Wake

Dreams, we all have them. Sometimes we remembered them, sometimes not. They may be what on our subconscious we desired the most or completely the opposite. But for Janie Hannagan, dreams are her worst nightmare, and they aren't even her dreams. She is not a ordinary seventeen year old girl, she has the power to witness that dreams of people who happen to fall asleep close to her. Of course, she doesn't likes it; but, she can't seem to do anything about it since the first time she experienced it, when she was only eight years old. She hasn't told anyone about it; doesn't want to be called a freak. But, when Cabel, a fellow classmate, falls asleep in the same place as her, she enters his dreams and everything changes. She feels he would understand her. She doesn't just fall in his dreams, she falls in his life, and may also be falling in love with him. With his help, she would learned how to control the dreams by helping those who dreamed them to change their dreams, so they can learned from them and accomplished unfinished tasks in real life.

Although, I found the writing a bit weird at the beginning, it somehow work rather perfect for the story, making it unique and pleasant to read.
I found myself really enjoying getting into the characters dreams along with Janie. I love the story's premise. The format of giving the time and date on sections was a helpful surprise. The book has a dreamlike quality to it. The descriptions of the dreams, and the actions taken in real life, contributed to the great quality of this book. I'm looking forward to Fade. They are still some holes to be filled. Enjoyable read. 4.5 Stars

This was an impulse buy for me, and I put off reading it for a long time. I won't make that mistake with the sequels. The writing style is spare and utterly compelling. The characters come to life, the dreams were vivid and sometimes scary, and I gobbled this book up. I didn't expect the romance to have the depth and heart that it has. I really LOVED this book.

Another good read that i had heard about from a friend and I never put the book down. It was a quick read in my eyes due to the riveting events that happen to takes place through the entire novel.

Having the ability to enter the dreams of others is Janie's curse that she can't control. Ever since she was eight she has been thrown into the dreams of others against he will. Escaping a dream is challenging for Janie and once she's sucked in most modern activities enable her to be dangerous when she performs them.

Alcoholic mother, poverty stricken, Janie's life fuels the character she has become: Strong, dependent, and determined. She has been in control of her life (with the minus of dreams) from a young age. Her only friend is a girl names Carrie who happens to be a childhood friend. But Janie keeps her secret to herself...

...Until she meets Cable.

The actions that Janie is forced to go through and the reactions that occur because of them, it showed me the strength that Janie withholds and it made me adore her character even more. I also really enjoyed the thrilling pace of this book, though I wish I didn't read it so quickly! But, to make up for that, there's two more books to read! Yahoooo!

Reader reviewed by veronica

                           

                                                             Wake         

              

                    

                  

                

            A young girl that gets trapped in other peoples dreams falls into a nightmare like no other she has never experienced before. Young Janie alone, and scared in other peoples dreams can not take it anymore. Another thing that just doesnt help with the situation is that Janie can not tell anybody about her problem because they would think that she must be crazy and making up lies which arent good for her at all .Wake is the type of book that you can not put it down for one second. It has mystery in it, which most people enjoy because it keeps you thinking, about whats going to happen next.  

            The way this book was formatted was another thing that made me enjoy it even more. The set-up of it being in diary formation made it more interesting, even by putting the times, dates, and places because it wasnt set-up to be like any other type of book. Because its set-up like this it makes the young readers more interested because its not set up like a normal boring book would be like. But sometimes the format of the book could be kind of confusing because it would switch from different times in the story either its from the past or the present time, which was confusing because sometimes you would have to re read what happened from what you red previous to what you just read.  So in this book you would have to pay really close attention to because its the type of book you would get lost on because of the time of book changes constantly through out the story. 

            Wake leaves you with confusion after every chapter, making you want to keep reading to know what happens next and then so on, it leaves a mystery behind, which makes the book so much more interesting. The story line in this book is so unique and different which makes the book perfect for young teenage readers. Her writing style had a good flow as well that just kept them interested every bit of the story. She made the storyline of the book as interesting as the main character in it. Janie was a unique and interesting character; she was a good representation for a teenager, which made it seem realistic.  

            I recommend this book to many young teenage readers because it has tons of mystery and excitement in the book. I think young girl readers would appreciate this book a bit more than boys would because it has more of a girl background to it. I also like how they put a sequel to this book, so that you could read on to what happened. Get ready for some more excitement coming your way!!!!

Reader reviewed by MaddyV

The novel Wake, by Lisa McMann, is a story about a seventeen year old girl named Janie, who gets sucked into peoples dreams unwillingly. Janie has been living with this power since she first discovered it, and always having the burden of carrying it around, and has never been able to tell anyone about it, afraid that people would think she was a freak or just plain crazy in the head. All Janie has ever wanted was to be normal like everyone else. Cursed with a power that she never wanted in the first place, which she cant even control, and having to work long hours even on holidays, to save for college, living in a poor neighborhood, being teased at school by the popular students, and also having to live with a mother who drinks all day and night, and who barely even knows that her own daughter even exists most of the time. Janie thinks her life is officially over. Until Cabel, a boy at school steps into her life, and changes everything for her that she never thought could happen. She discovers new information and details about her powers, and now Janie gets sucked into strange nightmares that could get her caught up into events that she never planned to be in. When I got this book I thought I wouldnt like it because I havent read this type of story before. But I was really surprised when I read it. The characters in the story were very believable, and you could feel what they felt at moments, and could relate to at least one of them in your own life. Also the characters in the book were very likable, I was able to understand them, and thinking that there could be kids just like them out there, and it made me want to read it to learn more about them and to get to know what situations and life they lived and had. I was really surprised on how fast I read this book, I was flipping through page, after page, to see what would happen next, not wanting to put it down for a second, wanting to know more about the story, and trying to put everything together as I read. Once finished, I was very satisfied on how the story ended. McMann was able to make the events in the story flow very nice and smooth, and have everything come all together at the end of the book perfectly. Which I didnt feel like I was left hanging there, and I didnt feel all confused on what had just happened. In all I find this book to be great read, and will be continuing to read the rest of the series. I would recommend this book to any teenager to pick it up and start reading it, and I guaranty that you wont be disappointed once you open up this book up and start reading it, you will be flipping through pages, without even knowing it, and you wont be able to put the book down.

Reader reviewed by David

I read the book Wake by Lisa McMann. In the book the main character experiences other peoples dreams. She is sucked into the void of the mind that thinks while you sleep. Throughout the book, Janie (the main character) struggles to find out what is wrong with her while also struggling with her love life. Lisa McMann did an excellent job portraying the real life of some high school students. We get to see the side of some students that are rarely portrayed. It is a graphic book, but by writing these scenes in the book, Lisa shows the everyday life of a high school student. She provides an in look of the different people in society and how were all connected. But at the same time, she shows how were separated by a barrier. How we exclude and include people in our daily lives. She also shows consequences of our day to day actions. Lisa McMann shows the way the world is through her writing. I think by having Janie fall into her piers dreams, it shows a connection we all have but often choose to ignore. With her ability, Janie tries to change and make peoples dreams better hoping that it will change their actual lives. By the end of the book, Janie finally finds her calling and her life seems good. McMann shows the relationships of friends and people alike. She connects her writing with the inner self of people while including the hopes and dreams of people today. McMann shows that some adult figures are weak and take no charge in their childrens lives. Janies mother is a drunk who doesnt exactly care where Janie goes. She just leads her own life at home, so in a sense Janie is her own adult figure. In Janies character, McMann shows the working class people and how hard they work to make a living. Janie works at a nursing home and she still manages to keep her grades up in school. Janie is a determined individual who plans on not becoming her mother and making her life into something great. Through her hard work, she does well for herself. Lisa McMann did an excellent job on portraying students of today by showing choices some students choose to make. With drugs and peer pressure of the people around her, Janie still manages to fall with the crowd. I believe teenagers would love to read this book and take a look into the supernatural life of Janies life. But also to see the life real students lead. Over all, Lisa McMann does an excellent job with this book. To know what happens to Janie you would need to read the next two books Fade and Gone.       

Reader reviewed by carly

This is one if not the best book I have ever read. It's a quick read but don't let the shortness of it fool you, it is packed with a great plot and great writing. The characters have great personalities and you just cant help but love them. The romance between Janie and Caleb is perfect and combined with the little problem Janie has....it makes a book that you will have to read cover to cover at least ten times.

Reader reviewed by Sab H. (Crystal Reviews)

I'm so glad I read this! I absolutely adored it. I guess its my type of
book. Its so amazing the way she writes, she doesn't tell you
everything just enough. I did feel a little bit confused with dates, I
kept going back, to see what day it was. But its so refreshing and
original the way she writes you just keep turning pages non stop.

The
story is amazing, I've always felt intrigued by dreams, I think people
don't really know the power they have. So reading -fiction- about the
subject was delightful. The characters are simply marvelous. This is
one of the best debuts I've read, a mesmerizing plot that will stay in
my mind for long. And the cover is one of my favorite, I'm somehow
discovering I'm definitely a fan of black covers. If you like dream
mystery and troubled romance you will most likely fall in love with
this book just as I did. I highly recommend it!

Reader reviewed by KJ

"Your dreams are not your own," Wake by Lisa McMann

Janie, at age seventeen, has a unique power. She goes inside other people's dreams. As soon as someone falls asleep in the same room as her *poof* Janie's inside, experiencing their dream with them. Unfortunately, not all dreams are happy. One dream in particular, frightens Janie out of her mind, not only because it's terrifying, but because she's not just in the dream, she's a participant...

Wake is one of the best books I've read this year. I finished it in one day, not only because it was relatively short, but because I was hooked from page one. Janie was a likable main character and the plot was one of a kind. I can't wait to read the sequel, Fade to find out what happens to Janie next. Fans of The Summoning, Evermore, and Need will definitely enjoy this book.

Reader reviewed by Sara

From back cover: NOT ALL DREAMS ARE SWEET. For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other peoples dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janies seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.
She cant tell anybody about what she does theyd never believe her, or worse, theyd think shes a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesnt want and cant control.
Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone elses twisted psyche. She is a participant&

Favorite characters, quotes/lines: Janie: I was inspired by attitude and work/school ethics in spite of her mothers lack of interest and horrible parenting; Cabel: I really liked his character, he was so caring and protective of Janie& and I liked the twist about his character. Hes definitely a dynamic character!

When I finished this book I felt: I cant wait to read FADE, the sequel to WAKE. This book was amazing! It was such a quick read, only 210 pages, but it was surprisingly deep. One of my new favorite books!

Other books to read by this author: FADE, GONE (due out in Spring 2010)

I would recommend this book to: teen romance fans that like a