Saturday Morning Cartoons- Dream On

Hale, Shannon and Cespedes, Marcela. Dream On. 
August 26, 2025 by Roaring Brook Press
E ARC Provided by Netgalley

Fourth grader Cassie Carpenter is part of a close but large family that includes her and five siblings, some younger and some older. She is very talkative and anxious, and doesn't get as much attention from her mother as she needs. She has a good friend in Vali, but not that Stesha, a rather mean girl in their class, has lost her best friend, Stesha is playing Vali and Cassie against each other. It's even worse when her teacher, Mrs. Farmer, separates the girls during class, even though Cassie does start to talk to Tomas. Cassie occasionally hangs out with neighbor Trinh, but since she's a year younger, she's afraid people will make fun of her. She's tired of being called sensitive. When she sees an envelope in the mail that says she has won fabulous prizes, she fills it out, complete with stickers for three magazines, even though her mother says they can't afford the $19.95 to pay for them. She carries around the flyer and envisions what she will do with the money and trips, hoping that it will make things better around her house. The friend drama with Vali ramps up, and Cassie even calls Mrs. Farmer "weird" when talking to Vali and Stesha, which she regrets. She does apologize to her teacher, who is retiring at the end of the year and was once married to a prince! Cassie also starts to plan a retirement party, since she'll have the money from her prize. Even though there are some bright spots in her life, like going to the local buffett, there are so many sad things 9like her father being out of work and Vali's grandmother dying) that sometimes Cassie feels that there is no joy in life at all. Eventually, the guilt of the magazines and the friend drama overwhelm her, and she stays home from school and finally has a heart-to-heart with her mother. 

Strengths: This is based on Hale's personal experiences, including having a teacher who was married to a prince, so the story really rings true. Not many tweens come from families this large, and it's always interesting to see what that would be like. Friend drama is always a popular topic, and fourth grade can be particularly brutal. This was set sometime in the 1980s, I think, so there are some historical elements that will appeal to readers. The illustrations are bright and colorful, so this will fly off the shelves. 
Weaknesses: Middle school drama is slightly different from elementary school drama, so this will be more popular in lower grades, while this author's Best Friends and Real Friends more accurately capture the reality of friend drama for 11-14 year olds. 
What I really think: This is a good choice for readers who like graphic novels about anxiety and interpersonal relationships like Libenson's Invisible Emmie or Vivat's Frazzled.