DREAM HOP

For any sleeping youngster who’s been trapped in a nightmare, Durango offers a way out—of sorts. The multicolored monsters that surround a wretched looking, jammies-clad lad vanish when he declares a “Dream Hop!” Suddenly, he’s in a grand castle—but the “good riddance to bad dreams” only lasts a moment, as in thunders an armored knight: “ ‘Let’s duel!’ he cries. ‘Get thee hither, chop-chop!’ ” Time for a second Hop. But each seemingly idyllic new locale turns nightmarish in turn, until worst of all, he finds himself in school, where, “A sign on the wall says there’s only one rule: / that kids without pants on are very uncool.” Tucking in visual clues to what’s coming, Lee illustrates in a squiggly lined cartoon style that keeps it all on a humorous plane, in keeping with the tone of Durango’s brisk verse. A crowd-pleasing tale of the “scary but not really scary” variety. Moreover, the strategy’s worth a try. (Picture book. 6-8)