As an avid reader, I’ve found that sometimes you find books and sometimes books find you. Dreamland Social Club found me, thanks to my friend Valerie.

Dreamland Social Club follows the life of Luna Jane (who prefers to go by her middle name, Jane) a sixteen year old  returning to her family roots. After the death of her mother, Jane’s dad decides to settle in Coney Island, New York (the place of her mother’s youth) because Jane and her brother inherited their grandfather’s house.   

This was a big change for Jane, she only had two weeks to process the fact that she and her brother had inherited the house of a grandfather they never known (who liked to go by the name of Premie ) and a grandmother ( who went by the name of Birdie.) They were living in England and now they’re moving to the place where her mother grew up. The house was entirely out of place, it was ancient-looking, overgrown with weeds, a waist- high chain- link fence surrounded the yard, black and white photographs lined the main staircase and there was a wooden carousel horse which had a thick metal chain wrapped multiple times around one of it’s legs locked with a dusty padlock.

Jane had lived in a lot of places but this time she was living in her mother’s childhood home, and she was starting school at her mother’s high school. It was the chance to get to know her mother better. Jane hoped to flip through old yearbooks and find friends and people who knew her mother. Jane’s story is about the search for identity, friendship, and finding your place in the world.

Dreamland Social Club is a school club that consists of interesting characters, such as a gothic dwarf, a tattooed boy, a tiny blond looking doll, and a boy with no legs. Personally, my two favorite characters were Jane and Leo. Jane being  the main character makes Leo more like her accessory (in a flattering way). Leo is the bad boy of the story, while Jane is the good girl. He brings out the adventurous side in Jane, but he does not overpower her. For me, the relationship they shared made everything so vivid. During the time they spent together she discovered facts about her maternal grandparents and her mother, which helped give her closure.

Tara Altebrando is known for writing young adult fiction, such as The Leaving, The Best Night of Your (Pathetic) Life, The Pursuit of Happiness and What Happens Here. She went to Harvard and studied American Government, she was once a music journalist and interview bands such as Rage Against the Machine, Duran Duran, and The Frames.
I have to say, I do truly love this book and I wouldn’t mind reading it again. I’d definitely rate it 8/10.