Dreamland Social Club by Tara Altebrando

[description from goodreads]

Jane has traveled the world with her father and brother, but it's not until her fractured family-still silently suffering from the loss of Jane's mother many years before-inherits a house and a history in Coney Island that she finally begins to find a home. With the help of a new community of friends, a mermaid's secrets, and a tattooed love interest with traffic-stopping good looks, the once plain Jane begins to blossom and gains the courage to explore the secrets of her mother's past.

Colorful characters, beautiful writing, and a vibrant, embattled beachfront backdrop make this the perfect summer read for anyone who has ever tried to find true love or a place to call home.

Review:

Have I ever told you about my strange fascination with circuses and carnivals? Because, despite the fact that I find clowns to be a bit terrifying, I find carnivals rather interesting, especially the shady ones. Which is why I was so very excited to find out this book takes place on Coney Island, home of many shady carnivals past. I was even more excited to see how important the setting is to this book, because it makes it just that much more magical.

Dreamland Social Club is more about the setting and characters than anything else; the plot is a bit muddled. In fact, there really isn't a very concrete plot; it's mostly just Jane assimilating into her new, much more exciting life on Coney Island and dealing with the changes that come with it. However, that isn't to say it's completely without a story. This book feels like a mystery, but one that can't really be solved since it's unknown what's being searched for. Because not even Jane knows exactly what she's looking for, she allows herself to be pulled into all sorts of directions in her quest for information. She ends up in some delightful situations, whether they involve her new friends, some of the closed rides on the island, or anything in between. I loved seeing what each new place gave her, because even though sometimes it took a long while, they revealed all sorts of secrets that in turn led to more questions. 

The quiet, mysterious story line is also made more enjoyable by the utterly fantastic characters and setting. The setting is by far my favorite; there's so much history on Coney Island, and so much of it is included in this book. I loved reading Jane's discoveries about the island's past and present, because no matter what the information is about, it helps to bring the place alive. Although I loved the history of Coney Island past, because, like Jane, it made me nostalgic for a place I've never been to, discovering the crazy and magic in the present was just as fun. Jane is (as she would admit) a rather dull protagonist, at least in the beginning. However, as she meets new friends at school, many of whom would be considered for placement in the "freak shows" of the early twentieth century, she opens up. Each of her friends, and even her enemies, is so alive. They embrace their oddities and are all determined to get what they want, whether that's to be accepted or to save parts of the island. They're so bright that it would be impossible for Jane to be the drifter she was in the beginning; their sparkling personalities help make her come to life too, which was a joy to see.

Dreamland Social Club is a quiet sort of book, at least in terms of plot, but that doesn't stop the setting and characters from being so vibrant.


Book details: Dutton/Hardcover/$16.99


Source: ALA