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Wake

Part of Wake

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About The Book

The first book in the New York Times bestselling trilogy about Janie, who is able to slip into people’s dreams, and the secrets she learns and must come to terms with as a result of her mysterious ability.

Not all dreams are sweet.

For seventeen-year-old Janie, getting sucked into other people’s dreams is getting old. Especially the falling dreams, the naked-but-nobody-notices dreams, and the sex-crazed dreams. Janie’s seen enough fantasy booty to last her a lifetime.

She can’t tell anybody about what she does; they’d never believe her—or worse, they’d think she’s a freak. So Janie lives on the fringe, cursed with an ability she doesn’t want and can’t control.

Then she falls into a gruesome nightmare, one that chills her to the bone. For the first time, Janie is more than a witness to someone else’s twisted psyche. She’s a participant…

Reading Group Guide


About the Book

When Janie is eight years old, it happens for the first time: While traveling with her mother, she suddenly blacks out and is plunged into a strange office setting where a balding man is in his ratty underwear, being ridiculed by his coworkers. Janie has somehow been catapulted into the dream of the sleeping man in the seat in front of her. Unable to control her entry into his dream, Janie also has no idea how to speak or help once inside. This scary scene repeats itself over the years. Janie learns to avoid sleepovers, as she finds herself inside the dreams of the other girls, learning things about them that she may have preferred not to know. Then, when she's in high school, the worst situation presents itself: study hall in the library right after lunch. Janie is sucked into the dreams of her classmates -- some simple and innocent, some frightening, and one featuring herself and the dreamer engaged in a kiss! Janie's gift (or curse) is usually a burden, but now it's more confusing than ever as she gets closer to Cabel, whose dreams include a scary past along with passionate kisses.
About the Author

Lisa McMann has published many short stories, one of which won a Templeton Award. Lisa was born in Michigan and now lives with her family in the Phoenix area. Read more about Lisa at lisamcmann.com, or be her friend at www.myspace.com/lisamcmann.
Discussion Topics

Would you want to have Janie's gift of entering other people's dreams if you could control it? Why or why not?
Did you guess what Cabel's double life was before it was revealed in the book? Would you be brave enough to take on a job like his?
Did you think that Cabel was really with Shay? Did you think he'd be with Janie in the end or not? How did your feelings for Cabel change as you read the book?
Which of these characters' dreams would you want to have access to: Shay, the Captain, Janie's mom, Stu? Which of your friends' or family members' dreams would you want to enter? Which would you NOT want to enter?
Do you think Carrie was a good friend to Janie? Was Janie a good friend to Carrie? What examples from the book make you say yes or no?
How would the book be different if Janie and Cabel had parents who were loving and present?
If you were telling a friend about Wake, how would you describe it? Is it fantasy or reality? Do you think people like Janie really exist?
Research and Activities

Make a dream journal. Using a blank book and scraps of fabric, markers, stickers, and/or other materials, decorate your dream journal to reflect your personality.
Use your dream journal to write down everything you can remember from your dreams, then, using a dream analysis book, try to figure out what your dreams meant. (This can be done in pairs or in a group and the meanings can be shared at the end.)
Name all of the ways in which Janie's gift could be helpful to the police. What comes next? At the end of Wake, you were treated to a sneak peek of Fade, the sequel. Using that excerpt, write the next chapter or the next few pages of Fade, as you think the story should continue. Share your ideas with your reading group.

About The Author

Photograph © Ryan Nicholson Photography

Lisa McMann lives in Arizona. She is married to fellow writer and musician, Matt McMann, and they have two adult children. Her son is an artist named Kilian McMann and her daughter is an actor, Kennedy McMann. Lisa is the New York Times bestselling author of over two dozen books for young adults and children. So far she has written in genres including paranormal, realistic, dystopian, and fantasy. Some of her most well-known books are The Unwanteds series for middle grade readers and the Wake trilogy for young adults. Check out Lisa's website at LisaMcMann.com, learn more about The Unwanteds Series at UnwantedsSeries.com, and be sure to say hi on Instagram or Twitter (@Lisa_McMann), or Facebook (Facebook.com/McMannFan).

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (December 23, 2008)
  • Length: 224 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781416974475
  • Grades: 9 and up
  • Ages: 14 - 99
  • Lexile ® 530L The Lexile reading levels have been certified by the Lexile developer, MetaMetrics®

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Awards and Honors

  • Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Readers' Choice Master List
  • ALA Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers
  • Georgia Peach Book Award for Teen Readers Nominee
  • ILA Young Adults' Choices
  • Garden State Teen Book Award Nominee (NJ)
  • Gateway Readers Award Final Nominee (MO)
  • Nevada Young Readers' Award Nominee
  • YALSA Teens Top Ten (TTT)
  • TAYSHAS Reading List (TX)
  • ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults Nominee
  • Young Adult Reading Program Reading List Selection (SD)

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More books in this series: Wake