When Paper White turned four her legs worked for the first time, not in real life, but in the dream world of the Land Between. There, spina bifida didn’t tether her to a wheelchair, instead mud squished between her toes, and grass tickled her knees. Nonetheless, that ended when the dreamer sensed Paper, violently shoving her from the dream. So, she established her red-letter rules — never, under any circumstances, visit the Land Between of someone you know, and always stay hidden.
Now fifteen, Paper hides in both worlds. In real-life, her overprotective mother teeters on the brink of crazy, her brother is a star at everything, and the school bully, Bobby, has her best friend on his radar. While in the Land Between, a clever boy has suddenly appeared. Unlike her, Truman doesn’t keep to the edges or maintain rules, rather he soars through the Land Between, creating and manipulating dreams like his own Neverland.
Once the taunting from Bobby reaches its breaking point, Paper ignores her rules, and with the help of Truman, weaves a spell over Bobby’s Land. Only she never imagines her curse could cause death. Now, Paper must emerge from hiding, shaking off the molds she’s placed on herself, to save Truman from his own crumbling nightmare.
A YA contemporary, speculative novel, DANCING IN THE POPPIES is complete at 71,000 words and will appeal to readers of The Fault in our Stars and Wonder, with a sprinkling of Peter Pan.