Jake, Lucid Dreamer by David J. Naiman
12-year-old Jake has been suppressing his heartbreak over the loss of his mother for the past four years. But his emotions have a way of haunting his dreams and bubbling to the surface when he least expects it. When Jake learns how to take control in his dreams, he becomes a lucid dreamer, and that’s when the battle really heats up.
Using his wits to dodge bullies by day and a nefarious kangaroo hopping ever closer by night, Jake learns about loss, bravery, the power of love, and how you cannot fully heal until you face your greatest fear. This uncompromising novel is a magical yet honest exploration of emotional healing after a devastating loss.
Praise for Jake, Lucid Dreamer
“A fantastical tale with a powerful message” raves SPR.
Described as a “poignant coming-of-age novel (that) offers a sensitive and honest examination of a child’s spiritual and emotional battles” by The BookLife Prize.
2018 Purple Dragonfly Book Award First Place winner for Middle Grade fiction
2018 International Book Award Silver Medal Winner Readers’ Favorite for Coming of Age
Author’s Bio
After graduating from Wesleyan University, David J. Naiman obtained his medical degree at New York University School of Medicine and trained in the primary care internal medicine program at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. Writing nights and weekends, he published the award-winning #1 Amazon bestselling novel Didn’t Get Frazzled, a work of humorous medical fiction for adults, under the pen name David Z Hirsch.
From there, David turned to children’s literature to pursue the themes of family, friendship and the magic of childhood that continue to inspire him. Jake, Lucid Dreamer is his first middle grade novel.
When he’s not writing, David toils in the front lines of primary care, battling scourges like diabetes, heart disease, and insurance companies, although probably not in that order. He lives in Maryland with his wife and two sons.
My Review
5 Stars
Jake is having a hard time processing the sudden loss of his mother four years ago. The twelve year old has anger issues, vivid dreams, the stress of dealing with his home life, and he is getting bullied at school. The dreams seem to be an extension of the events that he is going through in real life. But then he figures out a way to affect the dreams and change the outcomes. As he starts working through his dreams we find that he is finding solutions to his waking problems too.
This is a great story that will appeal to kids and adults. Jake is having a hard time working through his grief over his mother. The loss of someone close is very hard and this is well written. There is no simple way to deal with this and Jake is clearly lost. I feel that dreams are an extension of our waking life and in this story they play a huge role with Jake to start processing his loss.
This is a quick yet powerful read. It’s hard to try and help someone that has gone through such a tough loss. We can listen to them, relate, and be there when they need help but we can’t really help them simply get over it. This books is a great example of this and I think a wonderful read for all ages.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. I voluntarily chose to read and post an honest review.
I would like to thank the Author for the opportunity to read and share this book.
jbronderbookreviews 
Leave a Reply