46 pages • 1 hour read
Sarah DessenA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: This section discusses physical abuse by a family member, physical abuse by a partner, and the selling and use of marijuana.
The first-person narrator of Dreamland is 16-year-old Caitlin O’Koren, an average teenager who has lived in the shadow of her beloved older sister for her entire life. Caitlin’s voice is central to the novel, and her emotions play out through a range of interpersonal conflicts. Though Caitlin is primarily characterized as a regular teen, her inner thoughts and feelings serve as a fictionalized first-hand look at the nuances of the adolescent experience.
Over the course of the novel, Caitlin’s feelings about her family relationships change dramatically. She goes through a long period of feeling unseen by her parents and abandoned by her sister; in the conclusion of the novel, she is able to find a new way to define her role in her family and begins developing stronger relationships with both of her parents. Caitlin also feels deeply connected to Stewart and Boo, who serve as secondary parental figures to her and often provide guidance that the O’Koren’s are not able to give.
While much of the novel involves her family, Caitlin’s relationships with peers are her primary interest and the source of many conflicts in the novel.
By Sarah Dessen
Along for the Ride
Sarah Dessen
Just Listen
Sarah Dessen
Keeping the Moon
Sarah Dessen
Lock and Key
Sarah Dessen
Saint Anything
Sarah Dessen
Someone Like You
Sarah Dessen
The Truth About Forever
Sarah Dessen
This Lullaby
Sarah Dessen
What Happened to Goodbye
Sarah Dessen
Appearance Versus Reality
View Collection
Art
View Collection
Beauty
View Collection
Brothers & Sisters
View Collection
Coming-of-Age Journeys
View Collection
Daughters & Sons
View Collection
Family
View Collection
Fathers
View Collection
Fear
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Hate & Anger
View Collection
Loyalty & Betrayal
View Collection
Memory
View Collection
Mothers
View Collection
Pride & Shame
View Collection
Realistic Fiction (High School)
View Collection
Romance
View Collection
Safety & Danger
View Collection
Sexual Harassment & Violence
View Collection
The Past
View Collection
Trust & Doubt
View Collection
Truth & Lies
View Collection
Valentine's Day Reads: The Theme of Love
View Collection