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Daydreamer
An eleven-year-old boy copes with the challenges of his city life by weaving his reality into a magical realm of dragons, foxes, and trolls—until he must use the power of his creativity to save both of his worlds from destructive forces. This stunning debut is a profound exploration of imagination, community, and how the stories we tell both comfort us and challenge us to grow.
Charles’ life is split between two worlds: one real and one fantasy. In the real world, he is a lonely, bullied kid who can’t keep up with school when the letters refuse to stay still on the page, and is constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He lives with his mom in an apartment building, where Glory, the grumpy old superintendent, fills his head with stories about the Dream Folk.
In his fantasy world, the Sanctuary, Charles adventures with faeries and sprites and his two imaginary best friends. There, Charles's bullies become ogres, and Glory opens his arms wide to transform into a dragon. But when trolls move into Charles’ apartment building and bring with them a terrible secret, the stories he has been told and the ones he brings to life grow more complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in ways he never dreamed, in this unique story of the spaces and narratives we create for ourselves, and the ways in which fantasy and reality collide and blur.
Charles’ life is split between two worlds: one real and one fantasy. In the real world, he is a lonely, bullied kid who can’t keep up with school when the letters refuse to stay still on the page, and is constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He lives with his mom in an apartment building, where Glory, the grumpy old superintendent, fills his head with stories about the Dream Folk.
In his fantasy world, the Sanctuary, Charles adventures with faeries and sprites and his two imaginary best friends. There, Charles's bullies become ogres, and Glory opens his arms wide to transform into a dragon. But when trolls move into Charles’ apartment building and bring with them a terrible secret, the stories he has been told and the ones he brings to life grow more complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in ways he never dreamed, in this unique story of the spaces and narratives we create for ourselves, and the ways in which fantasy and reality collide and blur.
400 pages, Library Binding
First published August 6, 2024
7 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
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February 26, 2025So stressful! Is Charles right? Is the world full of monsters only he and Mr. Miles can see? Or is this all in his head? And what is happening with the new tenants - do they know that Charles can see their real faces? Things like this are really freaky to me, because I'm always so worried that it's all in the main character's head, and there are no dragons or trolls, just someone hiding from reality, or who genuinely can't tell the difference, and there's going to be a big reveal where nothing was magical the character was wrong. I can safely tell you: this was not that! This was VERY different, different from most of the MG I've read lately, and very unique!
*I'm not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
*I'm not rating books read for the World Fantasy Award.*
August 1, 2024
Daydreamer is a slow-burn urban fantasy (middle grade) with creativity on the spectrum that surprised me and enthralled me. I started reading a few pages and set aside every other task to let myself be part of this journey. My favorite chapter was with Arturo. Fantastic mix of diversity, fantasy elements, and lore from different cultures in an amazing metaphor. How he deals with the roughness of life in a city like New York (or another big metropolis) where children are rarely children. They are taught by the violence and cruelty of the world to grow up fast.
The very emotional ending is beautiful. The book is perhaps too long and complex for a reluctant reader or fantasy beginner. Still, this is the kind of book that will make them bookworms.
This middle grade took it further than the usual bullying/school novels, giving us the violence of the streets, at home, the hardships of a single mother raising a son, gangs, cynical adults, violent ones too, bullying, crime, magic realism, community, the school system being blind to students' realities and problems, social problems, the very few who care and do something about it, corruption within the police, immigration, gun violence, inheritance, creativity as a safe space...
There's just so much to explore. It's very rich, and we can see the work that went into creating this novel.
The very emotional ending is beautiful. The book is perhaps too long and complex for a reluctant reader or fantasy beginner. Still, this is the kind of book that will make them bookworms.
This middle grade took it further than the usual bullying/school novels, giving us the violence of the streets, at home, the hardships of a single mother raising a son, gangs, cynical adults, violent ones too, bullying, crime, magic realism, community, the school system being blind to students' realities and problems, social problems, the very few who care and do something about it, corruption within the police, immigration, gun violence, inheritance, creativity as a safe space...
There's just so much to explore. It's very rich, and we can see the work that went into creating this novel.
March 8, 2025
This was a really pleasant read, little confusing at times but still loved it
October 12, 2024
I think I might be the dragon.
I say this because of a specific line in the book. I don't consider it a spoiler, but if you consider anything from a book revealed to be one, then stop here and skip to the last paragraph.
You good? You ready? Ok. Buckle up, buttercup.
There's a line that Arturo says, a former ward of Mr. Miles, the dragon, that goes "You will break the dragon's heart." Like I say in the title, I feel like I must be the dragon. This book is heartbreaking. It's beautiful, and wild, and confusing as all get out at times. It's deep and scary, and horrifically unfair. It's everything a child who's brain is wired differently enough to be considered a problem's world is like. I remember being a child thrust into places and groups I never asked to be, and never felt welcome in. I learned to skinwalk, like the Dreamfolk in this book. Fantastical creatures that cloak themselves in normalcy to survive, for protection. I often felt like I must not be a human, that my shell was a ruse. I couldn't possibly be human, if these were humans.
Charles is a dragon that cannot cloak himself. He sees enormously. He dreams with the fortitude of mountains. He is confounded by the measly bindings of human words. And his life is not fair. It's not even remotely so. Almost nothing works out for him, be it from his flaws or from his virtues. Because that is life. That is existence. You ride with him, as he tells you a story, filled with goblin kings and vicious trolls, doppelgangers and Jabberwocks. You see the world he lives as it is conflated with, represented by, and melded into the fantastical world he uses to protect himself, and that he cannot be protected from.
And as an adult who knows we should do better for our children, and who grew up also surrounded by adults who didn't, my heart breaks. Nearly on every page. In the most cathartic way imaginable. In this book I am seen. I have scales under my skin, and fire in my belly. And my heart is broken.
In the end, Charles knows who he is better than he does at the beginning. A process he'll likely go through for the rest of his life, as it should be. Becoming more of who he is, solidifying himself as the Daydreamer. I cannot recommend this book enough. But I must warn you. And I have.
I say this because of a specific line in the book. I don't consider it a spoiler, but if you consider anything from a book revealed to be one, then stop here and skip to the last paragraph.
You good? You ready? Ok. Buckle up, buttercup.
There's a line that Arturo says, a former ward of Mr. Miles, the dragon, that goes "You will break the dragon's heart." Like I say in the title, I feel like I must be the dragon. This book is heartbreaking. It's beautiful, and wild, and confusing as all get out at times. It's deep and scary, and horrifically unfair. It's everything a child who's brain is wired differently enough to be considered a problem's world is like. I remember being a child thrust into places and groups I never asked to be, and never felt welcome in. I learned to skinwalk, like the Dreamfolk in this book. Fantastical creatures that cloak themselves in normalcy to survive, for protection. I often felt like I must not be a human, that my shell was a ruse. I couldn't possibly be human, if these were humans.
Charles is a dragon that cannot cloak himself. He sees enormously. He dreams with the fortitude of mountains. He is confounded by the measly bindings of human words. And his life is not fair. It's not even remotely so. Almost nothing works out for him, be it from his flaws or from his virtues. Because that is life. That is existence. You ride with him, as he tells you a story, filled with goblin kings and vicious trolls, doppelgangers and Jabberwocks. You see the world he lives as it is conflated with, represented by, and melded into the fantastical world he uses to protect himself, and that he cannot be protected from.
And as an adult who knows we should do better for our children, and who grew up also surrounded by adults who didn't, my heart breaks. Nearly on every page. In the most cathartic way imaginable. In this book I am seen. I have scales under my skin, and fire in my belly. And my heart is broken.
In the end, Charles knows who he is better than he does at the beginning. A process he'll likely go through for the rest of his life, as it should be. Becoming more of who he is, solidifying himself as the Daydreamer. I cannot recommend this book enough. But I must warn you. And I have.
August 22, 2024
I purchased this book on Kindle just two nights ago and expected it to be yet another story that took me forever to finish, but boy, was I wrong!
Daydreamer is about Charles, an 11-year-old boy who copes with his academic and home struggles by whisking off to his incredibly rich inner fantasy land that is inhabited by fantastical creatures of all kinds: everything from gumihos to dragons, trolls, faeries, and giants--you name it!
My favorite thing about this book was the writing. It is vivid, incredibly descriptive, active writing that plunges you in and pulls you through the narrative. I also LOVE how this story reminds me a bit of the way Diana Wynne Jones tells stories about children: she doesn't baby or talk down to them or dumb their stories down. Cameron reminds me of Wynne-Jones in that way in that he seems to understand young people very well and tells them a story that they can love wherever they are emotionally when they find it, but also this book is one that an adult could pick up and connect with just as well without feeling they are reading something exclusively for a child. I love the way it shows that children do not miss the things the adults around them say or don't say. Children are very perceptive and sensitive to what's going on around them and even when they don't fully understand a situation they can assess the flavor of it as being either negative or positive and it can have enormous implications for their own wellbeing.
I love the lack of overexplaining. The threshold of fantasyland is crossed without much warning which to me makes perfect sense bc that's how thoughts flow; that's how perception is; that's how quick it is to summon up a familiar place like Charles' Sanctuary.
Anyway, please read this book! If you are a teacher or librarian, please put this story on your shelves because I guarantee there are kids out there who will be so excited to find it. I'm a whole adult, and this book took me back to being a kid just like Charles, who made sense of our often tragic world with the help of stories and imaginings
Daydreamer is about Charles, an 11-year-old boy who copes with his academic and home struggles by whisking off to his incredibly rich inner fantasy land that is inhabited by fantastical creatures of all kinds: everything from gumihos to dragons, trolls, faeries, and giants--you name it!
My favorite thing about this book was the writing. It is vivid, incredibly descriptive, active writing that plunges you in and pulls you through the narrative. I also LOVE how this story reminds me a bit of the way Diana Wynne Jones tells stories about children: she doesn't baby or talk down to them or dumb their stories down. Cameron reminds me of Wynne-Jones in that way in that he seems to understand young people very well and tells them a story that they can love wherever they are emotionally when they find it, but also this book is one that an adult could pick up and connect with just as well without feeling they are reading something exclusively for a child. I love the way it shows that children do not miss the things the adults around them say or don't say. Children are very perceptive and sensitive to what's going on around them and even when they don't fully understand a situation they can assess the flavor of it as being either negative or positive and it can have enormous implications for their own wellbeing.
I love the lack of overexplaining. The threshold of fantasyland is crossed without much warning which to me makes perfect sense bc that's how thoughts flow; that's how perception is; that's how quick it is to summon up a familiar place like Charles' Sanctuary.
Anyway, please read this book! If you are a teacher or librarian, please put this story on your shelves because I guarantee there are kids out there who will be so excited to find it. I'm a whole adult, and this book took me back to being a kid just like Charles, who made sense of our often tragic world with the help of stories and imaginings
April 9, 2025
I will be reading anything Rob Cameron writes.
Daydreamer is a thrilling story that offers young readers grace, understanding - of the multitudes of self and each other - and hope. It does not talk down to young readers, which I love, and it speaks to what exists whether it is spoken of or not - the cruelty inflicted on humans, but especially upon those who are most sensitive. With hearts most attuned to the sun. And, as the author says brilliantly in the intro, the necessity of our continued understanding that "people can plug into and experience their worlds in very different ways." And that kindness is the way forward. Understanding. Not mockery and slurs. Asking, not telling.
Even though the story is difficult and violent (cn for abuse of children), it is tender and sweet, in its understanding, its poetry, its lyrical essence and fantastical joy. That understanding of the complexity of our lives lends comfort to its reading. To finding hope - from those who walk with us, whether now, in the past, or in the future.
That we are our stories.
Daydreamer is a hug and a scream, and it's hard for me to say whether either is loud or silent. Perhaps that depends on how we plug into the world. Perhaps it transcends such concepts.
There has been a lot of debate about children's stories versus all ages stories vs children's stories for all ages, and, while I think we need better language for these descriptions, I would put this one in the third category. It is written to reach younger readers, but I think it would reach us differently at different ages.
Daydreamer is a book that just must be read.
Side note: Ecto Cooler and Olive Loaf were the way I knew my dad packed my lunch with love.
This work is extraordinary, and I eagerly await Rob Cameron being Seen, which I think will happen one way - or another.
Daydreamer is a thrilling story that offers young readers grace, understanding - of the multitudes of self and each other - and hope. It does not talk down to young readers, which I love, and it speaks to what exists whether it is spoken of or not - the cruelty inflicted on humans, but especially upon those who are most sensitive. With hearts most attuned to the sun. And, as the author says brilliantly in the intro, the necessity of our continued understanding that "people can plug into and experience their worlds in very different ways." And that kindness is the way forward. Understanding. Not mockery and slurs. Asking, not telling.
Even though the story is difficult and violent (cn for abuse of children), it is tender and sweet, in its understanding, its poetry, its lyrical essence and fantastical joy. That understanding of the complexity of our lives lends comfort to its reading. To finding hope - from those who walk with us, whether now, in the past, or in the future.
That we are our stories.
Daydreamer is a hug and a scream, and it's hard for me to say whether either is loud or silent. Perhaps that depends on how we plug into the world. Perhaps it transcends such concepts.
There has been a lot of debate about children's stories versus all ages stories vs children's stories for all ages, and, while I think we need better language for these descriptions, I would put this one in the third category. It is written to reach younger readers, but I think it would reach us differently at different ages.
Daydreamer is a book that just must be read.
Side note: Ecto Cooler and Olive Loaf were the way I knew my dad packed my lunch with love.
This work is extraordinary, and I eagerly await Rob Cameron being Seen, which I think will happen one way - or another.
June 11, 2025
Thank you RHCBInfluencers @randomhousekids and Rob Cameron for this free book!
“Daydreamer” by Rob Cameron⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy. NOTE: Disability and diversity inclusive.
Charles (11) lives with his mom in an apartment building, where grumpy old superintendent Glory fills his head with stories about Dream Folk. Charles splits his life between 2 worlds: real and fantasy. In real life, he’s a lonely, bullied kid who’s constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He can’t keep up in school because the letters refuse to stay still on the pages he reads. In his fantasy world the Sanctuary, Charles has adventures with faeries, sprites, and 2 imaginary best friends. There, his bullies become ogres, and Glory transforms into a dragon. When trolls actually move into Charles’ apartment building, bringing a terrible secret, the stories grow complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in new ways.
Author Cameron has written a book where fantasy and reality collide and blur. It explores imagination, community, and how the stories we tell comfort and challenge us to grow. He describes a magical, personal, poignant journey through dreams and reality. There are heartbreakingly harsh lessons about danger and bravery, as Charles learns persistence, and grows in strength. Rob Cameron is the pen name of Cameron Robertson, a teacher, linguist, and writer. It’s tender and violent, sweet and scary, compassionate and wild, it should be in every middle grade school library, and it’s 5 stars from me 📚👩🏼🦳#daydreamer #robcameron
“Daydreamer” by Rob Cameron⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️Genre: Middle Grade Fantasy. NOTE: Disability and diversity inclusive.
Charles (11) lives with his mom in an apartment building, where grumpy old superintendent Glory fills his head with stories about Dream Folk. Charles splits his life between 2 worlds: real and fantasy. In real life, he’s a lonely, bullied kid who’s constantly in trouble for getting distracted. He can’t keep up in school because the letters refuse to stay still on the pages he reads. In his fantasy world the Sanctuary, Charles has adventures with faeries, sprites, and 2 imaginary best friends. There, his bullies become ogres, and Glory transforms into a dragon. When trolls actually move into Charles’ apartment building, bringing a terrible secret, the stories grow complicated. To protect everyone he cares about, Charles must harness his imagination in new ways.
Author Cameron has written a book where fantasy and reality collide and blur. It explores imagination, community, and how the stories we tell comfort and challenge us to grow. He describes a magical, personal, poignant journey through dreams and reality. There are heartbreakingly harsh lessons about danger and bravery, as Charles learns persistence, and grows in strength. Rob Cameron is the pen name of Cameron Robertson, a teacher, linguist, and writer. It’s tender and violent, sweet and scary, compassionate and wild, it should be in every middle grade school library, and it’s 5 stars from me 📚👩🏼🦳#daydreamer #robcameron
April 18, 2025
This is a novel for those who find their truth in art or storytelling, for anyone who struggles with school or with their own brain, and for people dealing with harsh realities. On that last point, some adults will think middle grade readers can’t handle this book, but there are kids as young as the story’s eleven-year-old protagonist who need this book (and adults won’t always know who they are, so I hope libraries and schools will make it available).
This is a story of complicated people. Both the kids and adults are misunderstood and sometimes mislead others. There are layers to the story and worldbuilding that allow readers to dig deeper where they choose (e.g. whether or not you know the Jabberwocky poem beforehand and whatever your own experiences with violence and loss), which to me make this book valuable for readers of many ages and backgrounds. There are real monsters in many lives, and being denied truth and stories does people of all ages a disservice. Rob Cameron does a beautiful job of presenting a truth that is “so big, so heavy, so impossible to hold onto without getting hurt.”
This is a story of complicated people. Both the kids and adults are misunderstood and sometimes mislead others. There are layers to the story and worldbuilding that allow readers to dig deeper where they choose (e.g. whether or not you know the Jabberwocky poem beforehand and whatever your own experiences with violence and loss), which to me make this book valuable for readers of many ages and backgrounds. There are real monsters in many lives, and being denied truth and stories does people of all ages a disservice. Rob Cameron does a beautiful job of presenting a truth that is “so big, so heavy, so impossible to hold onto without getting hurt.”
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January 19, 2024Thank you NetGalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review, which follows.
Daydreamer feels a lot like the title. As in, you're walking with someone through a daydream and watching everything that they do - which may be a bonus for young readers who enjoy very, very close POV. At times, the story was disorienting because I was so close to Charles character that others that interrupted threw me completely off. I had a hard time navigating when he was in school, at home, in a dream.
I would have liked the story a lot more if I had more chances to walk around with the plethora of magical creatures. Many of them seem to make a cameo and not return, or when they are I wasn't sure what the purpose was. There is a lot of amazing dreamy nuggets of wisdom, which are sometimes well done and sometimes come off a little strong.
Overall not bad for a debut, and I look forward to Rob Cameron's imagination and more books by the author.
Daydreamer feels a lot like the title. As in, you're walking with someone through a daydream and watching everything that they do - which may be a bonus for young readers who enjoy very, very close POV. At times, the story was disorienting because I was so close to Charles character that others that interrupted threw me completely off. I had a hard time navigating when he was in school, at home, in a dream.
I would have liked the story a lot more if I had more chances to walk around with the plethora of magical creatures. Many of them seem to make a cameo and not return, or when they are I wasn't sure what the purpose was. There is a lot of amazing dreamy nuggets of wisdom, which are sometimes well done and sometimes come off a little strong.
Overall not bad for a debut, and I look forward to Rob Cameron's imagination and more books by the author.
December 1, 2024
I am not the target audience for middle grades books, so when one grabs me and doesn't let go, I know it's a good one. This book held me from the first page, and I was rooting so hard for the protagonist the entire way through. Cameron paints a vivid contemporary fantasy world here, filled with skinwalkers trying to hide who they are - sometimes for good reasons, sometimes for evil ones. The protagonist is a black, dyslexic kid in a world where learning disabilities aren't as well understood as they are today. (The story is set in the 1980s) He's also part of a single parent household, and the other people who look after him don't always treat him properly. This book is teeming with good intentions and ulterior motives, and also touches on issues of abuse. There's a lot of loss and darkness in this book, and the ending didn't exactly feel happy to me, but it definitely had a note ovf hope. The last few chapters made me cry, but in a good way. So glad I read this.
January 8, 2025
This book resonated with me in a way that I didn't expect. My own eleven year old self felt seen as Charles uses his drawings and inspiration to create a safer world for himself, and how that world is threatened and destroyed by several creatures, including some we don't expect.
Cameron's writing is beautiful. His use of all five senses creates a visceral experience for the reader. I usually read with music on, but I found I was missing some of those senses by doing so. You get fully immersed in Charles's worlds, which are filled with mythical creatures from different countries and cultures. If there ever was a book for a middle grades ELA teacher to do a study of how authors use five senses in a great story, this is the master class.
Which is why when tragedy strikes towards the end of the book, it's a gut punch. I literally gasped and started sobbing, I'll admit it . Again, I wasn't expecting such a shock to the system, but it was there. It's just that good.
Cameron's writing is beautiful. His use of all five senses creates a visceral experience for the reader. I usually read with music on, but I found I was missing some of those senses by doing so. You get fully immersed in Charles's worlds, which are filled with mythical creatures from different countries and cultures. If there ever was a book for a middle grades ELA teacher to do a study of how authors use five senses in a great story, this is the master class.
Which is why when tragedy strikes towards the end of the book, it's a gut punch. I literally gasped and started sobbing, I'll admit it . Again, I wasn't expecting such a shock to the system, but it was there. It's just that good.
September 28, 2024
I think I might be the dragon
I title this review the way I do because of a specific line in the book. I don't consider it a spoiler, but if you see anything from a book revealed to be one, then stop here and skip to the last paragraph.
You good? You ready? Ok. Buckle up, buttercup.
There's a line that Arturo says, a former ward of Mr. Miles, the dragon, that goes "You will break the dragon's heart." Like I say in the title, I feel like I must be the dragon. This book is heartbreaking. It's beautiful, and wild, and confusing as all get out at times. It's deep and scary, and horrifically unfair. It's everything a child who's brain is wired differently enough to be considered a problem's world is like. I remember being a child thrust into places and groups I never asked to be, and never felt welcome in. I learned to skinwalk, like the Dreamfolk in this book. Fantastical creatures that cloak themselves in normalcy to survive, for protection. I often felt like I must not be a human, that my shell was a ruse. I couldn't possibly be human, if these were humans.
Charles is a dragon that cannot cloak himself. He sees enormously. He dreams with the fortitude of mountains. He is confounded by the measly bindings of human words. And his life is not fair. It's not even remotely so. Almost nothing works out for him, be it from his flaws or from his virtues. Because that is life. That is existence. You ride with him, as he tells you a story, filled with goblin kings and vicious trolls, doppelgangers and Jabberwocks. You see the world he lives as it is conflated with, represented by, and melded into the fantastical world he uses to protect himself, and that he cannot be protected from.
And as an adult who knows we should do better for our children, and who grew up also surrounded by adults who didn't, my heart breaks. Nearly on every page. In the most cathartic way imaginable. In this book I am seen. I have scales under my skin, and fire in my belly. And my heart is broken.
In the end, Charles knows who he is better than he does at the beginning. A process he'll likely go through for the rest of his life, as it should be. Becoming more of who he is, solidifying himself as the Daydreamer. I cannot recommend this book enough. But I must warn you. And I have.
I title this review the way I do because of a specific line in the book. I don't consider it a spoiler, but if you see anything from a book revealed to be one, then stop here and skip to the last paragraph.
You good? You ready? Ok. Buckle up, buttercup.
There's a line that Arturo says, a former ward of Mr. Miles, the dragon, that goes "You will break the dragon's heart." Like I say in the title, I feel like I must be the dragon. This book is heartbreaking. It's beautiful, and wild, and confusing as all get out at times. It's deep and scary, and horrifically unfair. It's everything a child who's brain is wired differently enough to be considered a problem's world is like. I remember being a child thrust into places and groups I never asked to be, and never felt welcome in. I learned to skinwalk, like the Dreamfolk in this book. Fantastical creatures that cloak themselves in normalcy to survive, for protection. I often felt like I must not be a human, that my shell was a ruse. I couldn't possibly be human, if these were humans.
Charles is a dragon that cannot cloak himself. He sees enormously. He dreams with the fortitude of mountains. He is confounded by the measly bindings of human words. And his life is not fair. It's not even remotely so. Almost nothing works out for him, be it from his flaws or from his virtues. Because that is life. That is existence. You ride with him, as he tells you a story, filled with goblin kings and vicious trolls, doppelgangers and Jabberwocks. You see the world he lives as it is conflated with, represented by, and melded into the fantastical world he uses to protect himself, and that he cannot be protected from.
And as an adult who knows we should do better for our children, and who grew up also surrounded by adults who didn't, my heart breaks. Nearly on every page. In the most cathartic way imaginable. In this book I am seen. I have scales under my skin, and fire in my belly. And my heart is broken.
In the end, Charles knows who he is better than he does at the beginning. A process he'll likely go through for the rest of his life, as it should be. Becoming more of who he is, solidifying himself as the Daydreamer. I cannot recommend this book enough. But I must warn you. And I have.
July 16, 2024
Wow. Rob Cameron is a poetic genius. He grabbed me right up front with his lyrical Author's Message and offered a view sunk deep in a neurodiverse child's world--a child who lives through daydreams and who battles real life affronts and violence. Cameron paints scenes that come alive through all our senses, both exciting and chilling. Librarians and teachers: this is an important and insightful book that doesn't pull punches to add to your offerings. I also recommend Daydreamer for children of all ages--we adults will do well to immerse ourselves in such a view.
(Note: I read an advance copy via NetGallery and this is my honest review)
(Note: I read an advance copy via NetGallery and this is my honest review)
June 14, 2024
I was fortunate: I got to read this in ARC form. I don't throw the word "classic" around easily, but this book wears that mantle well. It's the kind of story that grows with kids as they grow, and reminds adults to stay wary of sibilant whispers whether they come from external sources or originate from points lodged in our heads. A magnificent coming-of-power story which lays a groundwork for repeat readings. 20 years from now people who are no longer children will pull their tattered copy out...and dream.
August 7, 2024
Daydreamer is a wonderful story! It's the type of book that's perfect for young readers and adults! It starts out as a light hearted and becomes a powerful and enlightening story! It's full of diversity, fantasy, imagination, lore and many different cultures! Once I got started I couldn't put this book down! I was sucked right into Charles' world and the ending was wonderful! Daydreamer was an absolutely amazing heartwarming read! Thank you StoryGram Tours, Rob Cameron and Random House Kids for sharing this book with me!
May 11, 2025
I should have DNFd this book. I did not because it's part of the reads that I need to complete for a professional development project. This book, ostensibly aimed at middle grade readers, lost me multiple times throughout the narrative. I could not figure out how much of the fantastical elements were supposed to be real (Actual fantasy) and how much stemmed from possible mental illness, something that the author mentioned in his note that prefaced the novel. Unfortunately, I do not recommend this book.
August 11, 2024
Thanks to NetGalley & Random House Children's for the copy in exchange for an honest review. Sadly, I DNF'ed at 20% of the way through.
I honestly had no idea what was going on in this book. It's very disjointed, confusing, and bizarre--a combination that makes it hard to follow. I thought for a moment I was going to be able to follow along but it just got even more confusing. I think it's the writing style that's my main issue--the world itself is compelling enough and it has vibrant characters, but I can barely follow the thread with the disjointed writing style. Not for me.
I honestly had no idea what was going on in this book. It's very disjointed, confusing, and bizarre--a combination that makes it hard to follow. I thought for a moment I was going to be able to follow along but it just got even more confusing. I think it's the writing style that's my main issue--the world itself is compelling enough and it has vibrant characters, but I can barely follow the thread with the disjointed writing style. Not for me.
August 10, 2024
I loved this middle grade book! It really shown a light on not only a beautifully written urban fantasy but the life and struggles of growing up in a big city and how that reflects on you as a kid and into adulthood. The lore and magic world building was unique but easy to handle! This was a emotional rollercoaster that you might not want to come back from. A stunning book that kids will love and should read!
Thank you to the author and tbrandbeyond tours!
Thank you to the author and tbrandbeyond tours!
September 12, 2024
What a fantastic, beautiful roller coaster of a boy’s story between his fantasy and his city reality. I wish I’d known to prep the tissues but I’ll be re reading this and recommending it, for sure! Loved the representation and how everything is portrayed and dealt with in the book.
March 2, 2025
Great book, worth a read with the whole family - loved the seamless weaving of reality and fantasy in order to better explain the complicated and intense inner lives of children like Charles
Read
May 14, 2025This book was much. It’s very heavy and sad. My 4th grader was engaged and wanted to finish it but we agreed that these topics masked in daydreams were so sad.
April 5, 2025
Tween Fantasy Fiction.
August 10, 2024
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Charles lives in the Beatrix building in New York City in 1986 with his mother, who is studying to be a nurse. Since his father is not around, he is frequently babysat by either Mrs. Hwang, an older Korean woman, or the building superintendent, Mr. Miles. Charles often thinks of the building as the Sanctuary, and pretends that the residents are "dream folk"who have moved there to get the protection of Mr. Miles in his dragon form, sometimes referred to as Glory. Charles has two imaginary best friends, Ruby, who is based on a real friend hw had who moved away, and Fig, who is a dwarf. These thoughts sometimes spill over into school, where he imagines that the twins who bully him are "ogres". School is difficult for Charles, who can't read and frequently gets in trouble. When a father and son move into the building, there's a lot more trouble to be had as evil magical characters start to infiltrate the building. Mr. Calixte and his son, Junior, are identified as being trolls by Mr. Miles, and he tells Charles to steer clear of them. Junior tells Chalres that he doesn't like his father, and would rather be called Will. The two become good friends. Charles starts to be attacked by a large variety of dream folk who cause all sorts of problems. Mr. Miles gives him a "magic pen", and Charles tries to control what is going on through his drawings, but he can't stop a Tokoloshe from possessing him, doppelgangers from running wild, or creatures from the Place Between from getting loose. He works with Mr. Miles and even Mrs. Hwang to fight against the creatures, but it's a constant battle, in the same way it's a battle for people in New York City at this period in history to battle rolling blackouts, the crack epidemic, and fires in apartment buildings like the nearby Riley Towers. Children from Charles' school are going missing, and he and Mr. Miles believe that the Calixtes are behind it. Will they be able to fighting against these forces to make their apartment building safe?
Strengths: This combined a New York setting with a wide variety of culturally connected fantasy creatures and even quoted Carroll's The Jabberwock frequently. There's a great found family in the Beatrix, and the descriptions of the prewar apartment building as well as the residents. Charles and his mom have a great relationship, since it's "just you and me" (the mother's code for "I love you"). There is nonstop action for most of the book, and readers who want fantasy battles will be quite happy with the level of conflict, as well as Charles' ability to be triumphant. The author has quite an impressive list of speculative fiction writing credits and is a teacher. (http://www.rob-cameron.com/)
Weaknesses: Since this was set in 1986, I felt like there was some history behind a lot of the action that I didn't understand, and that maybe the fires were similar to the ones in Woodson's Remember Us. I also felt like the missing children might have a basis in reality, but I couldn't find information about specifics like Riley Towers online. I was in college at this time and had limited access to the news, so feel like I was missing a lot of history. Also, if the book description hadn't said that Charles was neurdivergent, I wouldn't have picked it up from the text.
What I really think: This is a very long fantasy book that will be popular with fans of Eggers' The Eyes and the Impossible or other allegorical fantasy books like Malinenko's This Appearing House or Reynolds' Izzy at the End of the World. There are some similarities in place and time with Zoboi's My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. It will probably win several awards, so I would definitely take a look at this one.
I don't have the readers for this type of fantasy, so will probably pass on purchase.
Charles lives in the Beatrix building in New York City in 1986 with his mother, who is studying to be a nurse. Since his father is not around, he is frequently babysat by either Mrs. Hwang, an older Korean woman, or the building superintendent, Mr. Miles. Charles often thinks of the building as the Sanctuary, and pretends that the residents are "dream folk"who have moved there to get the protection of Mr. Miles in his dragon form, sometimes referred to as Glory. Charles has two imaginary best friends, Ruby, who is based on a real friend hw had who moved away, and Fig, who is a dwarf. These thoughts sometimes spill over into school, where he imagines that the twins who bully him are "ogres". School is difficult for Charles, who can't read and frequently gets in trouble. When a father and son move into the building, there's a lot more trouble to be had as evil magical characters start to infiltrate the building. Mr. Calixte and his son, Junior, are identified as being trolls by Mr. Miles, and he tells Charles to steer clear of them. Junior tells Chalres that he doesn't like his father, and would rather be called Will. The two become good friends. Charles starts to be attacked by a large variety of dream folk who cause all sorts of problems. Mr. Miles gives him a "magic pen", and Charles tries to control what is going on through his drawings, but he can't stop a Tokoloshe from possessing him, doppelgangers from running wild, or creatures from the Place Between from getting loose. He works with Mr. Miles and even Mrs. Hwang to fight against the creatures, but it's a constant battle, in the same way it's a battle for people in New York City at this period in history to battle rolling blackouts, the crack epidemic, and fires in apartment buildings like the nearby Riley Towers. Children from Charles' school are going missing, and he and Mr. Miles believe that the Calixtes are behind it. Will they be able to fighting against these forces to make their apartment building safe?
Strengths: This combined a New York setting with a wide variety of culturally connected fantasy creatures and even quoted Carroll's The Jabberwock frequently. There's a great found family in the Beatrix, and the descriptions of the prewar apartment building as well as the residents. Charles and his mom have a great relationship, since it's "just you and me" (the mother's code for "I love you"). There is nonstop action for most of the book, and readers who want fantasy battles will be quite happy with the level of conflict, as well as Charles' ability to be triumphant. The author has quite an impressive list of speculative fiction writing credits and is a teacher. (http://www.rob-cameron.com/)
Weaknesses: Since this was set in 1986, I felt like there was some history behind a lot of the action that I didn't understand, and that maybe the fires were similar to the ones in Woodson's Remember Us. I also felt like the missing children might have a basis in reality, but I couldn't find information about specifics like Riley Towers online. I was in college at this time and had limited access to the news, so feel like I was missing a lot of history. Also, if the book description hadn't said that Charles was neurdivergent, I wouldn't have picked it up from the text.
What I really think: This is a very long fantasy book that will be popular with fans of Eggers' The Eyes and the Impossible or other allegorical fantasy books like Malinenko's This Appearing House or Reynolds' Izzy at the End of the World. There are some similarities in place and time with Zoboi's My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich. It will probably win several awards, so I would definitely take a look at this one.
I don't have the readers for this type of fantasy, so will probably pass on purchase.
July 31, 2024
Daydreamer brought me back to my own childhood, the pure joy of escape through the power of imagination, and the adventures, monsters, and secrets I craved in stories at that age. The book starts off light-hearted but we glimpse around the edges of our character's point of view the fuller real world struggles going on. Rich and lyrical lore gives the fantastical world a sense of great depth that feels rare in middle grade. And as the story goes on, everything hurtles toward the conclusion that had me staying up reading late into the night.
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