Dreamwood Hardcover – June 12, 2014

From the first scene on a train when we meet Lucy Darrington, we can tell she's made of stern stuff, determined to find her missing father in the deeps woods of Sadaarthe. At every step of the way Lucy encounters great obstacles -- giant sea snakes, native people who zealously guard the land, animals with dangerous magical powers. The closer Lucy gets to her goal the more dangerous and complicated her world gets. Will she find her father? Will she survive even as grown men are dying on this expedition? What exactly happened to the settlement of people on Devil's Thumb, the haunted outcropping of land where Lucy seeks her father? As the story expands, so do the pliot twists and mysteries.This is a rollicking adventure with a lovable heroine who is both prickly and serious, not afraid to push for what she wants.Both boys and girls will enjoy this adventure story as will the parents lucky enough to spend their time reading this story aloud. I loved it and recommend it for all ages.

Dreamwood pulls readers into an "almost real" wilderness where 12 yo Lucy is determined to find her missing father and to cure a blight that's devastating the forest. Will the boy Pete--who offers to go with her--prove to be a help or hinderance? This friendship evolves in unpredictable ways. I love the way that science, spirit, and determined characters are woven together in a vivid setting: the temperate rainforest. There are villains, ghosts, and magical powers that will appeal to fans of HP. Would love to see more of Niwa, a First People's girl who befriends Lucy. This book will inspire and empower young scientists as well as those seeking a page-turning wilderness adventure. Dreamwood is not a place, it's a sacred tree, essential to this endangered ecosystem.

Heather Mackey weaves a wonderful tale with Dreamwood. Imaginative and beautifully written, the characters and story line are engaging. I found the book a refreshing change from insta-action books such as The Hunger Games. I liked how the pace of Dreamwood mirrored the pace of Lucy’s journey to find her father, increasing in suspense and making the story ever-more engrossing. I also loved some of the lessons that Lucy learns along the way—lessons valuable at any age. Beware of those who flatter you; they rarely have your best interests at heart. No one’s perfect; you don’t have to be right all the time. It’s OK to be vulnerable and admit when you’re afraid. It is truly a delightful book—one I look forward to reading and gifting again and again.

It's been over a month since I read this book, and I still think about it. It's a wonderful fantasy story (steampunk-ish) set in an alternate history. I like this other timeline. It seems like Native Americans were given more respect. I like the main characters because they are smart, but still human. There is definite character growth by the end of the novel. I really love the concept of wood having magical properties. (If I say much more about that, I'll probably be giving stuff away, and the book is too good to spoil it!) I can't remember any typos or misplaced or missing words, so if there were any, it was minor.

This review is written by my son Henry (age 9): "This is a very well-written story. What I liked about it most was that it was sort of like a cross between adventure, mystery, and fantasy. I couldn't put this book down until I had read it all. It was such a good book, I am praying for a sequel. I like the unusual relationship between Pete and Lucy: they are not a couple; they are not really friends; they are not allies; they are somewhere in the middle of that mix. The twist at the end was so mind blowing, I don't even know what to say. In all, a very good book.

My 10-year-old read Dreamwood during a long road trip, and it was hard to get him out of the car at rest stops. He just inhaled it, and only emerged periodically to tell me plot twists that he thought were cool. Then he passed it on to other kids in our group, all of whom adored it as well, but made sure to get it back for re-reading. This is an awesome book -- smart, insightful, beautifully written, with great characters and wonderful pacing. Highest recommendations!

In the vein of a number of novels written for a young adult audience but appealing to a much wider age range, Dreamwood was a joy to read for this middle aged mom. The level of detail and the crafting of the characters is pitch perfect. I enjoyed going on Lucy's adventure with her and look forward to more!

Loved this book - shared it with friends!

I enjoyed reading Dreamwood. Lucy was believable, if a little slow on the uptake in some things, for all her cleverness. She had a little bit of the Hermione Granger about her, without the understanding of people. The characters and communities were well put together, ranging from outback towns, through native people’s communities (more ‘modern’ than the settler’s outpost), to wild woods and plains.I felt the plot held up most of the time, although I was distracted by the scale of the forest she was in. From the description of the place when she looked at the map, I had imagined a much smaller area of land; this one took days, if not weeks to travel through – and it didn’t seem to be because of a need to hack one’s way through jungle. I was also distracted by being on open fields surrounded by trees, heading towards some hilly woods, yet guided all the while by the line of the ocean in the distance. Something wrong with the sightlines in that, I thought.Technicalities apart, this was a good scary story for middle grade (older kids) readers. Some of it was very scary. The first dream sequence was brilliantly written, and had me completely involved. Mechanical inventions generally worked well. The author did a good bit of world-building here, even if I could be a bit fussy over details.A good story with plenty of twists and surprises. I could class it as mild horror for MG, but nothing worse than Disney put us oldies through.