Dream Entry*
June 2, 2006
Bigfoot is outside, near the library’s book depository. It’s raining. He’s holding a huge green umbrella in one hand and a flyswatter in the other. At first it looks like he’s swatting at an agitated duck. Then I realize both Bigfoot and the duck are preoccupied with something on the ground. Lots of somethings. Lots of wriggling, squiggling somethings.
Worms.
The worms aren’t just on the ground. They’re plastered on top of Bigfoot’s huge green umbrella. A few are clinging to his swatter. Masses of them squirm up the library walls, making their way to the depository.
“There are too many of them!” the duck says.
Bigfoot is doing a frantic dance, hoping from one foot to the other to keep the worms from creeping up his legs. The small metal door to the book depository screeches. It opens. A book drops out and falls into a puddle. A second later a fat worm slorps down after it. From the top of the cover, he directs a group of worms on the ground to assemble around the book. Altogether they chant “heave.” The book lifts and the worms begin to cart it away. Bigfoot tries to swat at them, but he slips in mud and falls flat on his back.
“You’ve got to stop the bookworms!” Bigfoot shouts to me. “They’re making off with our new acquisitions!”
That’s when I notice a long line of books moving down the path that leads around to the back of the library and past the trampoline and pond. I follow it, hoping to head off the worms before they enter the woods. Once there, I sound a long, slow howl causing a full moon to appear. The worms begin to howl, too, and soon they transform into furry owls.
“Hoot,” I say to them. “Hoot-hoot-hoot.”
They understand my orders. They clench the books in their talons and fly them back to the library where my friends and the duck have gathered on the front lawn. Each of my friends, and the duck, have a huge green umbrella that they hold upside down. As the bookowls fly overhead, they release the books. The books rain down and fall into the umbrellas.
The books collected in BIGFOOT’s umbrella:
BARKS’ BEAR BOOK by Carl Barks
[COMIC]
IDW Publishing
September 27, 2011
BIGGER THAN A BREAD BOX by Laurel Snyder
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Random House
September 27, 2011
TEN RULES FOR LIVING WITH MY SISTER by Ann M. Martin
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Feiwel & Friends-Macmillan
September 27, 2011
UNFORGETTABLE by Loretta Ellsworth
[YOUNG ADULT]
Walker
September 27, 2011
IT HAPPENED ON A TRAIN by Mac Barnett,
with illustrations by Adam Rex
[MIDDLE GRADE—THIRD IN THE BRIXTON BROTHERS SERIES]
Simon & Schuster
October 4, 2011
The books collected in MORZANT’s umbrella:
THE HOUSE THAT BABA BUILT:
AN ARTIST’S CHILDHOOD IN CHINA by Ed Young
[PICTURE BOOK—NON-FICTION]
Little, Brown-Hachette
October 3, 2011
SWIRL BY SWIRL: SPIRALS IN NATURE by Joyce Sidman,
illustrated by Beth Krommes
[PICTURE BOOK—POETRY]
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
October 4, 2011
The books collected in PENNY’s umbrella:
THE ORPHAN OF AWKWARD FALLS by Keith Graves
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Chronicle
September 19, 2011
MISTER CREECHER by Chris Priestley
[YOUNG ADULT]
Bloomsbury USA
September 27, 2011
THE UNBECOMING OF MARA DYER by Michelle Hodkin
[YOUNG ADULT]
Simon & Schuster
September 27, 2011
THE VISION by Jen Nadol
[YOUNG ADULT—SEQUEL TO THE MARK]
Bloomsbury USA
September 27, 2011
THE NAME OF THE STAR by Maureen Johnson
[YOUNG ADULT—FIRST IN THE SHADES OF LONDON TRILOGY]
Putnam-Penguin
September 29, 2011
EVE by Anna Carey
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperCollins
October 4, 2011
VARIANT by Robinson Wells
[YOUNG ADULT]
HarperTeen-HarperCollins
October 4, 2011
The books collected in the DUCK’s umbrella:
BREADCRUMBS by Anne Ursu,
with illustrations by Erin Mcguire
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Walden Pond-HarperCollins
September 27, 2011
THE FLINT HEART by Katherine Paterson and John Paterson,
with illustrations by John Rocco
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
September 27, 2011
LIESL & PO by Lauren Oliver, with illustrations by Kei Acedera
[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
October 4, 2011
THE INQUISITOR’S APPRENTICE by Chris Moriarty,
with illustrations by Mark Edward Geyer
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
October 4, 2011
NICHOLAS ST. NORTH AND THE BATTLE OF THE NIGHTMARE KING by Laura Geringer, illustrated by William Joyce
[MIDDLE GRADE—FIRST IN THE
GUARDIANS OF CHILDHOOD SERIES]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
October 4, 2011
The books collected in NORMAN’s umbrella:
THE DEATH OF YORIK MORTWELL by Stephen Messer,
with illustrations by Gris Grimly
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Random House
September 27, 2011
THE LAST MUSKETEER by Stuart Gibbs
[MIDDLE GRADE]
HarperCollins
September 27, 2011
SERIOUSLY, NORMAN! by Chris Raschka
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Michael Di Capua-Scholastic
October 1, 2011
THE APOTHECARY by Maile Meloy,
with illustrations by Ian Schoenherr
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Putnam-Penguin
October 4, 2011
The books collected in BEVERLY’s umbrella:
BREAKING STALIN’S NOSE by Eugene Yelchin
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Henry Holt
September 27, 2011
HEART AND SOUL: THE STORY OF AMERICA AND
AFRICAN AMERICANS by Kadir Nelson
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
September 27, 2011
STARFIELDS by Carolyn Marsden
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Candlewick
September 27, 2011
WITH A NAME LIKE LOVE by Tess Hilmo
[MIDDLE GRADE]
Farrar, Straus and Giroux
September 27, 2011
The books collected in OLIVER’s umbrella:
THE CONDUCTOR by Laetitia Devernay
[PICTURE BOOK]
Chronicle
September 28, 2011
ELI, NO! by Katie Kirk
[PICTURE BOOK]
Abrams
October 1, 2011
THE ARTIST WHO PAINTED A BLUE HORSE by Eric Carle
[PICTURE BOOK]
Philomel-Penguin
October 4, 2011
MAKING A FRIEND by Alison McGhee,
illustrated by Marc Rosenthal
[PICTURE BOOK]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
October 4, 2011
STARS by Mary Lyn Ray, illustrated by Marla Frazee
[PICTURE BOOKS]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
October 4, 2011
The books collected in LENNY’s umbrella:
THE BIPPOLO SEED AND OTHER LOST STORIES by Dr. Seuss
[EARLY READER]
Random House
September 27, 2011
IS EVERYONE READY FOR FUN? by Jan Thomas
[PICTURE BOOK]
Beach Lane-Simon & Schuster
September 27, 2011
I WANT MY HAT BACK by Jon Klassen
[PICTURE BOOK]
Candlewick
September 27, 2011
THE THREE LITTLE ALIENS AND THE BIG BAD ROBOT
by Margaret McNamara, illustrated by Mark Fearing
[PICTURE BOOK]
Schwartz & Wade-Random House
September 27, 2011
WHAT ANIMALS REALLY LIKE by Fiona Robinson
[PICTURE BOOK]
Abrams
October 1, 2011
M.O.M. (MOM OPERATING MANUAL) by Doreen Cronin,
illustrated by Laura Cornell
[PICTURE BOOK]
Atheneum-Simon & Schuster
October 4, 2011
The books collected in VIOLET’s umbrella:
BABYMOUSE #15: A VERY BABYMOUSE CHRISTMAS
by Jennifer L. Holm, illustrated by Matt Holm
[GRAPHIC NOVEL]
Random House
September 27, 2011
DIXIE LOVES SCHOOL PET DAY by Grace Gilman,
illustrated by Sarah McConnell
[EARLY READER—SECOND IN SERIES]
HarperCollins
September 27, 2011
NINA IN THAT MAKES ME MAD by Hilary Knight,
illustrated by Steven Kroll
[COMIC]
Toon Books-Candlewick
September 27, 2011
THE PRINCESS AND THE PIG by Jonathan Emmett,
illustrated by Poly Bernatene
[PICTURE BOOK]
Walker
September 27, 2011
FROG AND FRIENDS: PARTY AT THE POND by Eve Bunting,
illustrated by Josee Masse
[EARLY READER]
Sleeping Bear Press-Gale
October 1, 2011
HAPPY PIG DAY! By Mo Willems
[EARLY READER—AN ELEPHANT AND PIGGIE BOOK]
Hyperion-Disney
October 4, 2011
IF YOU GIVE A DOG A DONUT by Laura Numeroff,
illustrated by Felicia Bond
[PICTURE BOOK—EIGHTH IN THE SERIES]
Balzer & Bray-HarperCollins
October 4, 2011
* The dream entries from Briar’s journal contain premonitions of books that will be published in the future. Briar’s dream self foresees the books’ summaries and knows which will likely appeal to each of her friends. Briar always wakes up before she can see whether her friends will enjoy the books.
