Saturday, June 12, 2010

Dormia by Jake Halpern & Peter Kujawinski

Dormia, by Jake Halpern and Peter Kujawinski is a terrifying adventure. Twelve-year-old Alfonso Perplexon is an ordinary boy - while he's awake. However, in his sleep Alfonso can climb 200-foot-tall trees, tightrope-walk on telephone wires and grow a Dormian Bloom that is the key to saving a legendary land called Dormia. When Alfonso's Uncle Hill comes to visit, Dragoonya Plants of War attack the bloom. Alfonso, Uncle Hill, Judy and Pappy escape the Dragoonya Plants in a very old airplane. Alfonso and Uncle Hill then book passage on a rickety old ship which will take them to Barsh-Yin-Binder, the closest port to the Ural Mountains, in which Dormia is hidden. After reaching Dormia with one missing and one blind companion they realize Dormia is under attack from the Dragoonya, their greatest enemy. Will they be able to fight off the Dragoonya? More importantly, will they be able to replace the founding tree of Somnos before it's too late?

This book was so good I was sorry I couldn't read it while I was asleep. It was very easy for me to imagine being one of the characters. I liked their different personalities and their fearlessness. I especially liked Resuza. She seems to like telling Alfonso, "You don't know a lot of things." Bilblox is also very funny. He is always refering to Resuza as "your girlfriend" in Alfonso's case. I found it interesting that the whole plot was focused on a bloom where the petals change colors every six minutes. If you like warfare, adventure, a small bit of romance and sleep-drivers, this is the book for you!

Reviewer Age:11
Reviewer City, State and Country: Lake City, IA USA