Dreamland Lake

by Richard Peck

Flip and Brian have been best friends since grade school. But everything changes during the spring of seventh grade. That's when they find a man lying dead in the leaves near Dreamland Lake. What happens in the summer that follows will change the course of their friendship—and their lives—forever.

Genres: Young Adult, Coming Of Age, Fiction, Childrens, Mystery

160 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1973

About the author

Richard Peck was an American novelist known for his prolific contributions to modern young adult literature. He was awarded the Newbery Medal in 2001 for his novel A Year Down Yonder. For his cumulative contribution to young-adult literature, he received the Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association in 1990.

Reviews

[Jim Thomsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

DREAMLAND LAKE is one of those novels I read in my preteen years in the 1970s that made me wonder why kids didn't die more often in the company of other kids once they slipped the bonds of civilization in the woods or an isolated house or something. It captures that truly terrifying reality that, like LORD OF THE FLIES, once kids are away from the perceived authority and prying eyes of grownups, the law of the jungle applies. That feeling that once a kid gets angry or animated and away from any form of adult checking, things could easily go too far. Maybe you push another kid and he falls down wrong on his head or his neck, Maybe you abandon one and he can't find his way home. Maybe you're playing with a knife or a baseball bat and something slips. Nobody really means to do it, but you know how it is, sometimes things go a little too far ...

DREAMLAND LAKE evokes that dread, perfectly. It's a simple story on a jacket-copy level: Two boys in early 1970s small-town Indiana get interested in the history of a since-removed amusement park ... and so does a third boy, fat and friendless, eager to bond with them and enthusiastic to a disturbing degree with Nazi iconography and ideology. Add in a dead body in those deep woods, and well ... sometimes things go a little too far. Richard Peck understands this all too well, and his ability to evoke the thrumming dread of death in the midst of innocence strikes just the right off-note of horror that will keep you turning page after page.

[Jason Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was great, though I understand why a lot of people might not like it, especially if they read the blurb on the back of my book. It's the same as the one on goodreads mentioning two boys finding a dead body, but mine also goes into them finding swastikas carved around the place, a mystery, and some other stuff. It's not an inaccurate blurb, but it spins ones expectations in the wrong direction. I was going into this expecting a thriller of sorts, but what I got instead was a wonderful coming of age story. This was no skin off my nose since I love those, but if you're not into them I'd understand you crying "FOUL" at the publisher for their misdirection.

I was also expecting to not like this at all. I got this in seventh or eighth grade when the reading lab teacher was cleaning out some of her inventory at the end of the year. I may have tried reading it then, but it obviously didn't take. I tried again around 2002/2003 (age 23/24), made it 50 pages, found it to be a little too boring, and set it aside. It never left my mind or my shelf though, and I was determined to get it done one day. Apparently age 39 was the right time, because as I stated before, it was great. Maybe I enjoyed it more than I should've because my expectations were so low, especially after looking at other reviews and ratings on here; I don't know.

Bonus: Richard Peck writes really well. I don't expect good literature in my young adult novels, but this one had it.

The story had potential to go a lot of different places, including adventure/thriller/horror, etc., but I'm so glad it didn't. The ending would've really sucked if it turned out that Elvan had killed the tramp. But he didn't. He was just a fat, awkward outcast (with admittedly questionable interests, e.g. Nazis) who wanted to be liked by Flip and Bryan, or anybody really, so he was willing to tell whatever lie he needed to make that happen. That would've lamed this up something fierce and driven it down into two star territory.

And the characters. They were so believable. I love true-to-life people in my books, and all of their antics fit perfectly with 12/13 year-olds. They do stuff that doesn't always make sense, but it's not supposed to. I look back at that age in my life and sometimes wonder if I had accidentally ingested crack on a few occasions. And those oh so wonderful magic puberty changes. And the desire to become your own person while simultaneously wanting to do other big people stuff with your parents. A lot of that is covered rather masterfully in this book.

Check this out if you like a good boy's coming-of-age tale with the perfect amount of suspense and mystery thrown in. Like I said, I was never quite sure where it was going as I was reading, but I'm plenty glad it got where it went.

[Mike · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, this is the only time I've been disappointed in a Richard Peck story. It starts off well enough, but it goes pretty much nowhere. The fact that I began to skim increasingly as it headed towards the end shows how disappointed I was.
Peck teases us with the possibility of a mystery story but winds up with...well, I don't know. Unlike his other books, where a series of episodes that don't seem to connect eventually work into a plot, this one's just a series of episodes. It's barely even a coming-of-age story, as some reviewers have said, and while the relationship between the two boys is reasonably well done, there's nowhere for them to go, and some of their behaviour just doesn't add up.
The writing is mostly in Peck's familiar style, but it lacks his humour - except on brief occasions - and the attempts to build up a sense of horror never came off, for me.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamland Lake is a short novel, which I guess is supposed to target the YA crowd, although it has mild swearing and some pretty dark topics. It has you hooked from the early pages. This tale begins when two boys, who are interested in the history of their small town, discover that there once was an amusement park where there is now an overgrown park with a lake. The kids find the remains of the concrete supports of the long gone roller coaster and stumble across a dead body. Afterwards there are various chapters which develop the characters but do little to move the plot forward. The mystery of the dead body, itself sort of dies. There is a lot of time spent instead describing visiting art museums, a shocking discovery in some other kid's house, swimming lessons, body hair and long distance trucking but the initial corpse - and any hopes of truly discovering what happened to the dead guy, appears to be forgotten. The book instead meanders all over the place and it is clear that the only thing important to the writer is the relationship between the two main characters and how they are destined to grow apart. I think it was an interesting and short read but to me it seemed incomplete and a book that fell short of its potential. 3/5

[Bela Sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dreamland Lake, by Richard Peck, was a very interesting novel.I must admit, the cover and preview of the book made me very excited. However, it wasn't my favorite. It wasn't bad either. In my opinion, it started getting boring in the middle, because it's supposed to make you feel the suspense of the traumatic events. However, I felt like I was just reading some odd events. Don't get me wrong, I loved the words the author used to describe the feelings of Brian and the colors of the wooded area. For example,“ But, by the end of March, the trees were beginning to leaf out. The little creek that fed into the lake was almost at flood tide… the crocuses were up, purple and yellow.” ( pg. 1 ).

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Richard Peck should be read in every junior high English class.
Dreamland Lake is a quick and easy read with an intense portrait of boys looking for adventure and finding it in the worst possible way. I wish some plot points had been fleshed out more (ie: Elvan's obsession with Nazis). The ending was sudden but you knew it was coming when Elvan crossed the bridge.
One thing about Richard Peck is that he isn't afraid to feature subjects other authors might shy away from. This book has death, Nazis, and juvenile death in a book for young adults. I highly recommend anything written by this author.

[Carrie Dalby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Retrospective, coming-of-age tale in the vein of "The Body"/"Stand by Me" (published a decade earlier--it's not a copy.) Interesting read, though not my favorite Peck novel.
P.S. Mild language through out, but not overly done.

[Megan Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was not my favorite. It was about two boys who found a dead body and get a ton of publicity about it. They had taken pictures and realized someone was in the pictures behind them. They realized it was one of their classmates and they form an interesting bond along the way. The two boys drift apart throughout the book, and it ends in a tragic accident that separates the two boys' friendship for good. This book would be good for a lesson on adventures or safety.

[Rebecca Brothers · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is only Peck's second novel. He was still feeling for his footing here, I think. But he grabs us by the throat with his use of easy voices and middle School kids. He's so good at that. The plot is convoluted a little and the ending is not satisfying. I know Peck says in other places he doesn't want us to be satisfied. But there were a lot of loose strings in the plot that are never explained. I'm so glad he kept writing!!!

[Debbie Koester · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Dreamland Lake" by Richard Peck. I had not read it before and besides the coming of age story for the two boys, it was fascinating trying to figure out the different streets, the park, and other things here in Decatur that he changed the names. It also had me look up the history of Dreamland Lake and Fairview Park.

[Shirley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dreamland Lake is a well-written seventh or eighth grade novel that should appeal to most boys. I hate snakes, but Flip’s treatment of the puff adder repulsed me. The novel ended abruptly after a very climactic event.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have read a lot of reviews of this novel being a rip off of Stephen King's "The Body." It was written in 1973, so the readers are incorrect. I liked the book.

[Ellie Peterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

The back makes it seem like a murder mystery, but the first page literally says it isn't, so kind of mixed messages. It was good though, I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could.

[Lynn Stuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prose is beautiful but the story falters. It simply does not hang together well.

[David Hesson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Catching up from my childhood. Interesting for your time. Not sure it holds up.

[Eden Silverfox · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is about two best friends who find a dead body near a duck pond, which was once called Dreamland Lake.

I was excited about reading this book. I first found the book through my library's website over the summer and I finally borrowed it. From the book description, it sounded awesome and definitely like my type of my book. However, I was greatly disappointed.

I couldn't get into the book. It was a few different things, I suppose. Bryan, the one who is the narrator of the book, just kind of seems like he doesn't care too much about what happened. He's telling the story just to tell it. It also moved slow and I just really couldn't get into it at all, even though I badly wanted to. This was a book I've really been wanting to read since the summer began.
I won't discourage others from reading this. I'm sure others will enjoy it, but it just wasn't for me.

[Pat · Rating 1 out of 5]

I've read a couple of Richard Peck's books and really liked them, but I was very dissatisfied with this one. There were hints dropped all along the way of things that would happen in the end, but those things never happened. It ended so abruptly, it felt like a couple of chapters were missing.
Didn't really care for the story line either. Sorry. :(

[Tisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book wasn't horrible, it just had absolutly no point. I kept reading the whole time thinking that soon I would figure out what the point of the book was, but the point never appeared. The story was just over all of a sudden. It didn't really have a climax or anything that that. It just sort of talked about what a couple of boys did a few years of their lives.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this because it was Richard Peck.
It was o.k. Two young teenage boys and their friendship and the ending of it.
Time period is the 70's, I think?
There is a bit of a mystery and some sadness.

[Stephanie A. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Looks like it would be an exciting action and/or mystery book, but "exciting" applies to almost nothing here.

[Barbara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, finding the body is secondary in this coming of age story. What becomes important is what the boys learn about themselves and each other that creates the thought provoking story.

[C-shaw · Rating 2 out of 5]

A library book by a YA writer who has won the Newbery Honor. The story was rather pointless, sort of a knockoff of Stephen King's _Stand By Me_. Not bad, just needed a better conclusion.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Intriguing and suspenseful. There's some good twists and it's an entertaining gothic YA novel.

[Jack Heath]

Synopsis: two lads have been friends for years; in grade seven, they find a body near Dreamland Lake. It changes things.