Bad Dreams

Bad Dreams by Anne Fine

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book. I have read a few of Anne Fine's books and although this is not one of my favourites, I think it's a really good read for children (probably girls rather than boys) of 9 or 10.

Mel or 'Melly' (did she really not mind being called that?!), as people called her, the narrator, was quite rude at times and I cringed at her lack of social skills. I would have preferred it if she were more of a likeable character that children could like and want to be like, especially as she could show that it's okay to be someone who likes to read and prefers to spend time alone, even if others think it's odd.

I found the teacher annoying and not very realistic (probably because I am a teacher myself), but I think he would be realistic enough for 9-10 year olds not to pick up on this and it certainly wouldn't spoil the story for them.

The idea for the story is fantastic and the plot was so unpredictable, I was keen to read to the end to find out how it all turned out.

There were a few things I would like to have found out more about, such as Imogen's mother and what was going on with her. We found out a little and I guess that's enough for a minor character in the book, but it would have been interesting to find out more about her.

Overall, I think this book may have been better if it had been written in 3rd person narrative, but nevertheless, I think it would be an enjoyable read for confident junior readers.

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