 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Gossamer
- By Lois Lowry
- Genre: Fantasy
Common Sense Media says
Abused kid gets otherworldly help; magical enough.
Parents say
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that while nothing is described graphically, there are clear references to child abuse.
What's the story?
There are dream-givers, who haunt our homes each night, collecting scraps of memories from our belongings and then bestowing them on us as dreams. There are Sinisteeds, who are former dream givers turned dark, who inflict nightmares, and sometimes attack in Hordes.
And there is an angry boy, taken from an abusive home and placed in foster care with a lonely old woman. The old woman needs the strength to help the boy, his mother needs to pull her life together to get him back, and the boy has become the focus of a Horde. The only help available to any of them are a very young dream-giver-in-training and her elderly mentor.
Is it any good?
This is an oddly magical little story from the author of Number the Stars (about the Holocaust) and The Giver (about a dystopian society). But it's oddly compelling as well, and kids -- especially those having trouble with dreams and sleeping -- might be enchanted by the image of the sweet little dream-givers and their battles with Sinisteeds.
The juxtaposition of this sweetly reassuring part of the story with the serious abuse that the boy has endured is a bit jarring, though author Lois Lowry handles it delicately. Still, a child sensitive enough to revel in the dream-givers might need some adult explanation of how a father could do these kinds of things to his child.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about the role of happy and unhappy memories in prompting dreams and nightmares, and can also use the plot as a launching pad to discuss the concept of dreams.
What purpose do dreams serve -- and can they strengthen you?
What are some of the best and worst dreams you've ever had?
Do you have any recurring dreams?
What do you think they mean?
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Kid, 11 years old
October 7, 2009
AGE
Gossamer is an awesome book!
Gossamer is a really good book but also a little bit sad. There are a few laughs in it. I really enjoyed it.
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AGE
Okay book.
The book was a little boring at first,
in then end of the book i felt like i wanted to sleep and have a good dream. :)
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AGE
pretty good, actually
it was a good book, in my opinion. I can't understand why common sense media only gave it three stars. I felt bad for the boys mom, because she loved her son and she really wanted him back. I would recommend this book to people nine and up.
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AGE
Fun, just don't do a report on it!
This book is pretty good, when I was in 6th grade, we did a book report on it. The book itself was very good, but the report made it tedious and dry, but I learned new things that I didn't know about the author and the inspiration of Gossamer.
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AGE
I liked this book a lot. I thought it had a good message and had a very good ending. It is a short book so you can read it pretty fast.
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AGE
Not Magical, in a Fantasy Sense
I loved this book. Yeah, it's not extremely interesting or magical, but it's the idea that's good. I would've expected better from such an idea, and Lois Lowry.
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AGE
hmmmmmmm.......
This book reminds me of somethin I read in 3rd grade. I do not remember what it was called, but it had some of the same stuff. Ghostly dream- givers.
In all, this book, in a certain way, is quite cute. Littlest One (Gossamer) reminds me of typical, never- stop- asking- questions children these days. Although it is partially sad, looking through the young mother's eyes, it is a pleasurable book, and I think, at least when you are in Elementary school, you should read it.
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AGE
enjoyable read for ages 8 - 14
Gossamer was a short book I enjoyed reading. The style of writing is interesting, switching from different points of view. It has a charming plot with an enjoyable, modest hero, and a subplot with deeper themes. Not exactly age-appropriate for a bedtime story for little ones, but a good read best for a 5th to 7th grader.
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| Author: | Lois Lowry |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | Fantasy |
| Publisher: | Houghton Mifflin Children's Books |
| Publication date: | May 14, 2006 |
| Number of pages: | 140 |
| Hardcover price: | $16.00 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 10 - 14 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 9 |
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