What Are Dreams Made Of?

Gr 4 Up—Aoede, singer/songwriter Lisa Sniderman, returns with a follow-up to 2012's Is Love a Fairy Tale?? This time teen and tween fans of the Harry Potter books and Twilight are the intended audience. Reminiscent of musical theater, much of the tale is spoken word, with the songs woven into the action and helping to move the story forward. In this album, Aoede finds herself exploring two different realms, the Underworld and the Overland, after having a "nyxmare," or bad dream. As a result of the dream in which Aoede sees a white witch and children go missing, she embarks on a quest for answers to all that she sees in her sleep. Along the way she meets gods, goblins, and other characters that would easily be at home in a Tolkien novel. While the story line may appeal to the target age group, the songs often have a jarring quality with lyrics that are not always immediately clear to listeners. This album will require hand selling and will be most at home in collections where storytelling for older children is in demand.—Veronica De Fazio, Plainfield Public Library District, IL