Gossamer - Lois Lowry

Genre: Fantasy
Grades 4 & up

Every once in awhile you come across a story that really touches you - Gossamer by Lois Lowry is one of these stories. Littlest One and Thin Elderly are Dream-givers, creatures that come to us while we are sleeping, create dreams based on fragments of memories they pick up from our belongings then bestow those dreams into our heads. Littlest One and Thin Elderly work at the home of an old lady that has taken in a foster child named John. John has lived a tough life, a life where he and his mother have been abused by John's alcoholic father. John's mother is trying to get her act together so that she can get John back, but it is a tough road. When John first gets to the old lady's house he is very angry and not capable of trusting others. This leaves him very vulnerable to attacks by Sinisteeds, evil horse-like entities that are responsible for nightmares. It is the job of Little One and Thin Elderly to strengthen him with good dreams, the only way to protect John from the Sinisteeds.

I found this to be a really engaging story, sometimes sad but in the end uplifting. The story of John's mom was particularly moving - it made me think about my mom who had to work so hard and sacrifice so much to keep our family together. This book is easily accessible to a wide age range. The writing is simple enough for a fourth grader to get but the story can be enjoyed by older teens as well.