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: Jun 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9780547345000

Lois Lowry

Lois Lowry is the author of more than fifty books for children and young adults, including the New York Times bestselling Giver Quartet and the popular Anastasia Krupnik series. She has received countless honors, among them the Boston Globe–Horn Book Award, the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Award, the California Young Reader Medal, and the Mark Twain Award. She received Newbery Medals for two of her novels, Number the Stars and The Giver.

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

[elizajane_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a beautiful, sweet tale. It is also a sad, haunting tale. Humans are visited each night by almost transparent creatures who bestow dreams upon them; they are also visited, occasionally, by the terrifying, thundering night mares. On rare occasions the night mares will congregate into a Horde and descend upon a helpless one and eight-year old John is their next victim. I loved the beauty of this story, the words, the images and then, in contrast, the topics of child and spousal abuse strike a painful balance. This is a short read, but an emotional and satisfying one.

[mrsbond_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I loved this story so much that I unconsciously hugged the book after reading.

[alsatia_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Ever wonder where dreams come from? In this touching fantasy by Lois Lowery, dreams come from dreamgivers like Thin Elderly and Littlest One, tiny creatures who wander homes in the wee hours touching objects to gather good memories which they bestow as dreams. These two dreamgivers try to help a young boy named John who was abused by his father and now living in a foster home. Their efforts are hampered not only by his lack of happy memories but also by the Sinisteed, the beings that bring nightmares who are attacking the boy. Littlest One must use all her new dreamgiving skills to help the boy as best she can. This little book can be finished in one sitting yet is a satisfying read and will be popular with many readers.

[faith_murri · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

TW: child abuse, domestic abuse, nightmares

For fans of A Monster Calls, Gossamer tells the tale of a dream-giver and the young boy she bestows dreams upon. He is a troubled child with an unsettling past, and he needs all the good dreams he can get, especially with the Sinisteed Horde that is fast approaching him, intent on giving him horrible nightmares.

"Sad parts are important ... you must include the sad parts, because they are part of the story, and they have to be part of the dreams."
The book is short and bittersweet, with darker themes than most of Lowry's work. I wish that there was more in this world, as it is very interesting and unique. I love sandman-esque stories. The worldbuilding was well done and the characters were all excellent. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

"Change means leaving things behind, and that's always sad."

[pataustin_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

In GOSSAMER, Lowry has created an alternative world of Dreamgivers -- an oh-so-believable concept in which creatures bestow dreams on humans. Yet she weaves this ethereal world with the real world, the two universes mirroring one another in some ways; that is, both have good and evil, the bedrock of the fantasy genre. Lowry effectively uses multiple points of view to tell the story, and it works. Some readers, no doubt, are swept into the human world, eager to see how John, the abused boy, and the woman who takes him in are faring. I was swept into the world of the dreamgivers and loved the descriptions that Lowry painted as Littlest One touched the human's things, gathering from them fragments of happy memories in order to bestow pleasant dreams. The varying points of view add depth to the arc of the plot. The boy's story of abuse unfolds as does his arduous journey to trusting people; the mother's story of poverty, and also abuse from her domineering husband, adds a level of understanding to John's story all leading to a satisfying end. People can survive horrendous abuse if they have enough support and love surrounding them; trust is possible again. People also heal themselves -- and I think that's the essence of what the dreams are about. Dreams are our unconscious working on us during the night; and maybe dreams do harvest the bits and pieces of happiness in our lives to lead us to new understandings.

[kbartholomew1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Are there dream givers who roam in the night living humans with memories to help them have good dreams? Reading this book has surely made me think so. How cool would it be to have small magical beings fluttering around you at night, protecting you from Sinisteeds who deliver bad dreams? This book parallels imagination and reality, which makes it more interesting. Reading this book, I had to use my dictionary app a few times. All of the character’s names have meaning that represents their personality and the themes in the story.

[chrisriggleman · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I really liked this book. I am not a names person and did not know that Lois Lowry had written The Giver. This had trapping of her style in it and I was amazed to find out exactly who she was. She is an amazing writer. She always has the most original story to tell.
Starting with dreams and their origins. We find out that these mystical, magical beings are the dream givers. I love the style Lowry uses by switching between reality and imagination.
The story centers around an old woman who adopts a little boy. He is very angry and terrible at times. But, life has dealt him a bad hand and he is coping the best he can. He was heavily abused by his father and his mother did not do much to stop it. The other side of the story centers around these magical almost fairy like beings. They give people dream by taking memories from everyday items. By touching these items they are able to concoct amazing dreams for people.
The little boy is in bad shape and the evil sinesteeds know it. They are the nightmare givers. They are trying to break the boy. Littlest, one of the dream givers, risks her life to help the boy by giving him an amazing dream that strengthens him and makes the nightmares not as bad.
It is a great book that shows us the power we have over bad things and thoughts.

[nijania · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gossamer by Lois Lowry tells a story of dream-givers, sinisteeds, and humans. I was never a huge fan of Lois Lowry, but this book was awesome. It tells of a little dream-giver called Littlest One and Littlest One spends the entire book trying to prove himself and he does just that. There is another character called John and John has come down on really hard times. He has had a hard life and Littlest One and John, unknowingly work together to create better lives for them both, metaphorically. The dream-givers collect memories and use them to bestow good dreams onto humans.

[taylorrankins · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story Gossamer is about a dream-giver named Littlest, a boy named John, and a woman. They all had a story. This story can be an inspiration for everyone. The dream givers in the story place happy dreams into those who are sleeping. Dream givers also fight off nightmares. Littlest is assigned to John and throughout the story she really makes an impact on his life. In the story we get to follow each characters life and see change. The dream givers reminded me of guardian angels.This story in my opinion will teach children or anyone about hope and to keep fighting. This story could be read by anyone and they would really enjoy it.

[slbenne1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Lowry takes readers on a journey through the training of a new dream-giver named Littlest One. With the help of her teacher, Thin Elderly, and the leader of their Heap, Most Ancient, Littlest one strengthens a young foster child named John. She bestows dreams onto John to help fight off the nightmares the Sinisteeds have inficted on him.
The novel tells the story of a John and his mother, and the aduse they endured from John's father. Readers are introduced to John's foster mom, the old woman and her dog Toby, who will play a key role in John coping with the issues he has endured. The story gives readers a sense of bravery and undeniable srength, as we witness the healing of a young boy by his creative and dedicated dream-giver.

[jaelynculliford · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The Gossamer by Louis Lowry is a bueatiful written novel, with strong themes that tie in family problems. The gossamer takes place in a world like ours, but in this world there are dream givers and sinisters. These dream givers bistrow dreams to us and help us realize potentional in our life and how we can change it. I really enjoyed this novel. I think its perfect for a classroom read or just to recommend to a student who needs a little pick me up. Louis Lowry once agian, ended the book in a cliff hanger, but this time it was enough and I could imagine the ending for myself.

[lruano-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One is learning how to become a dream giver. Littlest One is assigned with Thin Elderly so he can teach her the responsibilities of being a dream-giver. They get assigned to the house of this isolated old lady who is taking the responsibility of taking care of a boy named John. When they get back to the Heap, Most Ancient warns them that the Sinisteeds are attacking and looking for a particular victim. Sinisteeds inflict something called nightmares. When Littlest One and Thin Elderly go back to their assigned house they find a Sinisteed. The helpless boy was sleeping but began to cry in his sleep from what this creature had done to him. Littlest One and Thin Elderly have to protect this house and stop the Sinisteeds from letting there nightmares affect the little boy. Littlest One began to learn more about how to him bring John courage, strength, and happiness through his dreams to overcome the Sinisteeds because they find out John is the victim they were searching for. The night all the Sinisteeds come to attack the house they are hoping their good dreams are enough to defeat the Sinisteeds. As the boy sleeps you can see the good dreams overcoming the nightmares. Littlest and Thin Elderly have won the battle in this house. You can see how much Littlest One has grown since she has first started. Littlest is now ready to go out on her own. This novel brings imagination to life. It gave me a sense of realism with everything that is happening. It even made me feel that dream givers exist even if they don't. I really loved this book.

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

This book centers around the lives of humans, both children and adults, as well as "dream givers", or fairies. Littlest One is a dream giver in training, she is learning the ropes of how to give humans, and pets, their dreams. Littlest One is curious about all things, she wonders who and what she is and what exactly is the gift of dream giving. Littlest One, guided by other dream guiders, is able to give dreams to a young boy, named John, his foster parent, the old woman, and her dog, Toby. Littlest One must also learn to protect them from the evil "Sinisteeds" who bestow nightmares on the humans.

Lowry not only gives the point of view of Littlest One and her fellow dream givers, but also the humans in the book. Lowry gives details of John's past of abuse from his father, the old woman's pains of loneliness, and also John's mother, who is trying to get her life together after getting rid of John's abusive father. This was a nice mix, there is the fantasy world of the dream givers and sinisteeds, and also the more realistic, and not always pleasant, world of the humans. Although this is a nonfiction book, it has major relatable issues and was a great read for young adults.

[kryoung1-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A young creature is being trained to bestow dreams on humans while they sleep. The story follows her journey as she matures and learns what it takes to be a dream-giver. Her biggest challenge is a young boy trying to overcome his rough past. With the help of their mentors and the people around them. they each must grow up and overcome unimaginable things. It was definitely a story to hold your interest and leave you with questions. I loved the creative way that it was told and really enjoyed the book.

[sabdelaz · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had to read this book twice. Lowry does a good job of making this narrative that is delicate yet harsh. A little boy is abused by both of his parents gets to reside with an old lady who takes care of him as well as her dog. Gossamer is unique in that there is fairy like creature that helps give dreams to that boy as well as other people. She is trained through an elderly who goes with her to a variety of places. Thin elderly is his name and she goes with him against the Sinsteeds who basically do the opposite and give nightmares to the boy about his troubling his past.

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

Genre: Novel
Audience: 4-5th grade
This was a haunting novel that I really enjoyed. Extremely well written using descriptive and vivid sentences and scenes. It contrasted the innocence and lilting joy of Littlest One with the dark and destructive anger and tragedy of the young boy John. Beautifully crafted fantasy novel, though I felt that I wanted more information about the dream givers and the sinisteeds. I will definitely recommend that 5th graders read this.

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

I am the last person to read a fantasy novel,but I love this one for many reasons. I found myself rooting for the good fairies and fearing the bad ones. The story also showed me that a lot of times angry children aren't just angry they are sad. I even found myself beliving this book before I went to bed. It is truyly magical

[breksarah · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This is a story about a troubled boy going to live with an old lady through foster care, while his mother attempts to get her life back on track so he may return home. However, there is a magical creature who brings the troubled boy sweet dreams to help strengthen him and make him happy. The creature must fight off the evil sinisteeds, who bring the boy nightmares, if she is to give the boy a happy ending.


I absolutely loved this book. This is a book I would use from grammar school up through high school and college. There are many ways that what is going on in the book can be interpreted. I think Lois Lowry did a fabulous job in writing this novel from many character viewpoints. I think there is a lot of underlying content matter in the story. I love that the book has depth and creation. I felt as if I was in each characters' shoes when I was reading from his or her view point.

[smheatherly2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very interesting read about where our dreams come from, the good ones, and the nightmares. Littlest One is in training to become a dream giver and is learning about the stories of the people she's responsible for, John and his foster caretaker.
Lowry does a great job at making you think while telling a story with make perspectives in a non confusing way.

[bereneezypie · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Like all of Lowry's book - this book is AWESOME. A really great read as an introduction into the Fantasy genre. My only complaint was that the book ended very abruptly. I didn't get the feel that all the conflicts throughout the book were solved or at least accepted.

[feboudre · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A story about a small dream-giver named littlest one is learning to give collect happy fragments from people’s life and to give them to the people in their dreams. Littlest-One help a foster child at night by sending him small fragments happy fragments of his mom.

Genre: Fantasy
Age(s): 9-12

[mmwrigh3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Lowry invites the reader into a fantasy story about good and evil. A believable tale about fairy like creatures who are responsible for bestowing good dreams in humans that they have gathered from their belongings. A young dream giver, Littlest One, is learning to gather memories and it is not a task that should be taken lightly. Lowry uses a back-and-forth movement between the characters point of view creating many layers for the reader. Whether you are drawn into the dream giver's world or human's I think we can all relate to the story in some way.

[alyssabuzbee · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Touching story of imaginary creatures whose job it is to protect the dreams of humans. Beautifully written , it conveys the idea that with the help of others, we can get through all of life's changes.

[kzrobin · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This book has two sides. One side is the dream makers and the other side is of John. I love how they intertwined. I'm usually not big on novels with imaginary figures, but the real life situations is what kept me reading. So many children go through what this little boy John went through, and it is important for kids to read this novel that way they know they’re not alone. Not everyone’s' situation deals with being forced to eat dog food, but there are other things that happened to him that children can relate to. Some may not have it as bad as John did and some may live their lives in far worse situations. If I were to have my students read this book I would tell them it’s a story about where dreams come from, and let them find out the rest on their own.

[smorales_91849 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I enjoyed this book because it is a great getaway book to read when you just want to escape from reality. I became attached to the characters, John and the woman because they had so much to gain from the relationship with one another. I would definitely recommend this book to any fifth thru eigth grader.

[jenvid_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Littlest and Thin Elderly are dream makers. They are like tiny fairies that collect meaningful and special memories to pass onto the human's mind as dreams. Thin Elderly and Littlest are assigned to work at a house with an old woman that takes in a foster child, John. John is an angry child that came from an abusive home. The Sinisteeds, the horse like creatures that create nightmares, are trying to torment John. The two dream makers must try to soothe these nightmares with pleasant dreams. This was a very interesting book to read. I wish I would have seen a picture of the dream makers. While reading the book, I imagined them as little fairies. It is interesting how Lowry came up with this concept for dreams and nightmares. I tagged this book for disabilities, because I feel any child coming from an abusive or violent home can enjoy reading this. I was so happy to see that towards the end of the book, the John's mother was trying to win him back. I love reading books that have happy endings. =)

[ckarmstr1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This story goes through the journey of the creatures that give people their dreams. Littlest One is a curious creature, and her original mentor, Fastidious, passes her on to another mentor, Thin Elderly, because Littlest One is too much work for Fastidious. Thin Elderly warns Littlest to stray from getting too far into the dreams because she could become a Sinisteed, or a dream giver that inflicts nightmares. Soon Thin Elderly learns that Littlest has the gossamer touch. Littlest works to save a boy, John, from the Sinisteeds by sending him happy memories to get him out of the Sinisteeds grasp. Littlest One grows to know and understand herself. This book is about self-discovery, and I think it would be great for grades third through fifth because those are somewhat awkward years when kids don't know who they are or where they fit in.

[paulaanweiler · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

The story of a dream giver that has so many dreams of her own.

[mrcmyoung · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One is an apprentice dream-giver, learning how to bestow dreams on people by collecting fragments of their memories. She is assigned to work with John, an abused boy who has been taken in by a lonely old woman while his mother tries to clean up her act. This is a challenging assignment for Littlest, but her gossamer touch and precocious understanding of the stories memories create in our dreams might be a match for the hordes of nightmarish Sinisteeds descending on John and his caretaker.

"And you know what, Thin Elderly? Sad parts are important. If I ever get to train a new young dream-giver, that's one of the things I'll teach: that you must include the sad parts, because they are part of the story, and they have to be part of the dreams."

[bell7_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Littlest One is a being that humans and animals cannot see but that comes in at night to touch our things and bestow dreams. She is young and nearly transparent yet, and trained by Fastidious to bestow dreams upon a young woman who lives alone. Fastidious is frustrated with Littlest One's curiosity and flightiness, so she gives charge of the home and Littlest One to Thin Elderly. When a young boy moves in, though, Sinisteeds (beings that inflict nightmares) start to move in, and Littlest One and Thin Elderly have to do their best to protect the inhabitants of their house from the damage that may be inflicted.

I liked the non-human and human characters and felt for them. I enjoyed the device of getting to know a few human characters primarily through the observations of otherworldly creatures. Short, simple, and sweet.