WAKE (novel)
Encyclopedia
Wake is a novel
by Lisa McMann
centered on seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagann's involuntary power which thrusts her into others' dreams. The novel follows Janie through parts of her young adulthood, focusing mainly on the events that occur during her senior year, in which she meets an enigmatic elderly woman, and becomes involved with Cabel, a loner and purported drug-dealer at Fieldridge High School. The book is set up in a diary like form, specifying the date and time at which each event occurs. The two books that follow Wake in the trilogy are Fade and Gone. Wake debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list
for children's chapter books, and garnered several awards for young adult literature.
After several encounters, Janie and Cabel fall for each other on a class trip to Canada, during which time Cabel becomes aware of Janie's strange powers. Although Cabel helps Janie protect her secret, they are unable to maintain a close relationship due to peer pressures, secrecy, and Cabel's growing reputation as a drug dealer to the wealthy..
Even as Janie and Cabel grow apart, their desire for each other increases. As Cabel seems to fall away from Janie and into the drug trade, Janie realizes things are not always as they seem, and she can learn to use her powers to help others and even serve the community.
With the help of Miss Stubin at the Heather Home, Janie discovers that she is a dream catcher and has the power to help others resolve the dreams which are haunting them.
The climax of the story comes as Cabel, along with a number of other Fieldridge students and parents, are imprisoned on narcotics charges. Janie witnesses a dream that helps the police and allows her to free her friends.
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
by Lisa McMann
Lisa McMann
Lisa McMann is an American author.McMann was born in Holland, Michigan and now lives in the Phoenix, Arizona area. Her first novel, WAKE, debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list for children's chapter books...
centered on seventeen-year-old Janie Hannagann's involuntary power which thrusts her into others' dreams. The novel follows Janie through parts of her young adulthood, focusing mainly on the events that occur during her senior year, in which she meets an enigmatic elderly woman, and becomes involved with Cabel, a loner and purported drug-dealer at Fieldridge High School. The book is set up in a diary like form, specifying the date and time at which each event occurs. The two books that follow Wake in the trilogy are Fade and Gone. Wake debuted on the New York Times Best Seller list
New York Times Best Seller list
The New York Times Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. It is published weekly in The New York Times Book Review magazine, which is published in the Sunday edition of The New York Times and as a stand-alone publication...
for children's chapter books, and garnered several awards for young adult literature.
Main characters
- Janie Hannagan, Female Protagonist. A 17 year old who has a special power that others are unaware of. She has the ability to go into other people’s dreams and affect the outcome. By using her power, she is able to help others find peace within their dreams and help police with a drug-busting mission.
- Cabel Strumheller, a loner with a troubled past, including childhood abuse. Develops a romantic relationship with Janie and is the only one who knows her secret. Does not play a major role until late in the story. He has a covert identity and helps police with drug busting. He is also plagued with dreams of killing a man who Janie later realizes is his father.
- Carrie Brandt, Janie’s best friend, who usually hangs out with the wealthier kids. She is also Melinda’s best friend. She has recurring nightmares of the death of her younger brother, who drowned. She becomes entangled in the drug bust in the end.
- Miss Stubin, an elderly woman who lives in Heather Home where Janie works. Also a dream catcher, she helps Janie realize her abilities.
- Captain Fran Komiski, Cabel’s boss, and the one who is in charge of the drug busting operation.
- Melinda Jeffers, Carrie’s other best friend who dislikes Janie very much.
Plot summary
The book begins with multiple flashbacks,all leading to Janie’s extraordinary powers and where she stands in the present day. Janie Hannagan is an independent, 17-year-old senior at Fieldridge High School, living at home with her alcoholic mother and trying to find ways to fund her future college education. What makes Janie so different from her peers is that she has the involuntary ability to witness others' dreams. Janie discovered this ability at 8 years old, when she was able to witness a businessman’s dream of him giving a presentation in his underwear. From that day on, she is somewhat cursed by the long struggle and suffering of being part of others’ dreams and nightmares. By taking part in others’ dreams, she can see their fears and/or desires. This leads to Janie finding out the secrets of the people around her, but she cannot reveal them because they might think she is crazy. Whenever someone falls asleep within a certain distance of Janie, she automatically becomes paralyzed and blinded, and is sucked into the other person’s dream. People within the dream she enters usually ask her for help, but she is unable to know what to do. All these incidents become a problem for Janie, especially towards her junior and senior years, because most of the time she cannot control the situation. Her peers, especially Cabel, become suspicious of her strange behavior. While most of her classmates have dreams typical of adolescent anxieties, Cabel,a mysterious loner, has frighteningly morbid dreams that Janie cannot come to terms with.After several encounters, Janie and Cabel fall for each other on a class trip to Canada, during which time Cabel becomes aware of Janie's strange powers. Although Cabel helps Janie protect her secret, they are unable to maintain a close relationship due to peer pressures, secrecy, and Cabel's growing reputation as a drug dealer to the wealthy..
Even as Janie and Cabel grow apart, their desire for each other increases. As Cabel seems to fall away from Janie and into the drug trade, Janie realizes things are not always as they seem, and she can learn to use her powers to help others and even serve the community.
With the help of Miss Stubin at the Heather Home, Janie discovers that she is a dream catcher and has the power to help others resolve the dreams which are haunting them.
The climax of the story comes as Cabel, along with a number of other Fieldridge students and parents, are imprisoned on narcotics charges. Janie witnesses a dream that helps the police and allows her to free her friends.
Awards
- WAKE - 2008 American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
Best Book for Young Adults - WAKE - 2008 Cybil Award Finalist
- WAKE - 2009 American Library AssociationAmerican Library AssociationThe American Library Association is a non-profit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with more than 62,000 members....
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