From the moment I stepped into Reverie, the "Land of Dreams," to the moment I left, I was caught up in the whimsical, imaginative, often-spooky, always adventure-laced world created by debut author Lorelei Savaryn. The premise of the novel is fun and fresh -- children who want to enter Reverie for a night must give up either a dream or a memory to enter the glittering nighttime circus. The magic world inside the tall, star-tipped gates of Reverie is filled with all the delicious details you might expect -- from circus treats (including yellow-purple-and-pink lollipops that make you delightfully dizzy) to the midway shop oddities (ranging from ground unicorn horn to fossilized fairy wings) to the dream tents themselves where children can experience the most amazing things, from flying to hunting for pirate treasure.

However, even though Andrea entered Reverie to forget (she gave up the memory of the night her little brother Francis disappeared three years ago), what she first welcomed as a distraction from the pain of loss turns dark when Andrea realizes she can't leave Reverie -- and neither can any of the other children there -- because the sad and sinister Sandman has trapped them for a lifetime of nights.

While there's much, much more to the story, and plenty of satisfying twists and turns, I don't want to spoil anything! But, plot and delightful details aside, I most enjoyed Andrea's emotional arc -- the way she learns and grows. Her journey, like the invisible golden threads of magic that hold Reverie together, is what stitches the book together and makes it satisfying to the very last page!

Loved this mysterious story about a girl who is haunted by the memory of her brother's disappearance. When she comes across a magical circus called Reverie that promises an escape from her depressing existence, she doesn't hesitate and pays the price of a single memory. As she discovers more about the circus, though, she sees it for what it is: a trap. Andrea must find allies and lots of courage to escape from the Sandman and Reverie.
Kids who love fantasy with some dark mystery will love this book.

Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn, 304 pages. Philomel (Penguin), 2020. $17

Content: G (mild danger)

BUYING ADVISORY: EL – OPTIONAL, MS - ADVISABLE

AUDIENCE APPEAL: AVERAGE

Andrea’s little brother, Francis, has been missing for 3 years. Her parents are moving on, but Andrea can not let go. When she sneaks out of the house one night, she follows a glimmer in the woods – to a mysterious circus, full of children and of intriguing tents. Reverie: the Land of Dreams, it says. The price – just one dream or one memory. Andrea knows just what memory she wants to give, and she enters the circus, where she meets the Sandman, who is in charge, and Penny, who seems to want to be her friend. As she leans into the celebration, she can’t but think there is something important she has forgotten – something that her heart wants her to remember.

Like the children who go to Pleasure Island in Pinocchio, the children in Reverie don’t realize they have given up something important. Circus of Stolen Dreams also reads dark, but it is a gentle way to hope that the kids who read it will think before they choose running away as the answer.

Cindy, Library Teacher, MLS

When their once happy parents had divorced, Andrea and her younger brother Francis had been devastated by it. Then Francis disappeared and was never found. It's been three years now and Andrea, 12. still hasn't come to terms with it, unable to accept that her funny brother, who was so full of life, could really be gone for good and blaming herself for his disappearance. And now, her parents want Andrea to go through Francis' belongings in the garage and chose a few things to keep so they can let the rest go and hopefully move on with their lives.

But Andrea isn't ready for that, and instead of going through Francis' stuff, she grabs her bike and rides off after dinner, heading to the park where she and her brother used to play and into the surrounding forest. There, in the dirt, Andrea finds an old flyer for a place called Reverie, a place where visitors can forget their troubles.

Thinking this is just the escape she needs, Andrea is surprised to find it is still around. At the gate, a young girl greets her, telling her that Reverie is always there for those who need it, for any child who desperately needs escape, and the cost of admission is merely one dream or a memory, in Andrea's case it is the memory of the day Francis disappeared. Inside the circus, Andrea finds it is a magical place. There are shops that sell anything you could want, plenty of treats to be had and tents full of attractions, though the girl at the gate warns Andrea not to spend too much time in the Nightmare tent.

Andrea immediately makes friends with Penny Periwinkle, a girl oddly dressed and with dark circles under her eyes as if she needs to sleep. But Penny is an old hand at Reverie and introduces Andrea to all the best places. But there is one tent that Andrea feels oddly drawn to called Root River, though Penny steers her away from it.

The next morning, waking up in her room, Andrea needs to be reminded that Francis is gone, but why can't she now remember the night he disappeared? Realizing she has to return to Reverie, she finds what she needs in her pocket to go back. Sure enough, Andrea finds herself back at this magical circus, at the dream tent called Rood River. And after going through it, she is convinced that Francis had found his way to Reverie at some point, and his price of admission was the recurring nightmare in the tent called Root River. And if that is the case, Andrea is convinced that Francis is still alive, trapped somewhere in Reverie. But Reverie is controlled by the Sandman, a mysterious person who carries the dreams of children around in his umbrella, and whom Andrea is sure isn't who he appears to be. She soon realized that as long as the Sandman holds their dreams and nightmares, the children are trapped in an endless night in Reverie. Will Andrea be able to outsmart the Sandman, find Francis if he really is there, and bring him home?

The Circus of Stolen Dreams is a debut novel for Lorelei Savaryn and it really kept me on the edge of my seat all the way through. Through all kinds of twists and turns, Savaryn builds a dream world subtly making what appears to be a welcomed oasis from one's waking pain into a nightmare that feels harder and harder to escape, as Andrea quickly discovers. It is a story that begins ordinarily enough but quickly turned into a fantasy thriller, and I can genuinely say, the Sandman is truly the stuff of nightmares.

I really enjoyed reading this book. There a lot to discover if you read carefully. For example, there is a nice bit that connects the end of the book to the beginning, but you'll have to read it to find it, and it will leave you wondering if this book really is fantasy or reality fiction. Either way, it's really a terrific read, one that has been compared to Neil Gaiman's Coraline or Katherine Arden's Small Spaces. They certainly all have that same creepy otherworldly vibe to them.

This book is recommended for readers age 10+
This book was an eARC gratefully received from NetGalley

Whimsical, magical and immersive. This was such a fun, dreamlike story - I adored the setting, and the compelling voice of the main character.

Is this a dream or is this reality? In this middle-grade novel, Andrea tries to find her missing brother, Francis. Andrea travels to a mysterious circus that holds good memories and nightmares. This story had a slow start, but it picked up. I liked how the characters show their love for each other and their family.

What a lovely, dreamy debut!! Heart-wrenching story but also moments of purity. The prose was gorgeous and I loved how I felt swept away.

This is an atmospheric, beautifully imagined book full of heart and emotion. I loved the concept of a circus full of children's dreams in tents that you can walk through, and these were described so evocatively and in this off-kilter, perfectly dreamlike way. The world and the characters were well developed and full of intriguing magic. And although I didn't realize this going into the book, it deals with the subject of divorce in a sensitive and nuanced way. These were the parts that I found the most heartbreaking and poignant, watching Andrea and her brother reel from their family breaking up. Their longing to go back to the way things were actually made me tear up a few times as I was reading. It's impossible to not get swept up with these sweet kids in their magical world.

When her brother Francis disappeared three years ago, Andrea’s world collapsed. Her brother is gone, her parents are divorced and the worst part is, it’s all her fault. Caught in a cycle of sorrow, Andrea wants only to escape. The opportunity to escape comes when Andrea happens upon the magical dream world of Reverie in the woods near her home. In order to enter the magical world, you must give up one memory. Andrea jumps at the chance to give up the one memory that haunts her, but getting into the dream world turns out to be easier than getting out. As Andrea discovers dream after dream in the magical world, she soon discovers that as wonderful as many of the dreams seem, Revier is also a place of nightmares. As Andrea realizes that giving up a memory can’t solve her problem or loneliness, she will have to remember what she gave up in order to help save herself and new friends from the dream world in which they find themselves entrapped.

VERDICT is that this is a fascinating read that I will definitely be recommending to young readers. I think it deals expertly with tough topics like grief, hope, and trust. Andrea is an extremely relatable character in a really difficult situation and she just wants to escape. The world of Reverie is fascinating and wonderful (then becomes horrifying and then wonderful again). I think this is a beautifully crafted novel by debut author Lorelei Savaryn.

This debut middle grade kind reminded me of that moment right as you realize things are too good to be true at Pinocchio's Pleasure Island. Andrea's little brother has mysteriously disappeared and her parents are divorced. Suffice it to say, she's having a rough time and wants some sort of escape. A circus that mysterious appears in the woods near her house asks if she wants to remember or forget. Such a poignant, powerful question on grief. Do you need to forget the pain or remember the good times to carry on?

The plot twists kept coming as Andrea and her new friend Penny learned more about the Sandman and the origins of the circus. Fabulous ending!

What a whimsical, magical story! Savaryn caught my attention from the first page and kept me spellbound through the very last one. The circus was breathtaking, as was the idea of dreams and nightmares and memories as circus experiences. This book was expertly crafted, and the prose was simultaneously perfect for children as well as engaging for adults. I will definitely be recommending to all of the middle grade readers I know!

I truly loved this beautifully written one-of-a-kind story. You can tell the author has poured her heart into it. The main character, Andrea, is devastated when she finds out that her little brother, Francis, has disappeared overnight. Not only are her parents newly divorced, but she essentially becomes an “only child”. This takes her to a deep and dark place, and as she walks within the forest near her home she discovers a magical place called Reverie. The trick to going into this magical world is that she must give up a memory of some sort. Well, of course, the memory is of her brother disappearing. Throughout the time Andrea is in Reverie she learns about the tents that are sprinkled throughout. In each tent holds another child’s dream/memory, or even a nightmare. The whole vibe of Reverie was kind of eerie to me from the get-go, but very enticing! I personally have had some really BIZARRE dreams that I would love for others to enjoy. Andrea soon learns that even though this place is definitely a way to escape reality and the pain of the loss of her brother, there are many twists and turns and evil lurking within the fence of Reverie.

I just loved the whole idea of a dream-filled world where you can escape and get lost within the magical and wonderful dreams of others. I think the trap of Reverie is what will pull kids so far into the book, as well as the search for Andrea’s little brother. It will be perfect for kids who love fantasy with a twist of darkness and hope. Fans of Kassner’s The Forest of Stars and Arden’s Small Spaces and Dead Voices will love Savaryn’s debut.

It’s been three years since Andrea’s parents got divorced. Three years since Andrea lost her shadow, her younger brother Francis. Three years since he disappeared in the middle of the night. Tired of people’s pity and her own guilt, Andrea goes on a bike ride one night and encounters a mysterious circus: Reverie. Children come to Reverie for two reasons: to remember or to forget. The price of a ticket is either a dream or a memory, and Andrea knew exactly which memory she wanted forgotten. Reverie welcomes her with the scent of popcorn and candy, and the promise of endless fun. There are tents everywhere, each containing different dreams...and some nightmares. The children in Reverie with their odd clothes from all different eras and purple lines under their tired eyes seem like they’re having fun, but something’s not quite right. Is Reverie really a land of dreams or is there something sinister going on? If only Andrea could remember what she had forgotten.

This was such an excellent middle-grade read. It’s a story about a child wanting an escape reminiscent of stories like Alice in Wonderland and Coraline. What particularly stood out for me about the this book is that it portrays children as living intricate lives with their own hardships and complex emotions. This book explores themes of family, grief, loss, coping, and moving on. I think that it has such a lovely message: that we are not alone in our struggles and that life is worth living fully even with its difficult parts. Reverie is supposed to be a place that offers reprieve from the struggles of daily life, and this is a book that if I read this as a child would have offered me exactly that and would have made me feel less alone. I will definitely be recommending this title to the kids in our public library.

This was pretty fast-paced although it had a bit of an old-fashioned children's lit vibe, with Alice in Wonderland atmosphere in particular. However, I found the writing a bit simplistic, even for middle grade, and the characters somewhat lacking in depth and roundedness. There was also a very heavy Message feeling to a lot of the text, as if it was more concerned with Teaching A Lesson regarding how to deal with sadness and trauma to the point where it overshadowed story.

Perhaps this is just a case of me being outside the target audience and this will appeal to young people, but I found it a fairly poorly constructed and saccharine.

The Stitchers is such a delightfully creepy middle grade book, I couldn’t put it down. Fast paced, it pulls you in from the start as the two main characters spy on their weird old neighbors. Something is very off with these elderly people, and we can’t wait to find out what it is. The tension builds as we learn more and more about them, eventually leading to the exciting climactic ending. Loved this book and can’t wait for the sequel! Highly recommended!

Things weren't that great in Andrea's household before her little brother disappeared, but after he does she'll do anything to escape the grief. When if by magic the circus Reverie shows up, Andrea trades her worst memory as the price of admission. But instead of a place of dreams, it becomes nothing but danger when she learns it's a trap.

The Circus of Stolen Dreams has an inventive plot, a catchy title, and a lovely cover. Unfortunately, it didn't draw me in the way I was hoping and I found myself easily putting it down to move on to other books. Nor did Andrea have a voice to set her apart from the current crop of exceptional middle grade fiction available. And without spoiling it, the ending was unsatisfying and something that always hits the wrong nerve for me.

Thank you to Penguin Young Readers and NetGalley for providing this copy for review.

I was so hopeful for this book as it seemed like a very much needed book of a child trying to run away from loss and also the big theme of wanting to forget.

The ending absolutely ruined the book for me. One of the things I teach my students about writing is that the "It was all a dream" trope is a completely disservice to your reader. It tricks them and is unfulfilling. I felt that same way with this one.

Especially with children who are grieving a loss, the last thing they need to hear is "It's all a dream...some day you'll go back to normal with the person you lost". How cruel. It would be one thing if the tone was lighthearted and full of silly fantasy sequences, but this was a heavy, serious book.

A fantastical story with great themes including family, friendship, and processing grief. Kids will enjoy the slight creepiness of the mystery and the dream world of Reverie, as well as the bravery and persistence of the main character.

Thank you to NetGalley for an advance copy of The Circus of Stolen Dreams by Lorelei Savaryn.

I primarily read fantasy and it’s sub-genres and occasionally some younger reader books too, for recommendations to my children.

Lorelei Savaryn created a delicious combination of whimsical tale with eerie and spooky twists. I found that it was so easy to fall into her created world of Reverie. The cadence of the book was perfect with fast paced scenes that were easy to devour. I easily fell in love with her lead character Andrea and experienced her heartbreak and cheered her on as she went through various trials in her story.

I would recommend it for a middle grade reader and above.

I look forward to read more books from this author!

I was fortunate to read an advance copy of this magical and touching sibling story.

Andrea's brother, Francis, disappeared from their bedroom in the middle of the night. Left without answers, she watches her family fracture without him until, one night, she runs away and finds the magical Reverie - a magical circus where each tent features a dream from a child who has visited Reverie. But it's not long before she discovers that they're not all pleasant dreams. Reverie is also filled with nightmares, including a very familiar nightmare that used to terrify Francis. Convinced her brother is still in Reverie, Andrea set out to find him, but things in the circus aren't as they seem and her dream of finding her brother quickly turns into a nightmare...

This book is beautifully written and, though I had been in a reading slump when I picked it up, I gleefully gobbled it down in only a few days. While the story is a lovely escape from reality (fitting with the themes of the book!), kids will relate to the challenges of navigating a divorce and coping with a new normal. Andrea's struggle to parse what is real and what is not feels strangely prophetic in 2020. Lorelei Savaryn is a wonderful new voice in the middle grade fantasy genre and I look forward to reading her future books!