Product Description

Illustrated by Anthony Browne, The Daydreamer takes the reader out of reality and into the dream world of 10 year old Peter Fortune.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7304 in Books
• Published on: 1998-01-03
• Binding: Paperback
• 144 pages

Synopsis
In these seven interlinked stories the grown-up Peter reveals the secret journeys, metamorphoses and adventures of his childhood. Living somewhere between dream and reality Peter experiences magical transformations when he swaps bodies with William, the family cat, the baby Kenneth and, in the final story, wakes up as a twelve-year-old inside a grown-up body and experiences the adventure of falling in love.

From the Publisher
The Daydreamer takes the reader out of reality and into the dream world of 10 year old Peter Fortune

From the Back Cover
By Booker Prize-Winner Ian McEwan

'Looking down through the fur, and parting it with the tips of his fingers, he saw that he had opened up a small slit in the cat's skin. It was as if he were holding the handle of a zip. Again he pulled, and now there was a dark opening two inches long. William Cat's purr was coming from in there. Perhaps, Peter thoughtm, I'll see his heart beating. A paw was gently pushing against his fingers again. William Cat wanted him to go on.'

Step into the extraordinary world of ten-year-old Peter Fortune in Ian McEwan's first book for children.

'A brilliant book . . . wonderful' TES
'A classic' Financial Times
'Exhilarating . . . brilliant' The Independent

Customer Reviews

A huge let down
After having read and thoroughly enjoyed many of Ian Mcewans books I was massively disappointed by the poor quality and often patronizing and condescending nature of his writing in 'The daydreamer'. To compare this to Dahls work is blasphemous at best and I deeply implore you not to believe the hype that this book has been subjected to and instead to purchase one of his deservedly admired novels such as 'atonement'.

The Daydreamer
Amazing book. Not your average children's story! I have read this to several classes of 10-11 year old children and they never fail to go 'Wow' as the incredible stories unfold. For example, when Peter has his arm pulled from its socket by 'The Bad Doll' or when he unzips the skin from his pet cat. The quality of the decsription, characterisation and imagination on display here make this a great book for Year 6 children. It also includes many links to topics such as growing up and bullying.

McEwan's laundry list?
Ian McEwan, the 'master clockmaker of novelists,' has finally let me down. Having read all his books (four of them twice), I left this one to last because of its characterisation as a children's book. Part of what I love about McEwan is the darkness he portrays so effortlessly. His characters inhabit a menacing world where something wicked *always* this way comes. Many times that darkness is so twisted and disturbing it leaves me feeling unsettled for days. I didn't think any of this could possibly happen in a so-called 'children's book,' but the blurbs and quotes on the book comparing it to Roald Dahl convinced me that it wasn't just a frivolous romp and that I should give it a go.

Well, there are fleeting glimpses of his stunning prose here, but the majority of the book is so simplistic as to be insulting. The tone comes off as patronising and the writing feels dumbed-down. This is McEwan self-censored beyond recognition. Granted, this IS a book aimed at children first and foremost, so perhaps I'm being overly sensitive. But I couldn't help but feel cheated by the promise that adults wouldn't feel talked down to.

By way of contrast, I personally didn't care for 'Saturday,' but McEwan's writing is so exquisite that it didn't matter. I remember saying at the time that he could publish his laundry list and I'd eagerly devour every word. I suppose that's been tested now.