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Gossamer
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? Drawing on her rich imagination, two-time Newbery winner Lois Lowry confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare. In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and imagination, two people—a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy—face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
Gossamer is perfect for readers not quite ready for Lois Lowry's Newbery-Award winner The Giver and also for readers interested in dreams, nightmares, spirits and the dream world.
Gossamer is perfect for readers not quite ready for Lois Lowry's Newbery-Award winner The Giver and also for readers interested in dreams, nightmares, spirits and the dream world.
144 pages, Hardcover
First published April 24, 2006
About the author
Lois Lowry
129 books21.8k followersTaken from Lowry's website:
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
"I’ve always felt that I was fortunate to have been born the middle child of three. My older sister, Helen, was very much like our mother: gentle, family-oriented, eager to please. Little brother Jon was the only boy and had interests that he shared with Dad; together they were always working on electric trains and erector sets; and later, when Jon was older, they always seemed to have their heads under the raised hood of a car. That left me in-between, and exactly where I wanted most to be: on my own. I was a solitary child who lived in the world of books and my own vivid imagination.
Because my father was a career military officer - an Army dentist - I lived all over the world. I was born in Hawaii, moved from there to New York, spent the years of World War II in my mother’s hometown: Carlisle, Pennsylvania, and from there went to Tokyo when I was eleven. High school was back in New York City, but by the time I went to college (Brown University in Rhode Island), my family was living in Washington, D.C.
I married young. I had just turned nineteen - just finished my sophomore year in college - when I married a Naval officer and continued the odyssey that military life requires. California. Connecticut (a daughter born there). Florida (a son). South Carolina. Finally Cambridge, Massachusetts, when my husband left the service and entered Harvard Law School (another daughter; another son) and then to Maine - by now with four children under the age of five in tow. My children grew up in Maine. So did I. I returned to college at the University of Southern Maine, got my degree, went to graduate school, and finally began to write professionally, the thing I had dreamed of doing since those childhood years when I had endlessly scribbled stories and poems in notebooks.
After my marriage ended in 1977, when I was forty, I settled into the life I have lived ever since. Today I am back in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living and writing in a house dominated by a very shaggy Tibetan Terrier named Bandit. For a change of scenery Martin and I spend time in Maine, where we have an old (it was built in 1768!) farmhouse on top of a hill. In Maine I garden, feed birds, entertain friends, and read...
My books have varied in content and style. Yet it seems that all of them deal, essentially, with the same general theme: the importance of human connections. A Summer to Die, my first book, was a highly fictionalized retelling of the early death of my sister, and of the effect of such a loss on a family. Number the Stars, set in a different culture and era, tells the same story: that of the role that we humans play in the lives of our fellow beings.
The Giver - and Gathering Blue, and the newest in the trilogy: Messenger - take place against the background of very different cultures and times. Though all three are broader in scope than my earlier books, they nonetheless speak to the same concern: the vital need of people to be aware of their interdependence, not only with each other, but with the world and its environment.
My older son was a fighter pilot in the United States Air Force. His death in the cockpit of a warplane tore away a piece of my world. But it left me, too, with a wish to honor him by joining the many others trying to find a way to end conflict on this very fragile earth.
I am a grandmother now. For my own grandchildren - and for all those of their generation - I try, through writing, to convey my passionate awareness that we live intertwined on this planet and that our future depends upon our caring more, and doing more, for one another."
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,018 reviews
March 18, 2016
This was a sweet, fairy tale like book about dreams and where they come from, that is very touching.."
September 12, 2007
First of all, I really love Lois Lowry. That being said, I loved this as much or maybe even more than The Giver, her most famous book. This is the story of little mythic creatures that give us our dreams. I loved the idea of how and why we have dreams and nightmares, and fell in love with the characters in the story. I also loved that she didn't tie up the whole thing with a nice neat bow. . . the ending was satisfying, but like life, unfinished.
March 15, 2016
Wonderful, exquisite. This is such an enchanting book. Yet, it's a quick read, easily just one sitting, and you need some tissues as it'll go right to your heart. I absolutely loved it! It's original, beautifully written, close to a fairy tale and ever so touching unlike anything I have read. Highly recommend this book. In fact, it's going on my favorite list.
November 14, 2020
بعضی کتابها حیفاند که دستهبندی میشن. میرن بین کتابهای کودک و نوجوان و بعد بهندرت پیش میاد یه بزرگسال اون کتاب رو برای خودش بخره. تو کتابهای کودک و نوجوان همیشه یه حس آرامش عمیقی هست. مثل همین کتاب که رؤیاها آدما رو نجات میدن و درگیریها و تنشها با جادوی کودکانهای محو میشن. حال همه خوب میشه و مثل این تیکه از شعر سیدعلی صالحی؛ همهی زخمها شفا میيابند، همهی آرزوهای خوشِ آدمی برآورده میشوند.
November 3, 2018
TW: child abuse, domestic abuse, nightmares
For fans of A Monster Calls, Gossamer tells the tale of a dream-giver and the young boy she bestows dreams upon. He is a troubled child with an unsettling past, and he needs all the good dreams he can get, especially with the Sinisteed Horde that is fast approaching him, intent on giving him horrible nightmares.
The book is short and bittersweet, with darker themes than most of Lowry's work. I wish that there was more in this world, as it is very interesting and unique. I love sandman-esque stories. The worldbuilding was well done and the characters were all excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
For fans of A Monster Calls, Gossamer tells the tale of a dream-giver and the young boy she bestows dreams upon. He is a troubled child with an unsettling past, and he needs all the good dreams he can get, especially with the Sinisteed Horde that is fast approaching him, intent on giving him horrible nightmares.
"Sad parts are important ... you must include the sad parts, because they are part of the story, and they have to be part of the dreams."
The book is short and bittersweet, with darker themes than most of Lowry's work. I wish that there was more in this world, as it is very interesting and unique. I love sandman-esque stories. The worldbuilding was well done and the characters were all excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it.
"Change means leaving things behind, and that's always sad."
April 19, 2010
Okay,
This one was truly a child's book. The print was GINORMOUS (aka gigantically enormous. hugantic? hah) boldface and the book was only 144 pages but I struggled to finish this book. Boring as crap. I have an issue swallowing words like 'flutter' and 'shimmer' and 'twirling'when they are being used repeatedly ...oh and the ridiculous names (oldest one, littlest one, fastidous)...
Back to the book review. There are these little fairy like creatures (forgot what they are called) that come into your room at night and touch all your stuff (starting to sound like Robert Goulet in the Emerald Nuts commercial huh) to gather "good" fragments. Then they hover over your orrifices and jangle around until these fragments come out as shimmers which gives you good dreams.
The fairies that touch your stuff too hard? They become Something-steeds. Think of those horse riders in Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. Yup they come stampeding in and do something to your face to give you bad dreams.
So anyway this old lady and her dog fosters this young boy who was abused by his drunkard father until his mother can get custody of him again. Kid stops being a hellion, and the mom gets him back in the end. Littlest Something fairy saves him from the Something-steeds and is renamed Gossamer, for her gentle touch when touching people's stuff to make dreams, and another fairy is 'born' and named Littlest Something-or-the-other.
But are these fairy things human? No! They exist in your mind in a place called the Heap (the Hive?). Something that starts with an H.
This books reads like a bad acid trip (well at least what I'd imagine one would look like).
I was expecting a lot better than the lady who wrote Number the Stars and The Giver (books that mark the middle schoolers rite of passage into high school).
I only finished b/c I have a pet peeve with checking out a book and not reading it (that and I was NOT about to be bested by a child's book).
Somebooks can be in the YA section and speak to people of all ages. This book, however, was equivolant to the torture having to sit and watch the PBS KIDS Sprout Network with my little cousins or nephews.
This one was truly a child's book. The print was GINORMOUS (aka gigantically enormous. hugantic? hah) boldface and the book was only 144 pages but I struggled to finish this book. Boring as crap. I have an issue swallowing words like 'flutter' and 'shimmer' and 'twirling'when they are being used repeatedly ...oh and the ridiculous names (oldest one, littlest one, fastidous)...
Back to the book review. There are these little fairy like creatures (forgot what they are called) that come into your room at night and touch all your stuff (starting to sound like Robert Goulet in the Emerald Nuts commercial huh) to gather "good" fragments. Then they hover over your orrifices and jangle around until these fragments come out as shimmers which gives you good dreams.
The fairies that touch your stuff too hard? They become Something-steeds. Think of those horse riders in Ralph Bakshi's Lord of the Rings. Yup they come stampeding in and do something to your face to give you bad dreams.
So anyway this old lady and her dog fosters this young boy who was abused by his drunkard father until his mother can get custody of him again. Kid stops being a hellion, and the mom gets him back in the end. Littlest Something fairy saves him from the Something-steeds and is renamed Gossamer, for her gentle touch when touching people's stuff to make dreams, and another fairy is 'born' and named Littlest Something-or-the-other.
But are these fairy things human? No! They exist in your mind in a place called the Heap (the Hive?). Something that starts with an H.
This books reads like a bad acid trip (well at least what I'd imagine one would look like).
I was expecting a lot better than the lady who wrote Number the Stars and The Giver (books that mark the middle schoolers rite of passage into high school).
I only finished b/c I have a pet peeve with checking out a book and not reading it (that and I was NOT about to be bested by a child's book).
Somebooks can be in the YA section and speak to people of all ages. This book, however, was equivolant to the torture having to sit and watch the PBS KIDS Sprout Network with my little cousins or nephews.
August 7, 2007
This novel was a great departure from the trilogy of Lowry books I had just finished reading (The giver, Gathering Blue, Messenger). It's a fast read, since it's written for preteens/teenagers, but I think adults could appreciate the story and Lowry's writing style, as well. The book tries to answer questions about dreams and their origins and plays with a great narrative style by switching between reality and imagination. The story centers around both the real world of an old woman trying to help an angry, little boy as he copes with the after effects of an abusive father, and the imaginary world of the tiny creatures who gather memories from everyday objects and give them back to humans through their dreams. I really enjoyed Lowry's attention to detail and descriptive imagery, even when she was describing the most everyday objects, such as dishes or teacups. Though it is a complete work of fiction, Lowry deals with tough, very real issues, especially the abuse the little boy endures and how he learns to cope with life afterward. The book touched me in many ways, most specifically as a mother raising a young child. It was light and fun in some parts and dark and serious in others, and ended with a very satisfying and encouraging conclusion. This is definitely a book I would recommend to anyone who is interested in dreams and the power of imagination.
December 27, 2017
I've never wished I'd written any book I've ever read.
Well, until tonight. Really. This book was something incredible. It was words and memories (so many of these) and stories and fear and family and fighting the uphill battle against brokenness. It was magical, and it so closely echoed everything I've wanted (but failed) to put into words - it was like reading a piece of my own brain. Except it was prettier. Somebody recently said about a book that "you might as well read my soul," and I kind of feel that way about this story.
Mostly, I think this book had beautiful words and I liked the way it dealt with memories and the past and darkness, and it just came at the right time for me. I'm glad I paid the 99 cents for these compiled words. I'm keeping them for always.
P.S. Littlest One was precious.
---
"'Of course we do. All creatures have shadows. They are a phenomenon created by light.' A phenomenon created by light, what a fine phrase, Littlest thought."
Well, until tonight. Really. This book was something incredible. It was words and memories (so many of these) and stories and fear and family and fighting the uphill battle against brokenness. It was magical, and it so closely echoed everything I've wanted (but failed) to put into words - it was like reading a piece of my own brain. Except it was prettier. Somebody recently said about a book that "you might as well read my soul," and I kind of feel that way about this story.
Mostly, I think this book had beautiful words and I liked the way it dealt with memories and the past and darkness, and it just came at the right time for me. I'm glad I paid the 99 cents for these compiled words. I'm keeping them for always.
P.S. Littlest One was precious.
---
"'Of course we do. All creatures have shadows. They are a phenomenon created by light.' A phenomenon created by light, what a fine phrase, Littlest thought."
April 6, 2021
Really adored this story. It may not be her most well-known book but it’s my favorite so far.
July 30, 2019
This was such an unexpected story, and it got me thinking that I should revisit the Lois Lowry canon to read more of her works. I found this in a bookstore while on vacation and decided to sit down with it for an afternoon. It's very slim and easily read in just one sitting. Essentially, it's told from the perspective of tiny creatures (I pictured them as fairy-like, though their appearance was vaguely described) who transfer dream fragments to humans, and the conflict arises when they have to defend the humans from their counterparts, who deliver nightmares. While the story is told from the POV of these creatures and seems at first to be very ethereal, there was so much unexpected depth in the characterization. The humans in this story have incredibly developed backstories, and there's so much tenderness in the relaying of their (often tragic) experiences. I would recommend this to adult readers who enjoy middle grade, because I think that there's so much more that we can understand about the story from an adult perspective, and that makes the messages in it that much more meaningful.
December 17, 2019
خیلی دردناک بود. خاص و تلخ و دردناک و قدرتمند.
October 6, 2018
This book had me bawling my eyes out. If that's not enough recommendation, here's an actual review... ;)
I enjoyed Littlest One so much! She was so full of adorable life and enthusiasm, and her relationship with Thin Elderly was so cute. I quite successfully grew to hate the especially when I found out how they were made. The older lady and Toby were so sweet, and I love how they did their best to help John. His past and the way he was skewed by it with small bits of childish innocence mixed in was so heartbreaking! I quite agreed with Littlest One when . The battle between happy dreams and nightmares was fantastic, and I loved the focus on the importance of stories and memories. Not recommended for younger readers because of a fragmented family
Best quote: Huddled on the couch, clutching the phone, the young woman began to cry. "Tell him I dreamed about him last night," she said.
Altogether, I found this to be a great read even though I don't usually read this type of story. ;)
I enjoyed Littlest One so much! She was so full of adorable life and enthusiasm, and her relationship with Thin Elderly was so cute. I quite successfully grew to hate the especially when I found out how they were made. The older lady and Toby were so sweet, and I love how they did their best to help John. His past and the way he was skewed by it with small bits of childish innocence mixed in was so heartbreaking! I quite agreed with Littlest One when . The battle between happy dreams and nightmares was fantastic, and I loved the focus on the importance of stories and memories. Not recommended for younger readers because of a fragmented family
Best quote: Huddled on the couch, clutching the phone, the young woman began to cry. "Tell him I dreamed about him last night," she said.
Altogether, I found this to be a great read even though I don't usually read this type of story. ;)
June 8, 2021
A lovely story
July 13, 2021
I first read this little book many years ago. I'd enjoyed a few other books by the author and picked this one up. For some reason, it's always stuck with me. The delicacy, the beauty. The thin wisp of a character. And the dreams. I think it's because of this book I've always been fascinated by dreams and nightmares and by tiny little fantasy creatures.
What I hadn't remembered was how astoundingly heartfelt and powerful the story was. This little book packs a punch! I'd forgotten the story of the dreamers and wow. It just got to me this time around. I listened to the audio book as I was driving on a road trip (and the narrator did a wonderful job).
Stylistically, the book is simply charming. Lowry switches back and forth between the dream-givers and the dreamers to slowly unveil a potent little story. It gives us the effect of a mystery. I love how we learn as Littlest learns and grow with her throughout the tale. And I've always just been fascinated by the creatures that Lowry created. The book holds some nostalgia for me, but honestly, I don't think I truly appreciated the craft of it the first time around.
And, yeah, it's a children's book, but wow, Lowry just delicately touches some deep themes that really resonated with me. There was a lot of emotion for such a little package. I do wonder if it had been a bit of an older story if the climax would have gone a little differently. Part of me wanted it to be a little grander, a little deeper, a little twistier. But the other part of me just finds comfort in the simplicity. And I recognize that it is meant for a younger audience, so it makes sense.
Anyway, the book has stuck with me for over a decade, and now I realize why. I'm glad to have reread it. A sweet, beautiful story of brokenness and healing. A fantastical, illusive world full of possibilities. Quaint narrative that shines hope in a dark world. I think this book has influenced me as a person, as a reader, and as a writer in more ways than I'd realized. A hidden gem if you ask me.
I do recommend it! But it is worth noting that the characters in the book deal with an abusive home situation that, though tactfully portrayed, is still...well, it's rough if you realize the depth of what's going on. It could warrant some discussion with your kids, but there's nothing graphic in the book.
Reread: 07.08.21
What I hadn't remembered was how astoundingly heartfelt and powerful the story was. This little book packs a punch! I'd forgotten the story of the dreamers and wow. It just got to me this time around. I listened to the audio book as I was driving on a road trip (and the narrator did a wonderful job).
Stylistically, the book is simply charming. Lowry switches back and forth between the dream-givers and the dreamers to slowly unveil a potent little story. It gives us the effect of a mystery. I love how we learn as Littlest learns and grow with her throughout the tale. And I've always just been fascinated by the creatures that Lowry created. The book holds some nostalgia for me, but honestly, I don't think I truly appreciated the craft of it the first time around.
And, yeah, it's a children's book, but wow, Lowry just delicately touches some deep themes that really resonated with me. There was a lot of emotion for such a little package. I do wonder if it had been a bit of an older story if the climax would have gone a little differently. Part of me wanted it to be a little grander, a little deeper, a little twistier. But the other part of me just finds comfort in the simplicity. And I recognize that it is meant for a younger audience, so it makes sense.
Anyway, the book has stuck with me for over a decade, and now I realize why. I'm glad to have reread it. A sweet, beautiful story of brokenness and healing. A fantastical, illusive world full of possibilities. Quaint narrative that shines hope in a dark world. I think this book has influenced me as a person, as a reader, and as a writer in more ways than I'd realized. A hidden gem if you ask me.
I do recommend it! But it is worth noting that the characters in the book deal with an abusive home situation that, though tactfully portrayed, is still...well, it's rough if you realize the depth of what's going on. It could warrant some discussion with your kids, but there's nothing graphic in the book.
Reread: 07.08.21
July 17, 2008
Littlest One and her teacher, Thin Elderly, are tiny creatures whose job it is to touch beloved objects and then piece the bits of memory and emotion therein into dreams for humans. It is a wonderful vocation, but not without its dangers: there are also the Sinisteeds, terrible creatures that plague people with nightmares. Perhaps most frightening of all, dream-givers like Littlest One and Thin Elderly can become Sinisteeds if they don't do their work carefully.
Littlest One and Thin Elderly are in charge of giving dreams to a kind old woman, a fairly simple task. But when the woman takes in John, a foster child, his anger and troubled past leave him open to torment by the Sinisteeds, and the dream-givers must find a way to counteract this.
This is a short novel, but Lowry is adept at sketching out a tantalizing and fascinating story in so few pages. Her use of launguage is lovely, and I was utterly absorbed.
Littlest One and Thin Elderly are in charge of giving dreams to a kind old woman, a fairly simple task. But when the woman takes in John, a foster child, his anger and troubled past leave him open to torment by the Sinisteeds, and the dream-givers must find a way to counteract this.
This is a short novel, but Lowry is adept at sketching out a tantalizing and fascinating story in so few pages. Her use of launguage is lovely, and I was utterly absorbed.
April 17, 2018
چقدر کیوت و دوست داشتنی. چقدر زود تموم شد. حالا تو راه برگشت دیگه چیزی ندارم برای خوندن :((
من لوئیس لوری رو به خاطر نوشتنش در مورد بچه های کاملا متفاوت با خودم دوست داشتم. من یه بچه بودم و هیچ درک و تصوری از بچه های دردسرساز نداشتم...
ولی حالا، حس می کنم از اون دنیا فاصله گرفته م. یه جور حس دلتنگی داره؛ من دیگه بچه های داستان های لوئیس لوری رو به چشم هم نوع های خودم نمی بینم. حالا رفته م توی جایگاه آدم بزرگ ها. و خب در عین حال یه تجربه ی جدیده برام :)
کلی حس خوب بهم منتقل کرد کتاب. ۳.۵ رند به ۴.
من لوئیس لوری رو به خاطر نوشتنش در مورد بچه های کاملا متفاوت با خودم دوست داشتم. من یه بچه بودم و هیچ درک و تصوری از بچه های دردسرساز نداشتم...
ولی حالا، حس می کنم از اون دنیا فاصله گرفته م. یه جور حس دلتنگی داره؛ من دیگه بچه های داستان های لوئیس لوری رو به چشم هم نوع های خودم نمی بینم. حالا رفته م توی جایگاه آدم بزرگ ها. و خب در عین حال یه تجربه ی جدیده برام :)
کلی حس خوب بهم منتقل کرد کتاب. ۳.۵ رند به ۴.
June 22, 2020
This book still makes me feel all the things.
January 12, 2018
I don't even know what to say. It was lovely and beautiful and whimsical and made me feel things. It reminded me of memories and sadness and beauty and joy and the importance of remembering.
Thanks, Syd.
Thanks, Syd.
August 5, 2013
This is an entertaining little book about fairy-like creatures who are responsible for human dreaming, and their rivalry with the Sinisteeds who inflict nightmares on humans. It's also about a broken home with a neglectful mother, an abusive father, and a broken young boy, as well as how love can go a fair way to healing the wounds of parental abuse and neglect.
Lowry uses the device of "benevolent aliens trying to understand humans" with the 'dream-givers' to explain quite a lot of the action in the book, assisted by the fact that one of the dream-givers is a newborn (not exactly the right word, as they are not born but just come to be) who has to ask all kinds of access character questions about the world. This one, called "Littlest One," quickly demonstrates a remarkable talent for extracting memories from significant objects and synthesizing dreams from them. It's good that she's so talented, because John is very mean and nasty. Social services took him away from his unmarried parents and put him into foster care, where of course he's been wounded further. He's seven as the story begins, arriving at his third foster home and talking aggressively of murder, hatred and torture. The kindly old woman who takes him into her home is unfailingly loving and compassionate, and doesn't ring true as someone who would actually be allowed to participate in the foster system. She's never resentful, reactive, or applies any sort of discipline to John, and she doesn't have a TV to boot! She's a bit of a caricature of a kindly grandmother, honestly. But for me, the book works as fable, particularly when you balance the harsh realities of John's situation with the magical whimsy of the dream-givers.
One aspect I found interesting (and felt could have been developed more) is that the Sinisteeds are actually dream-givers who've gone bad...because they delved into human memories too much! This idea of humans as the toxic charges who must be handled tenderly and very, very carefully lest they transform you into nightmare monsters was hinted at but not really explored in the book. Humans, then, are the inevitable source of their own garbage, corrupting the very things that are trying to help them, and thus reinforcing their own nightmares. Unfortunately, at no point do any of the dream-giver protagonists experience anything like a temptation to dig for deeper memories (which would lead to the transformation into Sinisteeds), and there is no redemption for dream-givers once they've gone bad. So while one of the dream-givers recognizes one of the Sinisteeds as an old companion, nothing more is said of it.
I'd say this was a nice quick read for a kid in junior high or high school, but a bit too intense for younger children (given the abuse and abusive nature of the boy, John). The book ultimately comes off as fun, but it has a fair amount of dark stuff in it.
Lowry uses the device of "benevolent aliens trying to understand humans" with the 'dream-givers' to explain quite a lot of the action in the book, assisted by the fact that one of the dream-givers is a newborn (not exactly the right word, as they are not born but just come to be) who has to ask all kinds of access character questions about the world. This one, called "Littlest One," quickly demonstrates a remarkable talent for extracting memories from significant objects and synthesizing dreams from them. It's good that she's so talented, because John is very mean and nasty. Social services took him away from his unmarried parents and put him into foster care, where of course he's been wounded further. He's seven as the story begins, arriving at his third foster home and talking aggressively of murder, hatred and torture. The kindly old woman who takes him into her home is unfailingly loving and compassionate, and doesn't ring true as someone who would actually be allowed to participate in the foster system. She's never resentful, reactive, or applies any sort of discipline to John, and she doesn't have a TV to boot! She's a bit of a caricature of a kindly grandmother, honestly. But for me, the book works as fable, particularly when you balance the harsh realities of John's situation with the magical whimsy of the dream-givers.
One aspect I found interesting (and felt could have been developed more) is that the Sinisteeds are actually dream-givers who've gone bad...because they delved into human memories too much! This idea of humans as the toxic charges who must be handled tenderly and very, very carefully lest they transform you into nightmare monsters was hinted at but not really explored in the book. Humans, then, are the inevitable source of their own garbage, corrupting the very things that are trying to help them, and thus reinforcing their own nightmares. Unfortunately, at no point do any of the dream-giver protagonists experience anything like a temptation to dig for deeper memories (which would lead to the transformation into Sinisteeds), and there is no redemption for dream-givers once they've gone bad. So while one of the dream-givers recognizes one of the Sinisteeds as an old companion, nothing more is said of it.
I'd say this was a nice quick read for a kid in junior high or high school, but a bit too intense for younger children (given the abuse and abusive nature of the boy, John). The book ultimately comes off as fun, but it has a fair amount of dark stuff in it.
June 15, 2017
I thought that this book was very interesting because of the change of perspectives from the human world to the dream giving world, the world of the Heap. I loved how Littlest and Thin Elderly's words were so deep that it didn't feel apart of the book, it felt as though they were talking to us. Plus, their time dream-giving experience was very adventurous, and their way of collecting memories and bestowing dreams seemed so creative, but also as if that is what happens in real life. Overall, I did enjoy this wonderful book.
October 15, 2019
3.5/5
This is a book for children about mythical creatures that protect humans against their fears and nightmares that come to them in their sleep. They do this by picking up good feelings / memories from objects in their house and instilling these feelings into the humans as a protective factor
This is a book for children about mythical creatures that protect humans against their fears and nightmares that come to them in their sleep. They do this by picking up good feelings / memories from objects in their house and instilling these feelings into the humans as a protective factor
December 23, 2009
Wonderfull! A little book, simple, but packs a punch. Why can't Lois Lowry's books be just a little longer?
May 17, 2022
There are just some books, that although classified as children’s literature, defy that “box”. This was a touching, meant for all ages tale, that I believe everyone can learn from. The power of noticing others, kindness towards others, and caring for others runs deep in this story. I haven’t yet encountered a book by this author that doesn’t leave me feeling better about life in some small way.
October 8, 2012
Not your typical tale. Of course, Lois Lowry and the word, typical, don't go hand-in-hand. Original... Great writer... Risk-taker... Those are words I associate with her. Pick your superlative. But typical? No way. This tale has more echoes of surrealism than realism with surprising juxtapositions of dreams and reality.
Littlest is being trained by Fastidious to bestow dreams on humans, and yes, the latter is hard-to-please. Littlest asks too many questions, plays, and is off-task when the two go out each night. Fastidious complains to the Ancient One that Littlest can touch things and absorb memories of humans, but she really is not ready to bestow dreams, a much more demanding job. Littlest is passed onto Thin Elderly, a wise and patient spirit-like being that is able to teach, The Bestowal, to her.
The two spirit-beings are in the home of a retired teacher who is in her 70s and has taken in John, an angry 8-year-old foster boy. The beings gather fragments of happy memories from objects around the house and then send them into the sleeping forms of John and the old woman. This gives the two happy dreams and allows them to face the world each day with strength. When the boy starts to recall the horrible abuse inflicted by his father the dreams turn to nightmares and hope turns to despair. Littlest learns, The Bestowal, and she and Thin Elderly fight to hold off The Horde, an evil group of steeds that hiss nightmares into people at night. They are not sure if they can save John.
Meanwhile John's mom is trying to get her act together. She abandoned John and he was taken away from her and put into a foster home. We are never told exactly why she left John except that she too, was abused by the father and a mess when they divorced. John's mom gets a job at a school and learns to trust people again just as John has to learn to trust his foster mom. I found the story more interesting in the realistic sections but that isn't surprising given the dream-like, less concrete beings of Littlest and Thin Elderly. The two represent a person's imagination,the fragments of memories, how we are all connected, how a story is like a vague-like dream before taking shape, and whatever other imagery or theme the reader can connect with life.
The writing is terrific and John's voice changes from one of distrust, anger and hate to one hesitantly trusting. In contrast, Littlest is innocent, playful, and good. I didn't quite think Strapping and Fastidious moved the plot forward much but I see that they are examples of rigid thinking. Strapping is able to find his potential but Fastidious is stuck in her critical attitude that stifles her imagination and ability to find joy. I wanted to know more about Rotund. I didn't quite understand why he became a Menace. The abuse to John might disturb some readers. He pees on the floor as a three year old and his father rubs his face in it then forces him to eat dog food. When his mom cries, she is hit by the dad. The dad also breaks the boys arm, but no details are given about it. The mom is also a chain smoker with no self-confidence. Like her son, she tries to heal from her painful past.
A gossamer is something light, delicate or insubstantial like butterfly wings, cobwebs or dreams. It can be an idea for a story or a fragment of a memory. Lowry has it take the form of what I think of as a spirit-being. Littlest begins as a creature so translucent she can hardly be seen. At the end of the book she is more solid, representing that she has created memories or begun to live and collect "her story." According to Thin Elderly, "everything has a story," but because she was a baby, she was creating one. At the end, she has to leave John and move on. Some students found this sad. There is much that can be discussed about the content in this book. The abstract concepts might make it difficult for young readers to grasp the meanings Lowry is trying to convey. I think that is why I get mixed reactions from students who have read this book. While I was reading it I was reminded of Franz Kafka's short story, "The Country Doctor," that is written as a nightmare and experiments with punctuation. I'm glad Lowry kept to traditional conventions. An atypical book. Enjoy!
Reading Level 5.4
Littlest is being trained by Fastidious to bestow dreams on humans, and yes, the latter is hard-to-please. Littlest asks too many questions, plays, and is off-task when the two go out each night. Fastidious complains to the Ancient One that Littlest can touch things and absorb memories of humans, but she really is not ready to bestow dreams, a much more demanding job. Littlest is passed onto Thin Elderly, a wise and patient spirit-like being that is able to teach, The Bestowal, to her.
The two spirit-beings are in the home of a retired teacher who is in her 70s and has taken in John, an angry 8-year-old foster boy. The beings gather fragments of happy memories from objects around the house and then send them into the sleeping forms of John and the old woman. This gives the two happy dreams and allows them to face the world each day with strength. When the boy starts to recall the horrible abuse inflicted by his father the dreams turn to nightmares and hope turns to despair. Littlest learns, The Bestowal, and she and Thin Elderly fight to hold off The Horde, an evil group of steeds that hiss nightmares into people at night. They are not sure if they can save John.
Meanwhile John's mom is trying to get her act together. She abandoned John and he was taken away from her and put into a foster home. We are never told exactly why she left John except that she too, was abused by the father and a mess when they divorced. John's mom gets a job at a school and learns to trust people again just as John has to learn to trust his foster mom. I found the story more interesting in the realistic sections but that isn't surprising given the dream-like, less concrete beings of Littlest and Thin Elderly. The two represent a person's imagination,the fragments of memories, how we are all connected, how a story is like a vague-like dream before taking shape, and whatever other imagery or theme the reader can connect with life.
The writing is terrific and John's voice changes from one of distrust, anger and hate to one hesitantly trusting. In contrast, Littlest is innocent, playful, and good. I didn't quite think Strapping and Fastidious moved the plot forward much but I see that they are examples of rigid thinking. Strapping is able to find his potential but Fastidious is stuck in her critical attitude that stifles her imagination and ability to find joy. I wanted to know more about Rotund. I didn't quite understand why he became a Menace. The abuse to John might disturb some readers. He pees on the floor as a three year old and his father rubs his face in it then forces him to eat dog food. When his mom cries, she is hit by the dad. The dad also breaks the boys arm, but no details are given about it. The mom is also a chain smoker with no self-confidence. Like her son, she tries to heal from her painful past.
A gossamer is something light, delicate or insubstantial like butterfly wings, cobwebs or dreams. It can be an idea for a story or a fragment of a memory. Lowry has it take the form of what I think of as a spirit-being. Littlest begins as a creature so translucent she can hardly be seen. At the end of the book she is more solid, representing that she has created memories or begun to live and collect "her story." According to Thin Elderly, "everything has a story," but because she was a baby, she was creating one. At the end, she has to leave John and move on. Some students found this sad. There is much that can be discussed about the content in this book. The abstract concepts might make it difficult for young readers to grasp the meanings Lowry is trying to convey. I think that is why I get mixed reactions from students who have read this book. While I was reading it I was reminded of Franz Kafka's short story, "The Country Doctor," that is written as a nightmare and experiments with punctuation. I'm glad Lowry kept to traditional conventions. An atypical book. Enjoy!
Reading Level 5.4
May 13, 2022
This was a super short read but just lovely. I really enjoyed the fantasy concept and always admire Lois Lowry's creativie ideas. This book imagines how we dream and why; the idea that we are given dreams collected in fragments from our memories, life and belongings. It was poignant, touching and in very subtle ways hinted at deep, deep sadness and trauma with one of the main characters. For such a short book, it packed a punch for me and I loved it.
July 28, 2024
The last line of the book brought tears to my eyes. It’s such a sweet book… Yet, it’s also a hard book to read. If you or anyone you care about was abused as a child, this book will hit hard. Honestly, it will probably hit hard even if you don’t know anyone.
It’s a book about the stuff of dreams and nightmares… the stuff of hope and love… The stuff of grief and hurt… Butterflies… Seashells. A dog biscuit. A photo. A cup. Memories that are threaded through the objects of our lives…
Dreams are a beautiful mystery… this book will encourage the dreaming, wondering, and hoping…
It’s a book about the stuff of dreams and nightmares… the stuff of hope and love… The stuff of grief and hurt… Butterflies… Seashells. A dog biscuit. A photo. A cup. Memories that are threaded through the objects of our lives…
Dreams are a beautiful mystery… this book will encourage the dreaming, wondering, and hoping…
May 3, 2007
Susan and Lisa were right! I loved this book. It is a very quiet, whimsical story, but it still packs a punch. Lois Lowry is not famous for nothing. I was intrigued by how much I felt for the main characters, the dream-givers, without ever knowing what they truly looked like. This book has made me think differently about dreams, nightmares, memories, and people's ability to change. And the importance of pets, souvenirs, and talismans (talismen?).
March 7, 2013
Interesting book. My wife loved it - said it was one of her favorites. I am a little less enthusiastic about it. Still, it's a good story with a neat premise (there are imaginary beings that grant people dreams and others than give nightmares and sleeping humans are the proxy for their war). Worth reading if you like any other Lois Lowry book. She's consistently inventive.
January 11, 2023
Littlest One 🥹 what a sweet book with a touch of darkness.
November 7, 2021
I’ve read this book twice now but the story is just as wonderful as it was the first time. Lois Lowry’s ability to combine intriguing plot with incredible wordplay make all her books a joy to read. Gossamer is a tale of healing, family, and dreams. Every single character is important even though a majority of the story takes place in a lonely old house. This book does have beer and smoking references but they are accepted as bad things. Child abuse and spouse abuse play a role as well. 12+
There’s a reason why Lois Lowry is so beloved and challenged. She writes about incredibly hard and evil things in our society, like abuse and murder of the helpless (the Giver). However, the way she presents these things is in engaging and thought worthy stories. She shares like the Dream-givers, fragments of stories that need to be told.
There’s a reason why Lois Lowry is so beloved and challenged. She writes about incredibly hard and evil things in our society, like abuse and murder of the helpless (the Giver). However, the way she presents these things is in engaging and thought worthy stories. She shares like the Dream-givers, fragments of stories that need to be told.
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