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Ever since she was eight years old, high school student Janie Hannagan has been uncontrollably drawn into other people's dreams, but it is not until she befriends an elderly nursing home patient and becomes involved with an enigmatic fellow-student that she discovers her true power.Tags
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Fascinating and edgy take on what could have been cliche; the power to enter and interact with dreams.
Janie has always felt that her ability to "fall" into the dreams of others is more curse than blessing. She has learned things she's never wanted to know about friends, classmates, and strangers. Janie knows better than anyone the kind of crazy, terrifying intimacies that occur during sleep.
But Janie knows that one way or another, she needs to get a handle on the power. Because strange clues are cropping up that suggest that her ability can be controlled, perhaps even for the purpose of helping others that struggle in their dreams. Helping her is the mysterious Cabel, the quiet but handsome loner, whose dreams are more like nightmares, show more and yet sometimes involve Janie in intriguing ways.
With a brilliant simple and almost prose-like writing style that conveys emotion in short, powerful bursts, this book traces what seems to be the beginning of Janie's journey. Dreams amusing, disturbing, and terrifying are related as Janie falls into them, and I love the way McMann writes them like real dreams, not in intense or flowery detail. There is little description, but the emotions are so vivid that the characters are developed well anyway. And there is something innately addicting about the characters, style, and concept, which makes me want the next book soon! show less
Janie has always felt that her ability to "fall" into the dreams of others is more curse than blessing. She has learned things she's never wanted to know about friends, classmates, and strangers. Janie knows better than anyone the kind of crazy, terrifying intimacies that occur during sleep.
But Janie knows that one way or another, she needs to get a handle on the power. Because strange clues are cropping up that suggest that her ability can be controlled, perhaps even for the purpose of helping others that struggle in their dreams. Helping her is the mysterious Cabel, the quiet but handsome loner, whose dreams are more like nightmares, show more and yet sometimes involve Janie in intriguing ways.
With a brilliant simple and almost prose-like writing style that conveys emotion in short, powerful bursts, this book traces what seems to be the beginning of Janie's journey. Dreams amusing, disturbing, and terrifying are related as Janie falls into them, and I love the way McMann writes them like real dreams, not in intense or flowery detail. There is little description, but the emotions are so vivid that the characters are developed well anyway. And there is something innately addicting about the characters, style, and concept, which makes me want the next book soon! show less
Dear Readers,
Wake, the first story in the Dream Catcher series, follows the story of seventeen-year-old Janie whom has an ordinary name, but lives a life far from ordinary. Most seventeen-year-olds worry about things like boys and popularity, but Janie worries she’ll fall asleep in a room with other people in it, and wake up trapped in another person’s dream. Yeah, it’s a weird thing to worry about . . . if you’re not Janie.
The first time I read Wake I was probably around eleven or twelve, in the sixth grade. I picked up a copy from the public library I had quickly become obsessed with the summer of my sixth grade year. It wasn’t long before I fell completely, head-over-heels in love with the story, and I was excited to read show more more. Back then it was a LOT easier to love a book – I didn’t know much about grammar, I just knew I really liked this story.
Unfortunately for Wake and my old sixth grade memories, I know a little more about grammar than I did when I first thumbed through the book (if this review is riddled with grammatical errors… I said “a little”) and it was filled with incomplete sentences, spelling errors, and bland simple sentences (which are even worse than incomplete sentences!). These nuisances were all I could concentrate on for the first few chapters. And while the story became more interesting towards the middle of the book, the grammatical errors were a problem up to the last page.
Even though I’m skeptical this book received any professional editing whatsoever, I did wind up enjoying the story. I especially enjoyed the “flashbacks” into Janie’s past that shows us events like the first time Janie became trapped in a dream (what an age to be trapped in a middle-aged man’s nightmare! YUCK!) and her first slumber party. They might be a typical and simple way to bring the past into a story, but I felt like it was one thing that worked for Wake.
The story became even more enjoying when Cabe enters the picture, especially when I realized he had his own little story within the book. It gave Wake a much-needed plot twist that ultimately kept me hooked until the end.
This book may have an intriguing premise that kept me from putting the book down, but it needs a lot of work to be truly engaging. The noteworthy publication house denotes professional editing, but the grammar reads self-edited. I have recently ordered a copy of the next book in the series, and I’m pleading with the gods of literature that McMann learns how to edit. If the grammar hasn’t improved, I will probably resort to sending the author a strongly worded email on her horribly inconvenient grammar.
Warning: This story involves much crying, miscommunication for an actual reason, catty jealousy from a secretly lesbian cheerleader, high school bullying, and lousy best friends. If these themes don’t work for you, don’t pick up a copy!
– One Curvy Blogger
PS. Gold star to those who catch my TBBT references! I freaking love that show. :D show less
Wake, the first story in the Dream Catcher series, follows the story of seventeen-year-old Janie whom has an ordinary name, but lives a life far from ordinary. Most seventeen-year-olds worry about things like boys and popularity, but Janie worries she’ll fall asleep in a room with other people in it, and wake up trapped in another person’s dream. Yeah, it’s a weird thing to worry about . . . if you’re not Janie.
The first time I read Wake I was probably around eleven or twelve, in the sixth grade. I picked up a copy from the public library I had quickly become obsessed with the summer of my sixth grade year. It wasn’t long before I fell completely, head-over-heels in love with the story, and I was excited to read show more more. Back then it was a LOT easier to love a book – I didn’t know much about grammar, I just knew I really liked this story.
Unfortunately for Wake and my old sixth grade memories, I know a little more about grammar than I did when I first thumbed through the book (if this review is riddled with grammatical errors… I said “a little”) and it was filled with incomplete sentences, spelling errors, and bland simple sentences (which are even worse than incomplete sentences!). These nuisances were all I could concentrate on for the first few chapters. And while the story became more interesting towards the middle of the book, the grammatical errors were a problem up to the last page.
Even though I’m skeptical this book received any professional editing whatsoever, I did wind up enjoying the story. I especially enjoyed the “flashbacks” into Janie’s past that shows us events like the first time Janie became trapped in a dream (what an age to be trapped in a middle-aged man’s nightmare! YUCK!) and her first slumber party. They might be a typical and simple way to bring the past into a story, but I felt like it was one thing that worked for Wake.
The story became even more enjoying when Cabe enters the picture, especially when I realized he had his own little story within the book. It gave Wake a much-needed plot twist that ultimately kept me hooked until the end.
This book may have an intriguing premise that kept me from putting the book down, but it needs a lot of work to be truly engaging. The noteworthy publication house denotes professional editing, but the grammar reads self-edited. I have recently ordered a copy of the next book in the series, and I’m pleading with the gods of literature that McMann learns how to edit. If the grammar hasn’t improved, I will probably resort to sending the author a strongly worded email on her horribly inconvenient grammar.
Warning: This story involves much crying, miscommunication for an actual reason, catty jealousy from a secretly lesbian cheerleader, high school bullying, and lousy best friends. If these themes don’t work for you, don’t pick up a copy!
– One Curvy Blogger
PS. Gold star to those who catch my TBBT references! I freaking love that show. :D show less
I know I have a ton of reviews to catch up on. However, I'm starting with my most recent read because it's the freshest in my mind. As soon as I read it, I wanted to talk about it - which is the whole reason of this blog. So, instead of letting it join in the notebook of jumbled reviews, I'm dealing with this computer to bring you a fresh review!
As a footnote, I'd like to say that I did actually read some other reviews and the author's book commentary before I started this review. I needed some information to make my rating completely justified, and I feel as though I have that now - which I will explain in further detail within my review.
When the book starts, you meet a present-day Janie dealing with what is your first insight into her show more "condition". You learn that whenever someone goes to sleep in her presence, she instantly gets sucked into it. She's not narcoleptic - she's actually aware of her surroundings during the whole thing - she just can't control her gift enough to get herself away from the dream. She doesn't tell anyone about what she has to go through, she just keeps to herself about it. If at all possible, she avoids being around anyone that falls asleep ... but school seems to be a problem, considering that kids can and do fall asleep in her classes. She's pretty used to the petty dreams that highschoolers have because they usually just center around that person, a crush they may have, or something more perverted. However, that changes one fateful night when she happens to drive past a house where a guy is having a nightmare and actually murders someone in his dream. It shakes Janie up - and shakes her up even more when she figures out that the murderer notices her in the dream.
I love the plot of this book. It's something that hasn't been touched on a lot in the YA genre and has a unique feel to it. Having said that, I have to point out my biggest problem with this book: the writing style. Short, choppy sentences. Incorrect grammar. Too many time flips. I do love the concept of the timestamp, but I feel as though it was overused. The positive to this was that the dates helped out a lot when it flipped from present to past, then back again. As I said before, I've read reviews and I've seen the commentary on the writing style - but, I just cannot accept it. Call me a grammar nazi if you'd like, but I'm a stickler on using complete, descriptive sentences. I don't believe in ending a short sentence, only to use "but" as the beginning of a new sentence. Yes, I know "but" can be used to begin a sentence when used with "for" or "what" as an idiom - I just don't agree with it. Nor do I recall if this was the case when used in this book - I'm just stuck on short sentences. I'm also shocked by the fact that people see the use of short, choppy sentences as "lyrical" and argues that such is better to keep the attention of young adults. As a student, I was taught in school that you have to pause after each period. Doing so in this book gives me a headache. Periods indicate the end of a complete thought. It's not the case in Wake.
The author argues that the reason it was written that way was because it was just the way she wrote it out the first time. I agree with this. As a writer, I know that most authors do tend to write short sentences when writing their first drafts. It allows the author to get everything out while their mind is going, and then they can go back and edit with more description. While this book had description, I didn't feel like it had enough. It was written in third person so it had the potential to give you a wonderful look at the world around the characters as well as more insightful feelings inside of the characters. I feel as though I was cheated of these things and felt as though the characters lacked growth and development because of it.
I'm getting off the subject of the review. Writing is a bit of a soft-spot for me. ;) Despite the writing, the story is wonderful. Normally, I tend to trash reading the rest of the series if the grammer gets to me, but I can't see myself doing it with this series. Why? The story is THAT good. The characters, while I feel I'm missing some of their depth, do have enough to them to keep me interested. Even if I don't know their past or most of their present, their actions can sometimes speak louder than words. My emotions did get tangled up in the story because these are true characters, most with not-so-perfect lives, that you can relate to. Janie is also NOT a Mary Sue ... and that is something in YA that you don't see much of. She's actually flawed and sometimes makes bad decisions. Like I said, you can definitely relate to the characters in the book. show less
As a footnote, I'd like to say that I did actually read some other reviews and the author's book commentary before I started this review. I needed some information to make my rating completely justified, and I feel as though I have that now - which I will explain in further detail within my review.
When the book starts, you meet a present-day Janie dealing with what is your first insight into her show more "condition". You learn that whenever someone goes to sleep in her presence, she instantly gets sucked into it. She's not narcoleptic - she's actually aware of her surroundings during the whole thing - she just can't control her gift enough to get herself away from the dream. She doesn't tell anyone about what she has to go through, she just keeps to herself about it. If at all possible, she avoids being around anyone that falls asleep ... but school seems to be a problem, considering that kids can and do fall asleep in her classes. She's pretty used to the petty dreams that highschoolers have because they usually just center around that person, a crush they may have, or something more perverted. However, that changes one fateful night when she happens to drive past a house where a guy is having a nightmare and actually murders someone in his dream. It shakes Janie up - and shakes her up even more when she figures out that the murderer notices her in the dream.
I love the plot of this book. It's something that hasn't been touched on a lot in the YA genre and has a unique feel to it. Having said that, I have to point out my biggest problem with this book: the writing style. Short, choppy sentences. Incorrect grammar. Too many time flips. I do love the concept of the timestamp, but I feel as though it was overused. The positive to this was that the dates helped out a lot when it flipped from present to past, then back again. As I said before, I've read reviews and I've seen the commentary on the writing style - but, I just cannot accept it. Call me a grammar nazi if you'd like, but I'm a stickler on using complete, descriptive sentences. I don't believe in ending a short sentence, only to use "but" as the beginning of a new sentence. Yes, I know "but" can be used to begin a sentence when used with "for" or "what" as an idiom - I just don't agree with it. Nor do I recall if this was the case when used in this book - I'm just stuck on short sentences. I'm also shocked by the fact that people see the use of short, choppy sentences as "lyrical" and argues that such is better to keep the attention of young adults. As a student, I was taught in school that you have to pause after each period. Doing so in this book gives me a headache. Periods indicate the end of a complete thought. It's not the case in Wake.
The author argues that the reason it was written that way was because it was just the way she wrote it out the first time. I agree with this. As a writer, I know that most authors do tend to write short sentences when writing their first drafts. It allows the author to get everything out while their mind is going, and then they can go back and edit with more description. While this book had description, I didn't feel like it had enough. It was written in third person so it had the potential to give you a wonderful look at the world around the characters as well as more insightful feelings inside of the characters. I feel as though I was cheated of these things and felt as though the characters lacked growth and development because of it.
I'm getting off the subject of the review. Writing is a bit of a soft-spot for me. ;) Despite the writing, the story is wonderful. Normally, I tend to trash reading the rest of the series if the grammer gets to me, but I can't see myself doing it with this series. Why? The story is THAT good. The characters, while I feel I'm missing some of their depth, do have enough to them to keep me interested. Even if I don't know their past or most of their present, their actions can sometimes speak louder than words. My emotions did get tangled up in the story because these are true characters, most with not-so-perfect lives, that you can relate to. Janie is also NOT a Mary Sue ... and that is something in YA that you don't see much of. She's actually flawed and sometimes makes bad decisions. Like I said, you can definitely relate to the characters in the book. show less
An Open Letter to Lisa McMannDear Ms. McMann,Please stop writing books.This is a very serious request. To this date, you have written and published two novels, Wake and Fade. Because of your books, I have on two occasions been compelled to read deep into the night, and in this manner I have lost two good nights of sleep. I can only conclude that any further books written by you will lead to long nights with the bedside lamp switched on, frantically reading. I will not have it! I must firmly request that you stop at once.If you insist on continuing with your flagrant book-publishing, I have a few suggestions that may alleviate the problem. Please take the following requests into account in any and all future books.1. If there is one show more thing on which I really must insist, it is a general loosening-up of your writing style. This tight, exciting prose will be the death of me! If every sentence did not compel me to read the next, perhaps I would be able to put your books down long enough to get a few good hours of sleep. Perhaps you could insert some clunky dialogue?2. Your characters must - MUST - be less compelling. In fact, it would be best if Janie and Cabel could be excised completely, and less interesting characters could be inserted in their place. If I am forced back inside of Janie's head, where I can see the fascination, terror and exhaustion that are caused by her ability to see other people's dreams, I will most certainly not be able to put your book down. And Cabel, with his terrible past and his willpower and determination to do good, both in his relationship with Janie and in his work, is much too sympathetic a character.3. In a related note, the tumultuous romance between Cabel and Janie is much too intense. If you persist in writing about these characters, their relationship must be taken back a notch. As it currently stands, their emotions are too strong! Their sense of discovery of themselves and each other is too genuine! Their frustrations with one another are too palpable! Their sex is too sexy!4. Slower pacing is a necessity in any future novels. Constantly throwing your readers from horrific nightmare to sweet and sexy romance to exciting mystery causes agitation and suspense, forcing the reader to keep turning pages until the very end of the book.Thank you for your time. I look forward to not reading your books in the future.Sleepily yours,Laura Koenig show less
Being able to fall into people’s dreams, to see their deepest and darkest desires, is not something I would wish on an enemy. Yet Janie handles herself with aplomb, making Wake an enjoyable read. Lisa McMann’s signature style allows the reader to get a good understanding of Janie and her struggle with her power without bogging down into details or overly descriptive passages; this also makes Wake a very fast read. Janie is a fun character with a very different problem, one that makes it difficult for her to navigate her way through the tricky halls of high school. Of all the superpowers to have, Janie’s is probably one of the worst ones. A reader is immediately drawn to her fragility but her willingness to fight to control her show more powers. Wake is not necessarily a departure from similar stories but is enhanced by Ms. McMann’s ability to weave a story. show less
17 year old Janie has been seeing other people's dreams for years, she's used to most of them. But a boy at school starts to notice her blanking out, she gets caught in the most terrible nightmare she's seen yet, and she starts to realise that she doesn't only see the dreams, she can change them.
I found this pretty gripping, I read it in a sitting, and I'm eager to read the next book in the trilogy. I found the ending, especially the last few pages very unrealistic, but I was interested enough in the characters to overlook it.
I found this pretty gripping, I read it in a sitting, and I'm eager to read the next book in the trilogy. I found the ending, especially the last few pages very unrealistic, but I was interested enough in the characters to overlook it.
WAKE, by Lisa McMann, was a thought-provoking, edge of your seat thriller that will keep you wanting more. The idea of unwillingly witnessing the deepest and darkest secrets of friends, family, even strangers, was intoxicating to read.
I enjoyed the diary-like structure of this book. It helped create a timeline that was easy to follow and straightforward during the flashbacks and flash-forwards of Janie's life and her unusual gift. Also the quick and short sentence structure was strange at first but I really enjoyed this new approach. I felt like the story was always moving without too much fluff and descriptions to interrupt.
This was the first young adult book I have read that has dealt with issues of poverty and inadequate family life. show more I felt a deep connection with Janie and her social situation. She did not have a lot of money and her mother was an alcoholic, but she persevered and had the drive to become something more. I think she is a great role model for teens by showing that anyone can make something of themselves no matter what his/her home or monetary situation is.
Janie was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She achieved amazing grades and skillfully dealt with her more privileged classmates who taunted her. But she held the upper hand when it came to knowing everyone around her on an unspoken level. Janie endured the sick, twisted, and hilarious fantasy's of those who fell asleep in her presence. She knew more about these people then even they dared to understand. I enjoyed Janie's ability and desire to control it, it definitely made this story one of a kind.
Janie and Cabel were such an unlikely pair. They grew up in the same school but never really got to know each other until a string of events pulled them together. The way McMann portrayed Cabel as a mysterious but alluring boy made my heart quicken with anticipation of who he really was.
This book was phenomenal and exhilarating. I cannot wait to read the continuation of Janie's story in FADE and GONE. show less
I enjoyed the diary-like structure of this book. It helped create a timeline that was easy to follow and straightforward during the flashbacks and flash-forwards of Janie's life and her unusual gift. Also the quick and short sentence structure was strange at first but I really enjoyed this new approach. I felt like the story was always moving without too much fluff and descriptions to interrupt.
This was the first young adult book I have read that has dealt with issues of poverty and inadequate family life. show more I felt a deep connection with Janie and her social situation. She did not have a lot of money and her mother was an alcoholic, but she persevered and had the drive to become something more. I think she is a great role model for teens by showing that anyone can make something of themselves no matter what his/her home or monetary situation is.
Janie was definitely a force to be reckoned with. She achieved amazing grades and skillfully dealt with her more privileged classmates who taunted her. But she held the upper hand when it came to knowing everyone around her on an unspoken level. Janie endured the sick, twisted, and hilarious fantasy's of those who fell asleep in her presence. She knew more about these people then even they dared to understand. I enjoyed Janie's ability and desire to control it, it definitely made this story one of a kind.
Janie and Cabel were such an unlikely pair. They grew up in the same school but never really got to know each other until a string of events pulled them together. The way McMann portrayed Cabel as a mysterious but alluring boy made my heart quicken with anticipation of who he really was.
This book was phenomenal and exhilarating. I cannot wait to read the continuation of Janie's story in FADE and GONE. show less
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Author Information
50+ Works 17,762 Members
Lisa McMann was born in Holland, Michigan on February 27, 1968. Her works include the Wake Trilogy, The Unwanteds series, Cryer's Cross, Dead to You, Crash, and the Infinity Ring series. (Bowker Author Biography)
Lisa McMann is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
Some Editions
Awards and Honors
Awards
Distinctions
Notable Lists
Series
Work Relationships
Is contained in
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Wake
- Original publication date
- 2008
- People/Characters
- Janie Hannagan; Cabel Strumheller; Captain Fran Komisky; Martha Stubin; Carrie Brandt; Melinda Jeffers (show all 10); Mr. Reed; Stu Gardner; Johnny McVicker; Shay Wilder
- Important places
- Fieldridge, Michigan, USA; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
- Dedication
- This one is for you,
Toots
To my amazing in-home cheerleaders, house cleaners, and editors--Matt, Kilian and Kennedy--you rock. There would be no Janie without your love, help, patience, and support.
Special thanks to Dr. Diane Blake Harper, my dea... (show all)r friend and Google-monkey; to Dr. Louis Catron for your kind, priceless critiques; to Ramon Collins for your years of support; and to Tricia, Chris, Erica, Greg, Dawn, Joe, David, Jen, Lisa, Andy, Matthew, Linda, Andie, and Ally for your generous assistance.
Finally, warmest gratitude to my fantastic agent, Michael Bourret, who believed in Janie and in me, and great praises for a most terrific team at Simon Pulse - Jennifer Klonsky, Caroline abbey, Michael del Rosario, and all the others who help make dreams come true. - First words
- Janie Hannagan's math book slips from her fingers.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)And they are off, through the link of fingers.
Watching themselves, together.
Catching his dreams. - Publisher's editor
- Jennifer Klonsky
- Blurbers
- Clare, Cassandra
- Canonical DDC/MDS
- 813.6
- Canonical LCC
- PZ7.M478757
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 3,235
- Popularity
- 5,322
- Reviews
- 191
- Rating
- (3.69)
- Languages
- 9 — Czech, English, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 29
- ASINs
- 8