The Book of Stolen Dreams

Two siblings are tasked with keeping a magical text out of a despotic ruler’s hands in this bustling children’s debut, a duology opener, from playwright and screenwriter Farr. Following the invasion of Krasnia, the militarized New World Order led by Charles Malstain results quickly in censorship and regulation—especially of children. On Rachel Klein’s 11th birthday, she and her brother Robert witness the arrest of their librarian father after he takes The Book of Stolen Dreams, a magical tome “hundreds of years old and the strangest and most beautiful book in the whole library,” from his workplace. Their mother’s death soon follows, and now-12-year-old Rachel and 13-year-old Robert, subsequently separated, risk everything to keep the powerful book from Malstain and to find a missing page. While Robert is ensnared in political intrigue, Rachel seeks to find him, with help from a mysterious family of illustrators. Alternating between the siblings’ perspectives, third-person narration breaks the fourth wall, leavening fittingly dark matter with humor and whimsical details that will appeal to readers of Kelly Barnhill and Lemony Snicket, while a poignant finale revives the plot’s uneven momentum. Protagonists read as white. Ages 8–12. Agent: Stephanie Thwaites, Curtis Brown (U.K.). (May)