Second Sleep - by Diane Stanley

About the Book

When Max and his sister Rose go to visit their grandmother's lakeside vacation home, they soon discover that their nightly sleeps bring them to a timelocked place with kids from all different eras, united by their love of the lake--and Max begins to wonder if they can help him to find his missing mother.

Book Synopsis

The time by the lake is everything perfect about a childhood summer...and maybe it also holds the answers Max needs. Give this tender middle grade novel to readers who love the mystery, friendships, and touches of magic in novels by Rebecca Stead and Laurel Snyder!

To get Max and Rosie's minds off their mother's mysterious disappearance, their grandmother, Mozelle, suggests that they visit the old log cabin where their mom spent her summers as a child. This is a place where, when it gets dark, you go to bed. But according to Mozelle, their mother had her happiest dreams during her nights at the lake.

That first night, Max and Rosie travel in their dreams to an almost impossibly beautiful place where they meet a wonderful new group of friends. But was it really just a dream? Or is there something extraordinary and magical about this compound by the lake?

As Max slowly grasps what is really going on, he wonders if he might have found the key to the mystery of his mother's disappearance--and how to bring her safely home.

Review Quotes

"This is a book for those who love adventure, mystery, and journeys to self-realization. At once magical and rooted in reality, an engaging story of life, love, family, and heart." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

"Written with great immediacy, the scenes involving the lakeside group offer oblique clues to solving the questions that underly Max's thoughts and motivate his actions: Can anyone protect this apparently magical place? Can he protect his mother? A compelling novel that challenges readers and rewards them as well." -- Booklist (starred review)

"Filled with rich details that uphold a dreamy nostalgia, a strong core mystery, and organic growth for Max, Stanley's latest celebrates bonds past and present among the characters." -- Publishers Weekly

"Purchase for collections where realistic fiction with a fantastic twist, such as The Fourteenth Goldfish by Jennifer Holm, is popular." -- School Library Journal

"This gentle but uplifting tale is very much an internal journey, with calm and creativity at heart; but enough mystery is sprinkled throughout (who are the lake kids? where is Max and Rosie's mother?) that the pace never stagnates." -- Horn Book Magazine