Publishers Weekly
06/12/2023
While running late for a final exam and biking furiously through her small town, white teenager Zelda narrowly misses being hit by a car and meets Langston, a handsome Black boy sprawled in the bushes. This meet-cute—and various encounters before it, including the greeting she received from the gate to her house (“ ‘MORning,’ creaks the gate as it opens”)—leads to Zelda realizing that her entire life, including her town and everyone in it, is a dream. Accompanied by Langston and her poetry-spouting, once-dead cat Patches, Zelda endeavors to travel to the edge of the vision, discover the identity of the dreamer, and hopefully return to waking life. Along the way, the trio meets fantastical apparitions (dodgeball-throwing gym teachers on horseback, a sinister laundromat clown, and a 1980s-themed carnival), and muddle through challenges in a world where the rules are constantly changing. Yet the closer they get to the edge, the more apprehensive Zelda and Langston become about their impending separation once the dreamer wakes. By turns existential and goofy, this campy, off-the-beaten-path story by Rex (Fat Vampire), propelled via an immediate, stream-of-conscious present-tense voice and sprinkled with beguiling b&w artwork, ruminates on themes of loss and love. Ages 12–up. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
A Bank Street Best Book of the Year
A Finalist for the Ohioana Book Award
"Wildly inventive and achingly touching, this is an exquisite book about longing, love, and grief that mesmerizes on every page. This book is a dreamy, fantastic treasure." — Kathleen Glasgow, New York Times bestselling author of Girl in Pieces and You'd Be Home Now
"A Little Like Waking is an adventure of a love story that brings the dream world to life with immersive clarity. Whimsical, beautiful, and one of a kind." — Rachael Lippincott, New York Times bestselling coauthor of She Gets the Girl
"Romantic and constantly surprising, mixing small-town charm with surreal fantasy, A Little Like Waking is a brilliant love letter to the magic of the human mind." — E. Lockhart, author of We Were Liars
★ "A charming, funny, highly imaginative story that invites long thoughts about the nature of reality and the enduring importance of romance." — Booklist, starred review
"A wonderfully inventive story bursting with humor and heart." — Kirkus Reviews
"Rex’s quest narrative is like none other, sure to leave readers marveling at the wonder of dreams and the power of imagination." — BookPage
"By turns existential and goofy, this campy, off-the-beaten-path story, propelled via an immediate, stream-of-conscious voice and sprinkled with beguiling artwork, ruminates on themes of loss and love." — Publishers Weekly
"Surreal...Revelations toward the end, with some twists and turns, provide a payoff that invites re-readings." — Horn Book Magazine
Kirkus Reviews
2023-05-09
Realizing she’s stuck in a dream, a girl journeys with a boy and a cat to discover what’s real.
Zelda lives in an idyllic town where everyone knows her name, but her world is upended when she comes across a cute boy she hasn’t seen before. This leads to the realization that she’s inhabiting a dream world; she doesn’t know if her memories are real or just more dreams. Zelda learns the boy’s name is Langston, and together they set off toward the edge of the dream on an adventure, accompanied by Patches, her erudite talking cat. Zelda believes she must be the dreamer and must find a way to wake up for real, but when she starts falling for the oft-apprehensive Langston, she feels less inclined to leave. This surreal tale mixes a hero’s journey with romance, folds in the absurdities and chaos of dreams, and is peppered with vibrant, memorable side characters including a wizard, witches, a giant duck, and a laundromat clown. There’s a lot of silliness in the story, which is mostly entertaining but can sometimes grow tiresome. It’s thoughtfully balanced, though, with relatable internal struggles and emotions about crushes and confidence, loss and love. The unpredictable nature of the story will keep readers on their toes and the pages flying. Captivating full-page grayscale illustrations are interspersed. Zelda appears White; Langston is Black.
A wonderfully inventive story bursting with humor and heart. (Surrealist fiction. 12-18)
