BOOK REVIEW: Lizzie's Dream Journal by Charlie King

Lizzie's Dream Journal

Author: Charlie King

Genre: MG Fantasy / Adventure
Publication Date: 12 December 2020

Book Description:

After the death of her father, Lizzie Barnes’ life takes an interesting turn when her mum brings home a journal.

Lizzie decides to use the journal to write short stories involving her beloved teddy bear Rodford and his arch-enemy Dr Ofdor, a villainous grizzly bear.

She soon notices it is no ordinary journal as people around her begin to have dreams based around her stories.

When Lizzie begins to experience the dreams for herself, she finds that as the creator, the rules of the journal can work against her.

Lizzie, with the help of Rodford and a rat named Ridgeley, must explore the different worlds while facing the dangers she created, including Dr Ofdor, to free herself from the workings of the journal.

Buy Links:

Amazon US ¦ UK

MY REVIEW

Lizzie's father has just passed away, and she refuses to let anyone at her school know that he has died, including her best friend, Sophie. To help Lizzie cope with the passing of her father, her mother gifts her a journal for her to write down her feelings, but Lizzie isn't interested in sharing her thoughts about her father, so she instead decides to create stories. What starts off as a fun and exciting new hobby, however, soon start to invade Lizzie's life as her stories start to come to life, threatening to endanger not only her but also the people around her.

This was a fun, adventurous and magical story with a lot of emotional depth and delivery. The topics at hand, though heartbreaking at times, was handled with care. It will be hard for those who can relate to Lizzie's situation as it may bring up emotions and feelings that might have been or is still difficult to address, but I think a story like this can be therapeutic for those struggling with loss, especially young children who have lost a parent. I would have liked some of the characters to have been a little more fleshed out as they were rather one dimensional and some were significant characters in Lizzie's life, which should have made a little more memorable.

Loved the ending. Very moving and satisfying. Overall, it was a really enjoyable story with a very likeable protagonist who carried the story well.

VERDICT:

Rating: 4 Star

Source: Author