copy. All opinions are my (and my young readers’ own.)

Cassie is one of six kids and often feels like she doesn't get the support and attention she needs from her parents. When her best friend begins to hang out with the mean girl in her class, Cassie has to deal with trying to be a friend group despite the verbal abuse from the other girl and ultimately her friend. This graphic novel focus is on the friend issues and uses thinking text nearly as much as speech bubbles. It may take some students a minute to understand the differences, but I am sure all of my students will immediately see the negative energy in this friend story. Staying true to yourself when you feel alone is hard. Giving up pieces of yourself to hang on to a friend may not be worth it. Hale does a great job with this story and allows the reader to see enough of the mean girl's life to better understand why she says the things she says. There is also enough about Cassie's family to notice the close ties they all have despite the chaos of 6 kids and 2 parents in one house with one car. Cassie also believes she has one a contest that came in the mail and her prizes will solve the one car family problem, old couch, and stressed out parent issues in her family. Her belief in the prizes coming soon is something she cannot keep from sharing which causes its own issues in her communications with classmates. This book will work well in elementary or middle schools.

#friendshipstory #meangirl #falseadvertising

Thankful to NetGalley for allowing me to read this one before publication.

Shannon Hale has such a wonderful way of describing the middle grade experience, especially when it comes to friendship. Cassie is highly sensitive and experiences big emotions throughout the story. She has a favorite teacher who always supports her and a best friend who "always understands what she's feeling." Changes seem to be happening faster than Cassie can keep up and sometimes it's overwhelming. Whether it's trying to be heard and seen by her mother (in a family of 4 other siblings), or keeping her best friend from leaving her for a new girl who also wants to be her friend, Cassie tries her best. When she gets a sweepstakes flyer in the mail, she has big dreams for the prizes she could win. But would winning these prizes really give her what she really needs? You'll need to read "Dream On" and find out for yourself.

Cassie is a sensitive and emotional 4th grader, the third of six siblings, who just wants the one-to-one attention she craves from her family and her best friend. As she deals with friendship issues and continued rebuffing from her family, Cassie finds comfort in being hopeful that she will win the grand prize in a magazine sweepstakes, and relies on her highly developed imagination and her keen ability to notice the world around her to improve her mood. Shannon Hale has done a masterful job of demonstrating the inner life and struggles of this thoughtful character.

Shannon Hale is a master! She wrote to me as a child and is still masterfully writing to today’s children. I have loved her journey into graphic novels. These are such important books that are also fun and interesting to read!

My daughter absolutely loves all things Shannon Hale, and this was no different! What a great opportunity for her to flex her reading skills, while also laughing along the way. What a lovely story about friendship. Highly recommend!

Thank you to Roaring Brook Press and NetGalley for this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Cassie Lu is one of 6 children and often feels overlooked in her large family. They never had a lot of money, making do with what they have. Cassie is one of those kids who is “super sensitive,” feeling and reacting to most things. One day Cassie finds a letter from a publishing company that said she has won a sweepstakes with some great prizes - she just has to order 3 magazines. Excited to help her family out, she sends in the request but keeps it secret. Cassie eventually tells her best friend Vali, who thinks it’s cool, and not-really-a friend Stesha, who tells her it’s not real. Cassie learns to take the good with the bad and open herself up to having more than just one friend.
Cassie is based on the author’s real childhood, struggling with friends and being “too sensitive.” Shannon Hale also believed she won the publishing sweepstakes. There are enough references and clues in the graphic novel for me to recognize that it takes place in the same time period of my childhood. (I am 6 years older than the author!) Shannon hale is very popular so the kids will love this book, even if they have to ask their parents why there is a telephone mounted on the wall!
#DreamOn #RoaringBrookPress #NetGalley

What a sweet graphic novel perfect for all the dreamy, deep-feeling kiddos out there! A really excellent new series by Shannon Hale, author of Princess Diaries and Friends series.

I’m sure the book will do well. It didn’t stand out that much from other friendship graphic novels for this age group.

I totally jumped at the chance to read this new graphic novel ARC by @squeetus . It did not disappoint.

This one has a very similar vibe to the Real Friends book series, but the main character is fictional.

Cassi is not sure what to do with her rocky friendship, her extreme sensitivity, or her NEED for her own bedroom. Luckily, her mailbox brings a magazine sweepstakes with the words "You're the winner!" Cassi just knows that this is going to solve all her problems.

While I don't think anything was wrong with this, it was just okay for me.

CW: bullying, death of a grandparent

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

This book was beautifully written and illustrated. I chose it because I liked the cover, and while I’ve heard you aren’t supposed to do that, I think graphic novels are an exception.
I’m so not the target demographic for this book, but I still really enjoyed it. I read a lot of children’s books and always love the ones that discuss big feelings, bad feelings, and the not so fun parts of growing up. Cassie was a lovely main character, she reminds me a lot of myself at that age. I was often called “sensitive” and “soft hearted” and told that I “feel too much.” And this was unexpectedly healing to read.
I also appreciate the realistic ending. I’m excitedly waiting to read read the second book in the series, and I’m sure my nieces, who love authors like Reina Telgemeier, will be fans of this as well.

Dream On is a great addition to Shannon Hale's memoir graphic novel series. Though the characters here are fictional, the feelings are real and relatable for many juvenile readers. The family dynamics in this novel and how they affect our main character will be a mirror for so many and the storyline will help soothe the rough edges of navigating childhood friendships. Loved the story overall; the illustrations were great.

Good friendships take work. Being childhood friends is definitely full of ups and downs. Cassie feels the ups and downs with about as much control as the peaks and valleys of a roller coaster. Readers will be able to recognize many of the tribulations of childhood. Keep dreaming Cassie!

Thank you to NetGalley for the eArc. All opinions are my own.