The Daydreamer
Ian McEwan. HarperCollins Publishers, $15.95 (192pp) ISBN 978-0-06-024426-2
Most grown-ups think Peter Fortune is a difficult child because he is so quiet: they ``knew that something was going on inside that head, but they couldn't hear it or see it or feel it. They couldn't tell Peter to stop it, because they didn't know what it was he was doing in there.'' Actually, he is involved in one of his great adventures: exchanging bodies with his ancient pet cat, battling a troop of dolls come to life, making his parents disappear with a vanishing cream or discovering what it is like to be an adult falling in love. Through his daydreams, Peter learns to see the world from numerous points of view. He is the only boy at school, for example, who can recognize the weaknesses of a bully and feel compassion for him. In his first book for children, McEwan ( The Comfort of Strangers ; The Child in Time ) dextrously presents a series of strange and wonderful metamorphoses. His vivid and poetic writing, celebrating the creative abilities of a gifted 10-year-old, reveals a profound understanding of childhood. Illustrations not seen by PW. Ages 8-up. (Sept.)
Details
Reviewed on: 08/29/1994
Genre: Children's
Analog Audio Cassette - 978-1-4025-3986-2
Hardcover - 95 pages - 978-0-394-28073-8
Hardcover - 192 pages - 978-0-06-024427-9
Open Ebook - 66 pages - 978-0-307-80592-8
Open Ebook - 112 pages - 978-1-4090-9633-7
Other - 176 pages - 978-0-307-36701-3
Paperback - 160 pages - 978-0-385-49805-0
Paperback - 978-0-394-28132-2
Paperback - 208 pages - 978-0-06-053015-0
Paperback - 160 pages - 978-0-385-66125-6
Paperback - 208 pages - 978-0-06-440576-8
Paperback - 241 pages - 978-7-305-05696-3