Today I am delighted to share with you the first two books in the, ‘Dream Team,’ series written and illustrated by Tom Percival. In, ‘Attack of the Heebie Jeebies,’ we see Erika struggling to come to terms with the fact her baby brother is monopolising her parent’s attention leaving her feeling left out. She is unable to explain her frustrations and finds herself having uncontrollable rages, making her parents feel hurt and angry with her behaviour. In her dreams she encounters the Angermare who feeds off her negative energy threatening to destroy everything she loves. But Erika soon discovers she has a special talent, an ability to see the Dream Team, a unit formed to protect children in their dreams and together they find a way to help her deal with her anger and use it for good. In, ‘A Case of the Jitters,’ Erika is summoned by the Dream Team to help with the difficult case of Chanda who is desperately lonely and feels worthless after suffering at the hands of the school bully. A Jitter is threatening to replace Chanda in her real life and Erika has to find a way to help this nervous girl whose confidence has been worn away to stand up for herself and face those who would belittle her.
This thoughtful and entertaining series tackles the anxieties and difficulties lots of children experience growing up and presents them as exciting and thrilling missions that can be overcome with self belief and a sprinkling of help from others. Tom transports the child and their problems to a magical dream world where they battle with the demons that they face in every day life allowing the children to be in control of their feelings. By doing this it makes it much more accessible for younger readers allowing them to understanding that sometimes they and other children might have feelings that they are unable to stop escaping or that they find it difficult to talk about. Tom has assembled a brilliant cast of characters who all have a slight flaw despite their magical powers making them instantly identifiable to children. Wonderfully produced in a two tone palette with lively and energetic illustrations they will definitely encourage readers to pick them up and read.
Blog Tour
Why not join in with the rest of the blog tour to find out more about the Dream Team.
Thanks to Amber and Macmillan for sending me gifted copies of these books an for inviting me to join in with the blog tour. ‘Attack of the Heebies Jeebies,’ and ‘A Case of the Jitters,’ are available to buy now online or from you local bookshop. If you can please support your local indie bookshop where possible.
bookloverjo 