Review: Dream Jumper 2

It’s been a while since I read the first volume of Dream Jumper, but the story starts off at a fast pace. It doesn’t really fill in what happened before, so readers will benefit from a quick re-read to appreciate the nuanced details.

Dream Jumper: Curse of the Harvester
By Greg Grunberg. Lucas Turnbloom
Graphix. 2017. ISBN 9780545823082
PBK, $12.99. 220pp.
Grades 3 and up

Ben is now settled into his role as a Dream Jumper and has entered into a partnership with his friend Jake. Jake is supposed to stay awake and help Ben navigate the dreams, while Ben goes into his friends’ dreams (for a fee) to help them out of the sticky situations. But Jake is always falling asleep and there he inadvertently brings something back from the dream world into the waking world. Unbeknownst to them, Jake is cursed. In the meanwhile, things are going awry in the dream world. Ben is baffled by the mystery.

The story wraps up with lots of action and twists, but a few cliffhangers will leave readers waiting for the third volume to come out. The artwork is a great mix of vibrant, cartoony, and even a bit spooky. (Evil clowns. Need I say more?) A bit of bathroom humor will leave kids giggling and adults groaning.

My sixth graders have all been asking for the sequel (I already have a waiting list), and they’ll be sad to know that a year may go by before the next volume is released.

Filed under: All Ages, Graphic Novels, Reviews