Overview
Selected for the Book Sense Autumn 2006 Children's Pick List!
Disfigured by a car accident that also killed her dad, Jori has been transformed from a popular high school student into a bitter loner. Fatherless, isolated, and betrayed by her best friend, Jori is angry at the world. And now her sister Lisa has disappeared, unable to cope with the changes in her family. Walking home from school one day, Jori stumbles upon a strange house and meets Professor DePris, who shows her a living tapestry woven from dreams. Distrustful of the eccentric old man and the telepathic spider who weaves for him, she resists entering the dream tapestry until she realizes her sister is trapped inside. It’s up to Jori to enter the tapestry and rescue Lisa from the monstrous old man who is feasting on her fantasies. But how can Jori convince Lisa to leave this fantastic, yet dangerous, world where anything—even reuniting with their father—is possible?
Editorials
VOYA -
Jori is an outsider, snubbed by former friends after her face is mutilated in the wreck that kills her father. Her younger sister, Lisa, has disappeared, and her mother is on automatic. When she and her friend Newt stumble through a back alley and discover the Professor's strange house-complete with talking door and very smart dog-Jori is suspicious but wants so badly to escape from her reality that she throws caution to the wind and allows the Professor to watch her dreams. Things quickly go awry, though, and Jori must act bravely and rediscover herself if she is to free Newt and Lisa from the Professor's deadly spell. Middle school readers will quickly be drawn into Jori's story, and her authentic voice refuses self-pity. The creativity associated with the house and the professor is fresh yet hauntingly reminiscent of Hansel and Gretel's witch. The tapestry woven of dreams by a talking spider is unique and flashes of humor keep the tale from becoming too dark. Unfortunately once Jori enters the tapestry on her rescue mission, the tale becomes wearisome and loses its drive. Newt becomes stereotypical in his role as romantic foil, and some dream settings are difficult to visualize. Readers will finish the story only to see whether Jori can rescue her sister from the tapestry and return home safely.School Library Journal
Gr 9 Up
After a car accident in which Jori is permanently disfigured, the once-popular high school student is now an outcast. She is tormented by her former best friend, Marisa, and a geeky guy named Newt is the only person who talks to her. Her younger sister, Lisa, has been missing for months. The plot veers into fantasy/horror territory when Jori and Newt stumble upon a mysterious house inhabited by the eerie Mr. DePris. Among his amazing objects is a tapestry of stolen dreams, woven by a telepathic spider, Arachnea. Jori discovers that Lisa is captured in it, along with Newt, Marisa, and Marisa's boyfriend, Derek. When Jori enters the tapestry, determined to rescue her sister, the story finally gets moving. She finds Newt and Derek, and the three of them try to outrun the Black River that is killing some of the fantasies, along with the people who are locked in them. Their adventure leads them through several horrific and a few too-good-to-be-true dreamscapes. Jori's rescue mission is only partly successful, leaving an opening for a sequel. The tapestry world is vividly imagined, and the beautiful-fantasies-turned-ugly theme is gripping. However, the writing is uneven, and the story has gaps in logic. Also, Arachnea's change from foe to ally and Derek's transformation from a complete jerk into a hero figure are too sudden to be convincing. This book is a decent effort by a new author for teens who like fantasy-world-gone-wrong stories, but Neil Shusterman's Full Tilt (S & S, 2003) is a better choice.
—Martha SimpsonCopyright 2006 Reed Business Information.