At just six years old, Luna, who goes by her middle name Jane, lost her mother. Jane's mother grew up in Coney Island, New York. Her grandfather was a famous man on the island and had a house which he passed down to Jane's family. Jane's family, consisting of her brother Marcus and their father, constantly moved from place to place. When Jane and her brother began high school, their father moved them into the inherited house in Coney. He soon meets some people, and not even exactly the kind of people he intended to meet; misfits. She begins to appreciate them because they are all she has, and becomes curious about a club she thinks they participate in. Posters with strange messages about the "Dreamland Social Club" appear around the school. Jane soon takes a leap of faith, to explore who she really is and get closer to her tattooed crush. She goes and joins the club, makes things right with old rivalries and, most importantly, discovers her place. I'd like to focus on Jane's mom. Although he wasn't physically there, he impacts Jane throughout the book. Whether it's clues left in a diary, keys to some amusement park rides, or flashbacks to certain memories, she was very present in the novel. In a world so full of judgment and attempts to please society, Jane's mother wanted to break the trend. Creator of the "Dreamland Social Club" and aspiring to become a mermaid, she has constantly challenged the norms. She tried to teach her daughter as little as she could. The best example of this is when a strange looking stranger approached Jane and her mother. Somewhat shocked, Jane observes, "'She didn't have a nose, Mum.'" But when her mother, "stops at the corner and looks at [Jane]...in the middle of the paper..." .o creates this new exotic and strange environment, yet managing to maintain a bit of the reality of the city. He manages to bring in elements of his life experiences and incorporate them into his novel and his characters. Personally I loved the book and reread it, at some points I couldn't put it down. I could also really relate to the fact that she's a girl who is a high school senior who transfers mid-year, something I experienced my freshman year. I would recommend it to any teenager or young adult who loves adventure and finds a sense of belonging in the world. Works Cited Altebrando, Tara. Dreamland Social Club. New York: Dutton, 2011. Print.Altebrando, Tara. "Dreamland Social Club." Tara Altebrando. Day One Movie, 2011. Web. March 30, 2014.Heather. "Tara Altebrando's Dreamland Social Club." BURIED IN BOOKS. Buried in Books, April 13, 2013. Web. April 1. 2014.
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