The Vault of Dreamers

Gr 9 Up—Rosie Sinclair wants to be a filmmaker. When she's selected to go to the elite Forge School—part art school, part reality show—she thinks her dream is coming true as long as she makes the fifty cuts. But when Rosie skips her mandatory pill that makes her sleep for a full twelve hours, she begins to unravel the truth behind what the Forge School is hiding. A mixture of science fiction and contemporary fiction, this novel is an interesting addition to both genres. However, despite the fact that the Forge School is a reality show, not much is done with that concept other than occasional references to cameras and viewers; this element adds little to the novel. The plot is fast paced at the beginning and end, but the middle section often is slow, bogging down the action with Rosie's relationship with Linus, a cafeteria worker, and Burnham, the son of pharmecutical reps who provide the school with the sleep pills. The work also falls victim to being fairly repetitive; some scenes feel like they happen over and over again without progressing the story. It struggles to fully explain its own science. The final explanation for Rosie's actions may leave readers confused.—Paige Garrison, Aurora Central Public Library, CO