The Dream Dealer Book
A stranger turns up at the school gates… but the Dream Dealer sells something far weirder than ice-creams. Who is he, and what is that glowing in his jar?
What starts as an ordinary school playground with ordinary teenage tensions, gangs and cliques, takes a sinister turn when a stranger parks his ice-cream van outside the school gates. Nothing is the same again.
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Twelve year-old Finn is a misfit at school and lonely at home. He is searching for his long-lost mother. In another part of town, hell-bent on his own mission, lives the charismatic Dream Dealer. Attractive but not quite human, his unusual origins remain a mystery. With his gormless side-kick Flake, he sets up his ice-cream van by the school. However, when the adults aren’t looking, it’s not ice-creams he’s selling but Ice-Dreams!
Most of the kids fall for the Dream Dealer’s artful ways. Finn resists until it seems only the Dream Dealer can help him find his mum. As he finally accepts an Ice-Dream he is faced with the choice of fulfilling his dream or saving the life of his enemy. His decision leads to consequences nobody could have guessed.
Reviews
"The book is prefaced by reviews by child readers, and they all agreed, as I do, that it is a gripping page-turner. "
"A fine, darkling book which will charm and intrigue. "
"This is a brilliant read, adults will love it as much as the 8-13 year-olds it's intended for. Marita has a real winner here, no hesitation in choosing it as my children's book of the month! Superb."
Children's Reviews
"I miss reading The Dream Dealer. I am sad that I can not read it anymore – it was really good. My favourite part was….all of it! But I really liked the mystery and way that it was told."
"This book was simply mind-blowing! When I was reading the book I just felt like I was inside it. I could read it all day and all night!!!!! 100000000 stars!!!"
"I thought it was an exhilarating read, a book that stretches the imagination. I have read it at least three times and could read it for hours on end. Simply fabulous!!!! 5 stars from me."
"From the first page you cannot stop reading until you get to the end. The story is so descriptive that it feels like you are playing the parts of all the characters. This is one of my favourite books."
"I thought it was GREAT: Gripping, fast-paced, good fun and brilliantly written."
"Thank you for the talk and for signing my book. I could read it ten more times. I hope you liked our school and our stories. I wish one day you could come back. Please can you write a sequel of The Dream Dealer"
Teachers' Comments
"Marita’s visit and talk to the year 7 students was a great inspiration to them. I’ve never seen a year group so entranced by an author, and afterwards we had a huge amount of students clamouring to buy her book!"
"I have to say you really inspired my few reluctant readers to catch the reading bug – the one and only bug which needs to be spread! Sometimes when the girls get to the age of eleven and they are just not clicking with reading, one feels a little powerless especially when they are in the midst of all their examinations with much calling on their time. But you unlocked the door with The Dream Dealer so a huge ‘thank you’!"
"Thank you so much for taking the time to visit us on Monday. The children found what you said about the business of story telling to be thought-provoking and interesting. It has certainly made them reconsider their own writing and all the dimensions that go into a story. I thought you pitched things at exactly the right level and were accessible and warm, while still stretching their preconceptions. You have given them plenty of material for future discussion and writing!"
"Just a quick email to say how much we enjoyed Marita’s visit yesterday. All the students loved listening and learning from Marita and they sat so terribly still whilst Marita read from her book. The children had endless questions, which is a positive indication of how much they enjoyed the visit."
Translated versions
The Dream Dealer has been translated into Russian but this is no ordinary translation. Moscow teacher, Alex Shcherbacheva, inspired and masterminded a project involving 90 children from 14 different schools, from Moscow to Khabarovsk (over 5000 miles), to translate and illustrate the book
Alex Shcherbacheva came across The Dream Dealer during a visit to the UK in 2012. When she discovered the author was a direct descendent of Russia’s favourite poet, Alexander Pushkin, she made up her mind to make the book available to a Russian-speaking audience.