Dormia

Dormia
by Jake Halpern, Peter Kujawinski

Dormia
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Book Summary Information

Author: Jake Halpern, Peter Kujawinski
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Deckle Edge
Published: 2009-05-04
ISBN: 0547076657
Number of pages: 528
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children

Book Reviews of Dormia

Book Review: A Storyline That Keeps the Pages Flipping
Summary: 5 Stars

For nearly all people, sleep is a time for our bodies to regenerate and regroup for a new day. Some may talk in their sleep, and in more extreme cases, sleepwalking can happen. Regardless, we are without conscious control during this time. Imagine, however, being able to perform extreme and unusual feats without fear, all while sleeping. Twelve-year-old Alfonso Perplexon experiences this on a daily basis, and he never knows where he'll find his sleeping self next: at the top of a 200-foot tree, walking tightropes, or shooting deadly accurate arrows.

Lately these sleeping episodes have been occurring more frequently and have centered on caring for an unusual plant in Alfonso's grandfather's greenhouse. The plant's seeds originated from an old rattle passed from Leif Perplexon, Alfonso's deceased father, to Alfonso. The plant's flower changes colors frequently and has garnered much attention from the scientific world. It isn't until a man shows up claiming to be Leif's long-lost brother, Hill, that Alfonso learns the true nature of the plant. It is a rare Dormian bloom meant to be the salvation of the last remaining city of Dormia, a kingdom hidden in the Ural Mountains. Not only is Alfonso a descendant of Dormia, he's also one of the few chosen Great Sleepers equipped with special powers.

Immediately Alfonso is launched into an incredible journey to save both the Dormian bloom and Somnos, the last city of Dormia, from total destruction. At first, Alfonso isn't sure who to trust. Is Hill really his uncle, or just someone claiming he is to get at the bloom? The longshoreman, Bilbox, can't be trusted since he has used some of the bloom's magical dust. Or can he? What about the mysterious street girl Resuza, who helps them navigate to the Ural Mountains, but then disappears completely? Alfonso also encounters numerous complications in the Dragoonya, Dormia's ancient and eternal enemy. They will stop at nothing to recover the bloom for themselves --- even if it means killing everything and everyone in their path.

With time running out, Alfonso has no choice but to put his life, and the lives of Dormia, into the hands of his uncle and a way of life that he didn't know existed. Along the way he learns about the art of "wakeful sleeping" that the people of Dormia have mastered and the numerous powers of the Dormian bloom. His power as a Great Sleeper is tested in a climactic battle where the very survival of Dormia rests on Alfonso's shoulders.

DORMIA presents a fascinating concept of wakeful sleeping and brings it to life with interesting characters, epic landscapes, and a storyline that keeps the pages flipping. In the back of my mind I knew what the ultimate outcome would be, but the journey was full of surprises with a few twists and turns mixed in to keep me thinking and reading. DORMIA also had me longing to do more when I sleep. The characters in the book are able to overcome their nagging fears while sleeping. I think we all might tackle climbing that 200-foot tree if our self-doubt wasn't holding us back.

--- Reviewed by Benjamin Boche

Summary of Dormia

Introducing Alfonso Perplexon, hero of the epic fantasy tale Dormia!

Alfonso Perplexon is an unusual sleeper. He climbs trees, raises falcons, even shoots deadly accurate arrows, all in his sleep. No one can figure out why.
Then one evening a man arrives at Alfonso?s door, claiming to be Alfonso?s long-lost uncle Hill. This uncle tells a fantastical tale: Alfonso?s ancestors hail from Dormia—an ancient kingdom of gifted sleepers—which is hidden in the snowy peaks of the Ural Mountains. According to Hill, Dormia exists thanks to a tree known as the Founding Tree, with roots that pump life into the frozen valley. But the Founding Tree is now dying, and in a matter of days, Dormia faces an icy apocalypse.
Dormia?s salvation lies with the Great Sleeper, who possesses the special powers to enter a sleep trance and grow a new Founding Tree. Hill suspects that Alfonso is just such a person. In fact, Alfonso?s sleeping-self has already hatched this tree. Now the question is: Can Alfonso and his uncle deliver it in time? They must hurry, but they also must be careful not to be followed by Dormia?s age-old enemy, the Dragoonya, who are always hunting for one of the secret entryways into Dormia.
Alfonso agrees to take the tree to Dormia, and thus begins one of the greatest adventures a twelve-year-old boy could ever wish for.

As he woke up from a late afternoon nap, Alfonso blinked open his eyes and discovered that he was perched at the top of a gigantic pine tree – some two-hundred feet above the ground. The view was spectacular. Alfonso could see for miles in every direction and he could even make out his house in the distant hamlet of World?s End, Minnesota. Unfortunately, there was no time to enjoy the view. The small branch that Alfonso stood upon was covered with gleaming snow and creaked dangerously under the pressure of his weight. Icy gusts of wind shook the entire treetop. Alfonso looked down grimly at the ground far below. If he fell, he would most certainly die.
“Oh brother,? muttered Alfonso to himself. “Not again.?

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