Its a Dreamland

By Alyssa G.

In Sarah Dessen's, Dreamland  there is a girl named Caitlin. This book starts with her older sister, Cassandra, running away from the family, leaving them in distress. This leaves Caitlin in the position to fill her "perfect" sisters spot. She goes out for the cheer-leading squad and even tried to date a preppy jock just to fit in. That all changed when she met the mysterious bad-boy, Rogerson.  This story will have you wanting to slam the book shut but keep reading all at the same time. Its a drama and romance in one. Sarah Dessen has done it again, as she did in some of her previous stories such as Just Listen and The Truth About Forever.

The definition of heartbreaking? This book is it. It holds so much pain and feelings of being broken and drained. The book is so pure. The protagonist, Caitlin, feels like she is always second to her sister and that she can never measure up. I personally can relate to her, seeing as I am also a second child. She portrays these feelings in  such a way that could be understandable to all readers. Dessen included the use of drugs in this novel. Rogerson is a dealer so it was bound to come up. She shows the dangers of drug use without sounding like the "everyday health teacher".  

Sarah Dessen shows us that sometimes to overcome problems, you have to suffer through the pain. This book shows how life actually works instead of just giving us the "Hollywood Outcome." Nothing truly happens like in the movies and she definitely proves this point throughout the novel.

Dreamland is definitely worth the read. If you are looking for an uplifting story, this one may not be the one, but I highly recommend that you give it a try.  The author does an excellent job telling the story and tells it in a way that will make you not want to put the book down! If you want to read it, you can simply get it at your nearest book store or public library. Enjoy the emotional roller-coaster you will encounter.

Dreamland by Sarah Dessen, Speak publishing, May 2004, 250 pages