The
Boy Who Dreamed
Kent Raddatz
Young Adult
Fantasy
Kent Raddatz, publisher
May, 2020
Ebook - $2.99
Paperback - $7.99
197 pp
ISBN: 979-8638-8225-07
Buy on Amazon
About the Book
Twelve-year-old Jacob Tannin is being bullied by Willard and
doesn’t know what to do about it. He pretends to be invisible in the hopes that
Willard will pick on someone else. It doesn’t work. And sometimes, while he’s
being picked on, something sarcastic pops out of his mouth—which never goes
over well. But Jacob’s also a dreamer. And when his dreams take him to another
world called Chimeran, things begin to change. In Chimeran, he’s attacked by
Haggeldies, a new set of bullies. But he also makes friends who try to teach
him how to stand up for himself. As he goes back and forth between these two
worlds, he’s forced to see others in a new way. And he’s encouraged to believe
in the power that comes from what he thinks about himself. Will Jacob ever stop
being afraid? What will give him the courage to speak up for himself? And how
will he learn what he’s worth when bullies in both worlds say he’s nothing?
My Review:
Debut author Kent Raddatz has produced a winner for kids who
like to read, especially those who read to escape problematic reality.
Jacob is every boy, on the verge of becoming a young man who
is learning about the tough side of life, and deciding his path. Will he join
the side that walks over those who are different, or will he develop empathy, no
matter how much it hurts?
When Jacob takes that first step of reaching outside of his
own insecurity, and wondering what life is like for others and realizing that
everyone is a potential friend, life doesn’t get easier. Every encounter with
someone in his greater, wider world shows him another piece of his developing life
puzzle. Even family members become heroes when viewed through his newly
maturing sight.
Raddatz’s story is told through young Jacob’s eyes, in the
well-drawn voice of a twelve-year-old learning that life is bigger than
himself. Reminiscent of my favorite book of all time, Dandelion Wine, readers,
both boys and girls, who appreciate coming-of-age tales, watching their
narrator get the big lessons and grow, will enjoy The Boy Who Dreamed.
About the Author:
Kent Raddatz is a writer and
author of The Boy Who Dreamed, the story of twelve-year-old Jacob Tannin
whose dreams transport him to another world. Yet the most important thing to
know about Jacob is that he’s being bullied.
Professionally trained as a
Pastor, Kent worked with many children who were bullied in a variety of ways.
Some were physically attacked while others were verbally abused. All were
forced to put up with angry people. He listened to their stories and encouraged
them to accept and love who they are.
He is well suited to write about
this subject because, in his own words, “at times I was bullied; while at other
times I did the bullying [I was too small to use anything except my words].”
A member of SCBWI and the
Wisconsin Writer’s Association, he attended the 2015 and 2017 Novel-In-Progress
Book Camp where he was awarded the Fox Ridge Scholarship.
