Wake - Lisa McMann

I just wanted a book I could read for a few minutes before I went to sleep, but instead, much like Janie gets sucked into other people's dreams, I was sucked into this book with no chance of escape before the last page was finished. One of my students recommended this book, and I must have seen it elsewhere as well (again, NO clue where -annoying!) because it was already on my to be read pile (mountain). WOW was it amazing.

It's just a little bit scary, but not so scary that I couldn't read it in bed (until 11:30!), super suspenseful, enough hopeful that it's not depressing, tinged with a little bit of romance, strong in character development, but in a very unusual way - just a great book.

Janie, as I mentioned, gets sucked into people's dreams. If anyone around her is dreaming - in class, on a bus, through an open window of their bedroom as she's driving by, she'll be sucked into their dream and see exactly what they're dreaming. It begins when she's 8 or 9, and now she's in high school - where there's plenty of drama as is, let alone if you can see into your classmates' dreams. When this happens to her, she sort of blacks out and goes into a seizure-like state. It can be pretty scary for her, depending on what's in the dream, and it can be really scary for anyone else who sees. She doesn't want people to know about this, so she tries to be sure no one does see, but sometimes it happens.

The one person she lets in is Cabel, a boy from school whose dreams she's seen, and she's pretty afraid as a result of it. But Cabel likes her, and is kind to her, and Cabel has some big secrets of his own.

I thought this was a fantastic suspense story. It has some mature content, so I probably won't be getting it for our library, but older readers who like suspense stories are sure to enjoy it. Just be sure you set aside some time becasue you won't want to stop once you start!