The Tunnel of Dreams

When twins, Stefan and Arlo, discover fierce and desperate Alice living in a derelict house nearby, they are led straight into an adventure. The friendship that develops between the three of them has a slightly questionable start when she persuades them to follow her through The Tunnel of Dreams in order to save her kidnapped twin sister, but fails to mention the land they end up in is not only incredibly dangerous, but that they cannot go back through the tunnel until the next full moon. Luckily the brave boys recover from this shock quickly and are once again willing to help (despite Alice’s continuing abruptness).

In a land full of magic, it is dangerous to use it as it can be detected and there are scouts everywhere. Arlo and Stephan quickly discover that they have magical powers and can communicate with their minds, but even this is risky. Their mission to rescue the kidnapped Harriet takes them on journeys of self-discovery with more friendships formed along the way.

This is an exciting read with moral dilemmas, character changing challenges and fast action requiring quick thinking. The idea of a parallel magical world will leave your mind ticking long after you have finished the book.

Title: The Tunnel of Dreams

Author: Bernard Beckett

Illustrator: George Ermos

Publisher: Text Publishing Company

ISBN: 9781922330185

RRP: $21

Format: Paperback

Publication: September 2020

Ages: 10+

Reviewer: Kirsten Puddick, Librarian, Holy Cross School, Miramar, Wellington

How are you recommending this book? Highly recommended

Opening sentence: As far as they could tell, Arlo and Stefan Feeney were entirely normal boys.

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