Dream Hunters

By Author / Illustrator

Nazima Pathan

Genre

Fantasy

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster

ISBN

9781398531888

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

01-08-2024

Synopsis

Set in a fantasy, reimagined India where dreams can be captured and bottled, young Mimi Malou must go on a quest to save the king and rescue her parents. A gorgeous adventure dripping in magic from debut author Nazima Pathan, perfect for fans of Starfell, The Hatmakers and The Kingdom Over the Sea.

In the Citadel, we hunt. Dreams are our prey. If we catch them before they melt into moonlight, they can be recycled and sold for great profit. My family has been hunting dreams for generations. Capturing them as they slip away, and storing them in a soaring, magnificent library.

Twelve-year-old Mimi lives with her Aunt Moyna in a centuries-old Citadel where she studies the ancient practice of making, capturing and recycling dreams. The Citadel was once run by Mimi's parents who have been imprisoned by the king, accused of treason. When Mimi spies a royal visitor, she uncovers a plot to transform the Citadel from a place of gentle, healing dream craft to one of creating nightmares in order to poison the king.

With only her dream creature, Lalu, and her best friend Rafi by her side, Mimi must escape the Citadel and begin a perilous journey across India. There are few people she can trust, but saving the life of the king is in Mimi's hands alone...

Author Nazima Pathan introduces Dream Hunters

Praise for Dream Hunters: 'Captivating storytelling' - Abi Elphinstone, author of the Ember Spark series. 'Dream Hunters is a thrilling adventure, threaded through with intricate magic, beautiful storytelling prose and characters you'll want to run away with. I was drawn immediately into her world and didn't want to leave!' - Zohra Nabi, author of The Kingdom Over the Sea. 'An immersive and breathtaking adventure with dreams and nightmares at its heart. I adored the skilfully imagined magic - I can't stop thinking about it!' - A.F. Steadman, author of the Skandar series.

Download Extract

Reviews

Katie

Dream Hunters is a fast-paced fantasy adventure for any child who loves their adventures with a magical edge. In this story, the magic is provided by child 'dream hunters' - children are taught to follow dreams and to catch them with their special needles, bottling them to help heal and other kinds of positive magic. Unfortunately, though, dreams can also be used for bad things, and when Mimi and her friend Rafi realise that this is happening, they only have a little time to put things right before the entire system of dream catching is put to the wrong use.

I really enjoyed the alternate fantasy India that the author develops through Dream Hunters, making it a place you definitely would want to visit. The relationship between Mimi and Rafi is close and well developed, and their adventures together are completely gripping. Of course centre stage is the magic of the 'dream hunters', those responsible for finding and catching dreams, which is a wonderful concept and the dream creatures bring a magical element to the story. I loved it!

304 pages / Reviewed by Katie

Louisa

Dream Hunters, a colourful adventure story set in a fantasy version of India, invites young readers to imagine... Imagine a world where dreams could be caught and bottled. Imagine if slivers of dreams could be threaded together to make new dreams, personalised to the needs of a sleeper. Imagine if nightmares could be made into weapons.... Welcome to the world of the Citadel, which is home to Mimi Malou and her young friend and dream-hunting partner, Rafi. Rafi is an orphan, recruited from the streets of Mumbai to become a Dream Hunter; Mimi, daughter of the Citadel's Librarian, has never been anywhere else.

Mimi narrates her own story, in the present tense, and gradually we come to understand the depth of her courage, loyalty and spirit. Two years before, both her parents were imprisoned while on a trade mission to Ratnagar, accused of peddling nightmares as poison. Mimi, now under the guardianship of her aunt, is ashamed of their treachery and becomes increasingly attached to Rafi, despite his frequent mishaps. He is one of the only Dream Hunters who doesn't judge her for her parentage.

As she tries to help Rafi out of a scrape that could see him banished from the Citadel, Mimi stumbles into a web of intrigue. Far from being traitors, her parents seem to be victims and Mimi must risk everything to clear their name and rescue the King of Ratnagar.

Faint echoes of the Northern Lights trilogy reverberate through elements of the story, in particular the vivid dream creatures who are the alter egos of the Citadel inhabitants, but the author doesn't attempt to replicate the philosophical and symbolic depth of Pullman's books. The style of writing is accessible and the plot follows a cheerfully traditional narrative of journey and rescue that will appeal to primary school readers who enjoy books by Katherine Rundell.

I'd recommend Dream Hunters as a pacy read-aloud - especially good if you are looking to include stories that reflect non-European characters and settings.

304 pages / Reviewed by Louisa Farrow, teacher