Category: Mainstream Publisher: World Nouveau
ISBN-10: 1938208099
Type: Fiction
Pages: 126
ISBN-13: 9781938208096
Price: $7.99 (eBook)
Two children from troubled homes become friends and sail their imaginary boat to exotic places to cope with what's happening at home.
A novel addressing relevant issues in the lives of two fifth-graders, Sharon and David: alcoholism, domestic violence, illness of a parent, and grief. Amidst their stark reality, they find hope in their imaginations, their friendship, books, the library, and symbolic "treasures." Both healthy and unhealthy ways of coping are portrayed, and we see both sides of their relationship through each other's eyes.
Suitable for children 11 and up.
Excerpt
Rowena started to cry, because everybody was laughing at her. Mrs. Whitworth wasn’t happy about any of this. She went and got an eraser and wiped my handiwork off the blackboard. Then she said, “Whoever did this, please stand up.”
As if! I just sat there and wanted to laugh. I bit my lip so I wouldn’t. Mrs. Whitworth asked again for the culprit to identify herself. Then she said, “Does anyone know who did this?”
Suddenly, everybody was staring at me. I wondered why for about five seconds. Then I realized Mary Jane, my great trusted friend, had pointed at me . . .
Professional Reviews
Not just a book for kids
I’m a licensed Marriage Family Therapist and I just finished “Sail Away On My Silver Dream” by J. Guenther.This book is about two kids--one dealing with his mother’s death, and the other trying to cope with her alcoholic father’s rage and abuse. They bond and find a positive way to escape--even if it’s just make believe, and only for a little while. Not just a book for kids--this book is for anyone dealing with alcoholism, domestic violence and loss. Very realistic--would make a good discussion book in college psychology classes. MJH
treasured by readers of all ages
J. Guenther's sensitive portrayal of two kids who find their way through very difficult times by sailing to exotic, faraway places aboard their imaginary sailboat, the Silver Dream, is a story that will be enjoyed by young readers, and treasured by readers of all ages. DK
would love to see this turned into a movie
I'm glad I read Sail Away on my Silver Dream before sending it to my granddaughter. Otherwise, I would have missed this poignant story about the friendship between David, whose life is turned upside down when his mother is diagnosed with cancer, and Sharon, a newcomer at his school, who turns out to be his neighbor. Up to now, David has led a happy comfortable life: family intact, friends aplenty. Sharon's is just the opposite; she deals with an alcoholic abusive father, a harried mother, and ill-fitting clothes bought from thrift stores that make her a misfit in the eyes of her classmates.
The story is told through two voices. David is the narrator, and we hear Sharon through her diary. This book could have been a downer but Guenther has the skill to bring humor as the two start their imaginary voyages on the Silver Dream, voyages that help them cope with the harsh realities of their lives. I would love to see this turned into a movie. PAR
Major League ballplayer Justin Moore is kidnapped from his own ballpark and transported to a foreign land. It might take high-level international negotiations to free him. Or maybe he will take matters into his own hands.
