The Dream and the Muse

Gr 7 Up–Madarena Rua is a sullen teen, content to remain solitary, reading her dictionary late at night. A sleepless night provides an unexpected cosmic adventure when she happens upon Apophax, a rogue thief known for his coat of hedgehog quills and his knack for defying the laws of physics. Believing she’s dreaming, Madarena quickly discovers she has stepped into a dangerous place where reality and dreams collide. As Apophax’s accomplice, she must assist him in rescuing his love Aoede, a Muse, from the clutches of the Night Mayor. Throughout their adventures battling nightmares, bargaining with witches, and tempting the Fates, Madarena discovers a multitude of worlds filled with sights beyond her wildest imagination. She must harness her potential to ensure her own survival and to return Aoede to her home. This is a story about acknowledging one’s possibility and finding one’s identity. Madarena must learn that words have more meaning and power than just text in a dictionary. Burnett’s fast-paced novel is imaginative, unique, and well written. Readers who enjoy adventurous fantasies will appreciate the echoes of Greek mythology and such literary classics as Lewis Carroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland, L. Frank Baum’s The Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time.