Gossamer

By Lois Lowry

A novel “as haunting as a dream” from the New York Times-bestselling, Newbery Medal-winning author of The Giver (Kirkus Reviews, starred review). 
 
Where do dreams come from? What stealthy nighttime messengers are the guardians of our most deeply hidden hopes and our half-forgotten fears? This imaginative novel confronts these questions and explores the conflicts between the gentle bits and pieces of the past that come to life in dream, and the darker horrors that find their form in nightmare.
 
In a haunting story that tiptoes between reality and fantasy, two people—a lonely, sensitive woman and a damaged, angry boy—face their own histories and discover what they can be to one another, renewed by the strength that comes from a tiny, caring creature they will never see.
 
“Lyrical, richly descriptive prose ushers readers into a fascinating parallel world inhabited by appealingly quirky characters.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“A beautiful novel with an intriguing premise.”—School Library Journal (starred review)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Apr 24, 2006
• ISBN: 9780547345000

Lois Lowry

LOIS LOWRY, author of over thirty novels and twice winner of the Newbery Medal for The Giver and Number the Stars,was born on the 20th of March 1937 in Hawaii. Her father was an Army dentist and the family lived all over the world. She went to Brown University, but left to get married and a raise a family of four children. She settled in Maine, and returned to college receiving a degree from the University of Southern Maine. She fulfilled a childhood dream when she started writing in the 1970s.

Book preview

1

An owl called, its shuddering hoots repeating mournfully in the distance. Somewhere nearby, heavy wings swooped and a young rabbit, captured by sharp talons, shrieked as he was lifted to his doom. Startled, a raccoon looked up with bright eyes from the place where he was foraging. Two deer moved in tandem through a meadow. A thin cloud slid across the moon.

The pair crept stealthily through the small house. Night was their time of work, the time when human conversation had ceased, when thoughts had drifted away and even breathing and heartbeats had slowed. The outdoors was awake and stirring but the little house was dark and silent. They tiptoed, and whispered. Unaware, the woman and her dog slept soundly, though the dog, on his pillow bed of cedar shavings at the foot of the woman’s four-poster, moved his legs now and then as if chasing a dream rabbit.

Are we a kind of dog? Littlest One asked suddenly.

Shhh.

They crept through the bedroom, out into the dark hall.

May I talk now?

Oh, all right. Very quietly, though.

I asked if we are a kind of dog.

Littlest One, whose name was sometimes shortened affectionately to simply Littlest, was working on this night with Fastidious, the one who had been designated her teacher. Littlest was very small, new to the work, energetic and curious. Fastidious was tired, impatient, and had a headache. She sniffed in exasperation.

Whatever makes you ask such a thing? The other learners never ask questions like that.

That’s because they don’t take time to think about things. I’m a thinker. Right now I’m thinking about whether I am a kind of dog.

You just tiptoed past one. What did you notice about him?

Littlest One thought. A slight snore, a whiff of doggy breath, and his upper lip was folded under by mistake, just above a big tooth. It gave him an odd expression.

Does he resemble us in the least?

Littlest pondered. No. But I believe there are many kinds of dogs. We saw that book, remember.

Hurry along, Fastidious said. There’s much to do, and we have to go down the stairs yet.

Littlest One hurried along. The stairs were difficult, and she had to concentrate.

You do remember the book, don’t you? Ouch! She had stumbled a bit.

Grasp the carpet fibers. Look how I’m doing it.

Couldn’t we flutter down?

We can’t waste our flutters. They use up energy.

They both made their way carefully down. I hear there are houses that have no stairs, Fastidious murmured in an irritated tone. None at all. I sometimes wish that I had not been assigned this particular house.

Littlest looked around when they reached the bottom of the stairs. She could see now into the large room with the very colorful rug. The small-paned windows were outlined in moonlight on the floor by the rug’s edge. I think this house is lovely, she said. I wouldn’t want any other house.

They tiptoed across. Littlest noticed her own shadow in the moonlight. My goodness! she exclaimed. I didn’t know we had shadows!

Of course we do. All creatures have shadows. They are a phenomenon created by light.

A phenomenon created by light. What a fine phrase, Littlest thought. She twirled suddenly on the rug and watched her shadow dance.

Why is your shadow darker than mine? she asked Fastidious, noticing the difference just then.

"I’m—well, I’m thicker than you. You’re barely formed yet. You’re practically transparent."

Oh. Littlest examined her own self and saw that it was true. She had not paid much attention before to her own parts. Now she touched her ears, watching the shadow’s arms move, too; then she swiveled her neck to peer down at her own tiny behind.

I do not have a tail, she announced. "I think I am not a dog. We, I mean. We are not a kind of dog."

There. You have answered your own question. Come more quickly, please. You are dawdling.

Reluctantly, Littlest scurried across the design of the carpet, beyond the moonlit rectangles, and onto the pine-boarded floor, which was always a little dangerous because of splinters.

"What if the dog woke? Would he see us? Or smell us, perhaps? I know he has a very significant nose. And if he did see us, or smell us, would that be dangerous for us?

"Or the woman? She woke the other night, remember? Because there was a bat in the house? It swooped and woke her somehow. She didn’t like the bat. She was quite brave, I remember, and opened a window so the bat flew out into the night, which was where he had wanted to be all along, doing his night food-finding.

"But what if our little footsteps and flutterings had woken her? Would she have seen us?

"Are we visible to her?

I know we don’t fly the way bats do, but we operate at night. Might we be a type of bat?

Fastidious turned suddenly with a very annoyed gesture. Enough! Hush! Stop that questioning! We have our work to do. You insisted on coming. You said you’d be quiet. My nerves are becoming frayed. I want no more questions now. None whatsoever.

All right. I promise, Littlest One said obediently. They continued on, one following the other.

Are you doing your assigned tasks?

Yes. I touched the rug. And I’m touching this sweater now, the one she left on the chair.

"Gently. Do not under any circumstances press. But linger and get the feel of it into yourself."

Yes, I am. You showed me how. Littlest was running her tiny fingers carefully over the sweater’s soft sleeve. Then she touched a button and let her hand linger on it. It was startling, what she felt during the lingering. The entire history of the button came to her, and all it had been part of: a breezy picnic on a hillside in summer long ago; a January night, more recently, by the fire; and even, once, the time that a cup of tea had been spilled on the sweater. It was all there, still.

They moved quietly around the room, touching things. Fastidious half fluttered, half climbed to a tabletop and methodically touched framed photographs. Littlest watched in the moonlight and saw how the fingers chose and touched and felt the faces gazing out from the photographs: a man in uniform; a baby, grinning; an elderly woman with a stern look.

Forgetting her promise of no questions, Littlest suddenly asked, "Might we be human?" But Fastidious did not reply.

2

The woman stirred slightly in her sleep. She was dreaming. Sometimes, in her dreams, she recalled earlier times when she had been happier. When that occurred, her eyelids fluttered and the corners of her lips moved slightly in an upward curve.

Sometimes the creaking walls of the old house disturbed her sleep, or a shutter that came loose in the wind startled her briefly awake. A few nights before, a bat had found its way into the room, making squeaking sounds as it swooped through the dark. Sometimes a mouse scampered across the floor, usually in the fall when outdoor creatures sought warmth. Occasionally she thought that she should get a cat. Women her age often kept cats as company.

But she had the dog. They were growing old together and were good friends to each

Reviews for Gossamer

[paigecostella · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer is a fantasy book about dream giving. While littlest one is learning how to bestow dreams, he falls in love with an eight year old boy whom he gives dreams to. Littlest one tries to save him from his abusive past and the nightmares given to him by the Sinisteeds.

[tarakennedy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This is a fantasy piece about the beings that bring humans dreams. I really didn't enjoy it that much. I am very much a reader of science fiction and fantasy, and this just didn't do it for me. It was okay, with some nice imagery, but I just felt it was a little underdeveloped as far as the development of how the processes and the beings' social structure. It felt more like a short story than a novel to me. I suppose it could be an introduction to the fantasy genre, since it blends the fantastic with reality. I might use it for that purpose to delineate what qualifies a text as fantasy. I just like my fantasy more fantastical. Reading Level: 4.9 Interest Level: 5-8

[kdufrene-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This book is about creatures who move at night to help humans dream. We meet a character named Littlest One who is in training to become a more successful dream maker. We also come across an older woman who is caring for a young child who comes from a horrible home life. This young boy, John has experienced horrific things and his mother left his father and trying to improver her life to help support her son. These creatures help protect John from the Sinisteeds, these are creatures that create nightmares. Overall, this book was fine but had a few explicative things that happened with John's past that was a little unsteady to read.

[mcnicol_08 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lois Lowry's Gossamer is great piece of juvenile fictional literature. Lowry does a fantastic job of merging a setting of fantasy and reality as the fantasy of dream givers are able to help a young boy, and his very real child abused past, cope with the damage. I enjoyed this reading as it was definitely out of my comfort zone as I don't normally read too much fiction. At first the fantasy characters were difficult for me to sort out with names like "Littlest One" and " Fastidious", but after reading several chapters and the plot developed I really enjoyed the book. I would love to share this book with an older group of students, possibly fifth graders depending on their developmental levels. This book would be great for students from abusive homes to seek an opportunity to reach out to the teacher, and teach students about social sciences of abuse and bullying.

[jwesley-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer is fantasy novel about fairy-like beings who are dream-givers. The dream-giver's mission is to bestow perfect dreams upon people using items they find around the house, such as a photograph. Eventually, the story centers around a John, a little who comes from a broken home and lives with an older woman. But when sinisteeds arrive and inflict horrible nightmares upon dreamers, it's up to dream givers to protect them. Gossamer provides readers with an opportunity to explore their imaginations. It also makes readers wonder about the possibilities of the existence of dream-givers and sinisteeds. This novel is appropriate for students who are in middle school and can fully understand what's occurring within the book.

[mferaci-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lowry's story is about a young fairy-like creature on a journey to learn how to impart dreams on humans. Littlest-One is assigned a boy in a foster home who has nightmares because of the evil Sinisteeds. Littlest-One must learn to fit off the Sinisteeds to save the boy from his horrible nightmares. I personally am not a fan of fantasy themed books, but I did find this book enjoyable. I thought Lowry's story was an interesting take on what causes dreams. It also teaches a great lesson for children to believe in themselves like Littlest-One did.

[kitbraddick · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Such an interesting book. It really makes me think as an adult where my dreams come from... what creates them... what fuels them. I would love to have read or been exposed to this book at a younger age. It would be excellent for a classroom either for individual reading, or read aloud--i think it would really get kids going. This type of fantasy unleashes a new way of thinking and it would be great to hear student feedback.

[memaldonado-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer is about Littlest One becoming a dream giver, and it also reflects the lives of a boy, an older lady, and a younger lady. Littlest one has to train in order to be able give dreams to humans, so she is assigned with Fastidious to the house of an old lady. There is a troubled boy who moves into the house with the old lady, and Littlest One and Thin Elderly give dreams to these two people. Thin Elderly replaces Fastidious because she is tired of Littlest One. Sinisteed gives nightmares to people, and Littlest One and Thin Elderly have to compete with the Sinisteed. Sinisteed inflicts nightmares on the boy and the older lady, but Littlest One gives the boy wonderful fragments. Thin Elderly also gives fragments of joy to the older lady. The younger lady is the mother of the boy, and she tries to be become a better mother by getting a part time job. The book made me realize that little things make such a big difference in one’s life. I enjoyed the book, but the ending was not satisfying for me because I did not understand why love was bad for the dream givers. For a classroom activity I would like students to discuss what they enjoyed about the boy, and aspects they did not understand. I would also ask why was love prohibited for these creatures. I am interested in knowing what their responses would be.

[rachelbowers · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a great story that is full of fictional elements while adding a real life situation, being a foster child.I would use "Gossamer" in the classroom to have students draw conclusions about name significance in books. The names Gossamer, Strapping, Thin Elderly, Fastidious, the Heap and even John are allusions to the characters' or place meaning or purpose. This would also be a great book to have children decide the other elements of a book.

[emilydrennan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer is a story about a tiny creature named Little One learning how to give dreams to humans. Little one and his teacher, Thin Elderly, go inside a woman's home and touch different objects in order to gather information to place into the woman's dreams. The woman fosters a boy named John, who has had a troubled past. The sinisteeds try to go after John by giving him horrible nightmares. It is Littlest One's job to protect John from the sinisteeds and lead him to a happier life. I really enjoyed this novel and thought it was so interesting. This story made me think about what triggers certain dreams. Lowry came up with such a unique idea to write about and I think all readers would enjoy this story.

[ahernandez91 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Throughout the novel, Littlest One is learning what type of being she is. She gathers fragments by touching things and because her touch is so delicate she can even touch living things without awakening them. Most Ancient teaches her throughout the novel how to find fragments, put them together, and how to bestow a dream. Her client is one of an abused boy, John. Most Ancient teaches her by releasing dreams to his lonely foster mom. John receives nightmares by the Sinisteeds, when this happens Littlest One gathers all of her happy fragments and sends them to him. As Littlest One grows through the book, she begins to realize more and more that she is unlike any other creature, she is non-human dream-giver. After doing her deeds with John, she becomes, Gossamer, and is assigned to be the teacher of New Littlest. Great book for teaching fantasy!

[jill5barrington · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One, a new dream-giver in training, is assigned to a house with an older woman and a young boy; she works with an older, experienced dream-giver, named Thin Eldest. They work together to counteract the work of harmful Sinisteeds who inflict nightmares on the woman and boy. The woman is elderly and lived with just her dog, until she took in the boy through foster care. Littlest One becomes a great, mature dream-giver with such a light touch that she is given the new name, Gossamer, which means light touch.The book would be a great way to discuss dreams, nightmares, foster care, child abuse, and growing up.

[klsulliv · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Has anyone ever just needed a hug when they are having a bad day? "Gossamer" has a significant title because its theme relates to the saying, sometimes all a person needs is a hug. Some times the lightest touch can help someone over come their fears and problems. Has anyone ever wondered how people develop dreams while they are sleeping? "Gossamer" also touches on this as well because there are creatures that roam the night, lightly touching things to gather memories to help one develop dreams in their sleep. The theme that also touches on this is that no matter how small a person or thing is, it can also achieve big goals and dreams; it does not matter what size one is. These creatures, for example, helped a young, angry boy become stronger emotionally by giving him meaningful and positive memories in his dreams. These creatures help people remember the good memories that they sometimes forget which helps them look on the bright side of things and change for the better. There are plenty of themes in this novel, so come join the adventure and help your child discover the many different messages the author intended for this story.

[sarahbatte · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I can see why people enjoy reading this book however I did not enjoy this book. I am Not a fan of fantasy at all. I just do not get it. It had a very sweet story and at times I thought I was going to cry becuase of the the boys sad story. Overall it had a good message but it was not for me.

[kloupe1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This was a very surreal novel about little dream givers giving dreams to a circle of people. In the novel, we see a little dream giver grow into the best and most beautiful dream giver for all of her talents and her softest touch. Everyone doubter her in the beginning, but she turned out to be the best thing yet. From Littlest One to Gossamer, the dream giver goes through changes along with the circle of people she instills beautiful dreams on.

[kathdavis54 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One is in training. She is part of a race that gives humans our dreams. There are, though, those that give us our nightmares. Can Littlest One learn to fight them?

[derbygirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I found Gossamer to be a complex book on many levels. From the symbolism of the Dreamgiver's lives to the unsuspecting intertwining of the human character's lives, there are many facets that can be studied and discussed in this book. What are the dreamgivers? They state that they are not human, yet they acquire the human characteristics of loving (Littlest One loves the boy, perhaps Thin Elder loves little one, and Most Ancient cares for them all) to feeling responsible and proud (Strapping cares about the mother's future, Littlest One feels responsible for Newest Littlest One). In another aspect the Dream givers have an otherwordly existence. They are able to perform functions that the ordinary human can not and live a selfless existence, their function being only to serve the human they are assigned to. One could almost equate that to the function of Jesus(who loves and serves without question) and the Most Ancient perhaps as the face/voice of God (leading his dreamgivers to their full potential as selfless givers of oneself). That is only one angle that could be discussed with this book tying in with the tags of faith and spirituality. There is also the angle of discussing the book merely as a fantasy form of fiction. One could also discuss the social responsibility of rehabilitating the mother so she could rejoin her son, or the repercussions of child abuse on a child's memory or a child's personality emergence. All these different layers is what made the book such an enjoyable read and made one wish that there were more pages at the end. We are left to finish the boy's story- Does he go back to his mother? Does he have a normal existence despite his abusive background? I would believe that his triumph over the nightmares (w/ Littlest One's help) is a foreshadowing that he overcomes his abusive adversities, and the same would apply to the mother. We are left to wonder about Littlest One's newest responsibilty, the mentoring of Newest Littlest One. Knowing Littlest One's character, we could assume that she would nurture her new fledgling with love and care. But we will never know, except perhaps from drawing our own conclusions shrouded in sparkling mystery, much like the style of the book - shiny on top, dusk like in the middle and dark underneath (Sinisteed) but beautiful all over none the less.

[alexandra1600 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Beautifully written fantasy fiction where dreams are altered and made to deliver characters from life's likely misfortune to one that offers redemption, forgiveness and happiness.

[elizabeth1977_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story told from two different perspectives, the humans and the dream-givers. The strong relationships and the intertwining story lines make this book a must-read.

[thecajunlibrarian · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lois Lowry combines real-life struggles of loneliness, old age, abuse, and learning to trust with the magical world of dream givers. She gives a mesmerizing explanation of how and why we dream the way we do.

[sgrame_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One is learning the art of gathering fragments and bestowing happy dreams while she tries to figure out just what kind of being she really is. Her client is a young boy who has been abused and is now in a foster home with an older lonely lady and her dog Toby. When the Horde of Sinisteeds focus all their strength to bestow horrible nightmares on John, Littlest One takes everything she has learned by using her very special delicate touch , so delicate that she can even touch living things without awakening them, and bestows enough happy memories to weave a wonderful dream that gets the boy though the horrible onslaught. Littlest One has made a wonderful difference under the tutelage of the wonderful mentor Thin Elderly and has grown to be Gossamer with a New Littlest assigned to her. This 140 page book would be good for a mother-daughter book discussion for tweens.

[jebass_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another fantastic book from Lois Lowry, this time telling a fantasy-story about dream-giver creatures of the night and how they help humans and battle the nightmare-givers, Sinisteed. Lowry's story follows one little dream-giver named Littlest One as she learns to "bestow" dreams. Littlest One and her teacher must bestow wonderful dreams on an "angry little boy" with a disturbing past and the patient old woman who becomes his foster mother, trying to undo the damage of the nightmares that are inflicted upon the vulnerable boy, to help him overcome his past and have faith in the future. It would be a wonderful book for students who enjoy reading fantasy.

[volleyballgirl_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer was a great book about sinasteds and dreamgivers.There was a mad boy a little boy and gossamer and a woman.Your going to find out what gossamer means.

[aconant05 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer is the story about a young dream giver who is learning her duties. She must bestow pleasant dreams upon an older lady and a troubled boy to help them through tough times.

[goodnightmoon_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A gentle tale, one melding an imaginative world with a somewhat harsh realistic one. One positive - I really enjoyed hearing the way the old woman talked to the boy. She had a great way of validating him and ignoring his violent and hateful comments that seems to be just right for abused kids. I chuckled when she revealed she was a teacher. It's definitely a skill teachers should develop. On the other hand, I, for one, had a really hard time picturing the dreamgivers. How big are they? Where do they go home to? Do the billions of them for everyone in the world live all together? That part of the puzzle fit somewhat awkwardly. Still, I admire Ms. Lowry for attempting a unique story.

[ewyatt_16 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This was a quick read about little sprites who are dream givers. A young trainee, Littlest, works with Thin Elderly to gather fragments that are the basis for dreams. These fragments are delivered to the woman, dog, and foster child within the house. Woven into the fabric of the story about Littlest is the story of Jack healing from an abusive father and being placed in a foster home. The story had a bit of magic. I like the thought of these sprites visiting me to deliver dreams each night.

[kikotomo · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lowry does an amazing job at telling this story of how dreams come to be. In this short book, Lowry was able to create heartwarming characters intertwined with a whimsical story.

[susan15130 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great story for more advanced elementary readers.

[ebruno_11 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lois Lowry did an excellent job telling this fantasy story about a creative young fairy - Littlest One. Littlest must create good dreams for a young troubled boy. Thin Elderly teaches Littlest duities and rules that all fairies must follow. However, the Sinisteeds are out to ininflict nightmares on the boy, and it is up to the two to save him.

[tfs93 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Lowry's take on where dreams and nightmares come from and how they get into our heads. I would have liked to have known more about what happened with John.