Dreamrider by Barry Jonsberg

							Dreamrider by Barry Jonsberg

When is a fantasy novel not a fantasy novel? Is it when real life issues mingle with imaginary
worlds? Or when the book deals with the improbable situation of a grossly overweight boy
becoming the novel's hero?
Barry Jonsberg new work grips the readers from the very first line and holds them on the edge of
their seat the whole way through. From the introductory lines "There is something wrong with the
light. I'm not sure what", over the first chapter's "I killed two kids at school today", to the author's
note about the "'real'phenomenon" that he describes in the book, the novel holds the reader in a
tight grip that is difficult to wrench oneself away from. Especially when one has finished the
book, reads what the author has to say in his after word, and then revisits in one's mind the
characters and situations. Who IS smoking in the house? Is there really a boxing training at night?
Did Michael actually visit Ms Atkins? What about Scamp? To have certainty about those
questions, one has to read the book a second time, checking the content against one's knowledge
and see if the author has made mistakes or has fallen for the trap of inconsequences in the story.
And the entire time one knows the answers anyway. Or at least thinks one knows the answers.
Barry Jonsberg has written a heart - stopping, though disturbing novel about topics that both
plague our schools and are a growing focus in society: bullying and obesity. But he also gives
possible answers. He must be admired for his courage to tackle both issues, and having done so in
a way that does not preach nor moralise. He has clothed the questions and underlying problems in
a way that is not only compelling reading, it also asks questions of the reader in a way no other
book has done so far.
As mentioned, the issues are thrown in a totally different light after reading the author's note at
the back of the book. Looking at the 'lucid dreaming' websites he mentions, one can start to doubt
this 'reality' behind the reality of the book. Does one want to expose already emotionally
struggling adolescents to this phenomenon? Knowing what is really happening to Michael can
enhance the experience of reading the story, but it can at the same time decrease it: having had
some insights in the phenomenon of 'lucid dreaming' I would have preferred schizophrenia or
another 'real' phenomenon to explain Michael's world. This does however not take away from the
fact that I read this book in one weekend, with a second reading planned in the near future.
Gilbert Van Kerckhoven, Noosa Pengari Steiner School

'Get out of my way fat boy!' This simple command draws the reader into a sense of sympathy for
the character Michael. The trouble is that Michael has had to deal with this sort of issue for
several years and has had to develop a strategy to deal with the resultant situations.
Many young people tend to withdraw into their own worlds, become reclusive and find it
difficult, no impossible, to deal with their low esteem, self regard and restricted social
opportunities. Michael has a special ability to link dreams to real life action the following day. He
is even able to enact real time action whilst actually in a dream. This ability is so well defined by
the author that anyone reading the story would like to experience this ability right there and then.
Michael's issues stem from his father's inability to settle down and develop community
relationships that would allow Michael to strengthen his bonds with other young people. His
father's character is very well defined by the author and provides an insight in to how this issue of
bullying is met within the family circle. Mary the defacto partner of Michael's dad has a positive
affect on Michael. Here in the comfort of his rented home, Mary provides a listening ear that he
needs to ease his early teenage years.
Mr Atkins and Miss Palmer are introduced as staff members of Millways Secondary School who
wish to help Michael find a solution to some of his issues. Their sensitive yet practical
approaches are evidence of the determined attitude the staff to meet the bullying issue in a
proactive and supportive way.
Hooray for Leah! A new friend at Millways eventuates and her impact on Michael is so vital to
the plot. Her vision and patient nature has an immense impact on Michael as he works through his
time at Millways. Leah's insistence on Michael attending the themed Year 10 social sets the stage
for a major breakthrough in Michael's life that engrosses the reader.
Early in the plot, Martin appears as a character that seems to want to dominate Michael - another
bully to deal with. Yet as the novel progresses, the author shows another side to this enigmatic
young teenager. The revelation of a secret in Martin's life staggers Michael and something good
comes out of a potentially explosive set of situations. The author again demonstrates what a
Dreamrider can do.
Dealing with Jamie, who manages to set himself up for revenge, provides another insight into the
struggles faced by a person who is being picked on for having a certain physical stature. The use
of a Dreamrider to provide a payback to Jamie is riveting and brings back thoughts of a 'Round
the Twist' episode involving a bull's skull.
Riding a dream is a novel manner in which to approach life and the links between reality and
dream life are melded so well by the author.
As a matter of interest, Leah, Martin and Michael share a link that surprises the reader and tempts
the reader to enter and embroil themselves into the concept of fate.
This novel is well suited to middle years students and has a wealth of opportunities for extension
activities and values based topics.
Trevor Dangerfield, Leading Teacher, Elisabeth Murdoch College, Langwarrin, Victoria

Readers accustomed to the humour of Jonsberg's previous two novels The Whole Business about
Kiffo and the Pitbull and It's Not Just About You Calma! should prepare themselves for a much
darker and more serious novel this time.
Year 10 student Michael Terny is intelligent, but shy and very overweight. His obesity dominates
his life and isolates him from his peers. He has never been in one school long enough to make
friends, as his controlling father has been constantly on the move from one town to another since
the death of his mother in a car crash.
Whenever Michael starts at a new school, he is teased and bullied about his size. Jonsberg's
descriptions of school dynamics are vivid and real. The reader is given a good insight into what it
is like to be a victim, and the avoidance strategies a bullied victim takes to lessen harassment.
Michael finds his new school not unlike the previous ones, and is targeted by typical boys "with
ice in their eyes and violence on their minds" (p208) during his first recess there. The teachers are
kind and well-meaning, but largely ineffective at curbing the bullying in the yard and behind their
backs in the classroom.
Michael's way of surviving is through his dreams, which offer him an alternative world in which
he can be a hero. He believes that he is developing the power to shape and control events around
him via his dreams, that he is becoming a Dreamrider. He confides this to his new friend Leah.
He is now able to make choices as to whether he uses this power to bring his tormentors to
justice, or to heal and perform good deeds.
Sustained by his new belief, Michael's self-confidence increases to the point where he no longer
allows himself to be a victim. He projects a different aura; we see him standing taller and
diffusing pressure situations with wit and assurance. Bullies back off. Unfortunately, his
perceptions of dreams and reality are by this time becoming increasingly blurred, as he sees
himself as able to enact his own dreams at will. Events escalate, leading to a dramatic crisis on
the night of the school social.
This is a thought-provoking novel but also a disturbing one that tackles issues of mental health. It
would be suitable for the more mature readers.
Faye Shortal, Castlemaine Secondary College
Barry Jonsberg just keeps getting better and better. What a ride this book is. It starts off
innocuously as a book about a boy who is bullied but it ends leaving the reader with more
questions in their mind than answers.
Main character, Michael Terry, is obese and the story starts when he commences his seventh
school in four years. He is motherless, having lost her to a tragic accident when he was six. His
father is a troubled drifter whose life has never settled since the loss of his wife. There are many
other significant characters in this book, at first they appear plausible but then gradually, through
hints in the text, the reader begins to question the reality of their existence.
This book takes the reader on a troubled journey as Michael mixes fantasy with reality. He
gradually takes on a messiah complex believing that he can heal the sick and weak and destroy
those who would bully him.
His gentle personality changes through the six days of the book from meek to sadistic until
ultimately the reader is finally able to fathom the truth.
The book raises many issues such as bullying, profound grief, mental illness and dysfunctional
families. The story is tragic and frightening and does not let up until the final page.
I will be recommending this book for inclusion as either a class set at Year 10 level or as a
Literature Circles text. The themes make for excellent inspiration for creative writing as students
try to answer some of the questions it raises. In many ways this book would be a perfect choice to
study as a companion novel to Brian Caswell's, Double Exposure.
I could not put this book down once I commenced reading it and I look forward to Barry
Jonsberg's next riveting read.
By Sharon Marchingo, Kangaroo Flat Secondary College

There is much written, both fiction and non-fiction, on the subject of bullying among adolescents.
Dreamrider is another one, but, with a different approach. The book covers one week in the life of
Michael Terny. It is his first week at his seventh school in four years. The reason for this is not
revealed until well into the story. When the reason becomes known, it is easier to understand his
over-eating and resultant obesity which is the cause of his being bullied. His father has not
recovered from the death of his mother in a road crash, and keeps moving himself, Michael, and
now his stepmother, in search of something he cannot yet identify. Michael becomes a comfort
eater in his efforts to cope.
The issues for Michael do not stop there. Because of his father's inability to handle his mother's
death, Michael has no opportunity to deal with it himself. He finds some compassion in Mary, his
step-mother, but this is small compensation. He meets and befriends Leah, a student at his new
school, and he shares with her his ability to escape in lucid dreams, where the line between dream
and reality becomes blurred. There is the suggestion that Michael is suffering from mental illness
due to the unresolved issues in his life and his attempt to retreat into a world of his own to escape.
Two teachers at the school, Miss Palmer and Mr Atkins, try to help but Michael rejects this
because he feels it will just exacerbate the bullying.
On the Friday of this week, Michael takes matters into his own hands. It is at this point that the
truth about the dreamrider is revealed, but what is it? Which is Michael's true reality and which is
his imagined reality? The twists and turns at the end of the novel make it quite different from any
other in this genre that I have read. My principal and I both read it and our discussions afterwards
showed that we saw the ending differently, but our conclusions were the same.
This is a book that provokes thought for us all. For students, it raises issues of loneliness, bullying
and its potential for serious effects on the victim, mental illness, friendship and family
relationships. For us teachers, it raises issues of not only identifying students who face these
issues in their lives, but also of how to help them.
How many of our students that we see as behaviour problems may actually be experiencing issues
such as those Michael faces in this novel? Is our system doing enough to firstly, identify them,
and then secondly, help them?
Sue Hunt, Noosa District State High School, Cooroy, Qld

"I killed two kids at school today".
With this dramatic opening line, so begins Dreamrider, Barry Jonsberg's powerful presentation of
a week in the life of "fat boy" Michael Terny - his first week in Year 10 at Millways High School,
his seventh school in four years. It becomes a week where the lines between reality and fantasy
appear to blur as Michael, always the victim, endures the horror and humiliation of bullying, very
much a distressing reality of Australian school life today.
The week at Millways had begun just like all the other "new starts" - Michael trying to be
invisible, to move with the crowds, to stay out of trouble. But, as always, Michael knew he wasn't
going to like it, even before the incident with the iced coffee he accidentally spilled on Jamie's
arm. Jamie Archer is the school bully, so the stage is set yet again for taunts and trauma, with
Michael as the prime target. Then there was Martin Leechy, and the lunch time confrontation,
Martin rubbing Michael's chocolate cake into his face and hitting him. And that was only
Monday, Day 1.
On the "up side" there is Leah McIntyre - plump herself, used to the size-related comments, yet
happy beyond that, living in a warm and welcoming house with a warm and welcoming mother.
She befriends Michael, as does Mr. Atkins, the kindly Home Group teacher. His eyes "sparkled
with humour and friendliness", performing magic tricks (but sadly there's nothing magic about
bullying), making coins disappear (if only he could make Michael's deep inner hurt and his
mental confusion disappear as well).
At home we meet Michael's father, Joe. Once a nice guy, he is now a drifter, non communicative
and sullen, often drunk, hurling abuse at Michael about his weight and his supposed weakness,
himself a bully. "I'm ashamed of you", he tells his son, "sitting there like a whale". And there's
Mary, who supports and encourages Michael, moving in to their house two years after his mother
was killed in a horrific road accident when Michael was just six. She's Michael's ally, defending
him against his father. She understands. She comforts.
These, then, are the players in Michael's tortured life, setting the scene for this story about
violence, justice and control, about survival, dreams and escape.
Michael's father has lost his self-control following the accident, buried in his grief, and the
injustice of his wife's death at the hands of a drunk driver, his coping mechanism to move
aimlessly from place to place, running and chasing his own dreams. Sadly, his contempt for the
drunk driver becomes contempt for Michael, nagging him about diet and exercise, offering
Michael "stand up for yourself" boxing lessons which hurt more than they help.
Michael's escape from the bullying which dominates his life at home and at school, his cocoon of
safety from the cruelty of his life, is his lucid dreaming. The Dream becomes his world, where
HE is in control, where there are no limits, only the limits of his imagination. As a Dreamrider,
Michael regains his self esteem, he feels joy and freedom, and, most importantly, HE is powerful.
It's a miracle. He is no longer a victim of the physical and emotional abuse which characterise the
many faces of bullying. He can become the person he wants to be, and maybe, just maybe, the
two worlds, the day-to-day and The Dream, could join, and Michael's problems could be finally
resolved. There could perhaps be justice in revenge, overcoming fear and hopelessness, by
meeting violence with violence and regaining the upper hand.
But does Michael regain his grip on reality? Is reality just an illusion? In the depths of despair, we
begin to wonder about the state of Michael's mental health as the story builds to Friday, with the
Year 10 Social, a themed horror night, appropriate it seems to the horror of Michael's life.
Michael appears in a ghastly, positively evil-looking hooded monster costume Mary has made for
him, finally it seems coming face to face with the monsters in his life. A violent climax - it's
over...or not?
Written on what would appear as several levels, Barry Jonsberg's cleverly-crafted, confronting
and thought provoking portrayal of physical abuse and mental anguish is open to varied
interpretation, and, though a challenging read for some, will indeed prove a discussion starter for
upper secondary readers.
Moreover, in light of the latest report just released which reveals that one in five students in
Australian schools (even private schools) is being bullied every day in the school playground, this
novel would be a timely inclusion in the school library or for study in a curriculum unit with a
focus on bullying and adolescent mental health. This July 2006 report speaks of the victims
suffering in silence, of turning inward, just as Michael does. It speaks of the resultant severe
psychological damage, the depression, and the possibility of suicide. Michael's pain is real. It may
have sent him over the edge, to a world within his own head, where he plays out a self-created
drama with characters who are different versions of himself.
Love and loneliness, loathing and loss all make an appearance, as do hatred, humiliation and hurt.
It is a symbolic struggle too, between good and evil - Mr. and Mrs. Atkins, Leah and Mary
personify the good, the perfect side of Michael; Martin and Jamie personify all that is unfair in
the world, the evil, even the alter-ego of the pitiful, "Hit Me" tee shirt- wearing, troubled soul, of
Michael himself. Michael's father says he is searching for a place to be at peace, but Michael may
sadly never find that peace.
Though reality appears stretched as the story unfolds, readers can definitely also gather gems of
wisdom from Mr. Atkins, to support and encourage them when facing existing fears, whatever
they may be. He speaks of the room for wonder in life, at another time of the need to "practise
and persevere", of "violence only serving to legitimise prejudice", and of the small magic amid
the coldness of school, like the magic of "a flash of kindness in a brutalised heart".
Positive words from Mrs. Atkins as well for Michael - the impossible CAN happen and happiness
CAN be brought into the world to drive out the darkness. The world IS full of possibilities and
there IS hope. People CAN be destined for greatness. Hang your hope on those words, dear
Michael.
But where is Michael now? "They can't tie my mind down", he says. He is sick, in pain, drowning
in a sea of doubt, trusting no one, remembering and reliving the torture. And does Michael really
kill Callum and Damien on that fateful day at school? Read on, take on The Dream, and discover
for yourself.
Alison Cassell

I love Jonsberg’s characters – they are funny, intense and so real. My relationship with Calma
Harrison began in The Whole Business of Kiffo and the Pitbull and continued into It’s Not About
You Calma. I loved that girl! Consequently, although it’s peopled with a bunch of brand new
characters, it was with great excitement I came across the new Jonsberg novel, Dreamrider.
Jonsberg is a brave author. He’s not afraid to tackle subjects that some writers have shied away
from in the past such as youth alienation and depression. Writing a character like Michael Terny
from Dreamrider was another foray into the things that YA writers do not usually touch.
Michael’s very fat, he’s being bullied and we grow to realise, he’s an unreliable narrator.
The novel opens with Michael in what seems to be a hospital situation, remembering. The first
line is shocking: “I killed two kids at school today.” Michael doesn’t just kill these boys who
bully him in his new school; he rips their hearts out with his bare hands. This violent dream
image is then transposed with Michael’s real first day at a new school. He is seen off to school by
his kindly stepmother, who is totally ignored by his father (the reason for this becomes apparent
later in the novel), is greeted by a friendly girl in a sea of unfriendly faces and is taken off to his
homeroom.
What follows is an encounter with the inevitable sympathetic but preoccupied teacher, the
psychotic school tormenter and a growing friendship. However, in this novel, things are not
always as they appear to be. Michael believes that he can dreamride; that he knows when he is in
a dream and that he can control it. Jonsberg has his narrator give us an explanation on “lucid
dreaming” at this stage. This is an issue in which many of today’s teenagers are interested.
From this point in, we read about Michael’s dreams; he is always in control and becomes an
almost Christ-like saviour, which is in strong contrast with the nightmare that is his reality at
school every day. His behaviour at school grows odder and odder; his teachers begin to worry
about him. As an adult reader, I was starting to see through Michael’s explanation of events and I
was looking at the direct dialogue from the teachers, the behaviour of other characters, to get
clues about what was really going on. I’m not sure that Year 9 – 10 students, the target audiences
of this novel would be doing that – they might just put the novel down in confusion.
By the end Michael has descended into madness, into what appears to be a full blown psychotic
episode, following on from the delusions and voices that he suffers from earlier (which we work
out when we put it all together). It was a little disappointing that the novel took this path – I was
looking forward to Jonsberg’s insights into coping with bullying and so on, but it turns out that
Michael is the problem. In some ways I feel that this takes away from the bullying issue
altogether. My guess is that the writer wants us to see that long term bullying can have serious
mental consequences – he offers web addresses at the end for both bullying and mental health.
Jonsberg has a great style; his characters talk realistically, there’s a good balance between
description and events and he raises important and serious issues to young adults in an Australian
setting. Potentially he’s an English teacher’s dream. Disappointingly, I just felt that in this novel,
it all got a little complicated at the end. Still, I’ll make sure that I ask my Year 9s and 10s to read
this novel for wide reading to get their opinions, and I’ll continue to look forward to the next
Barry Jonsberg novel.
Yasmine McCafferty, Carey Baptist Grammar School

'I killed two kids at school today'. The opening line of the first chapter is enough to get you
hooked. Although the title might suggest it, Dreamrider is not about a bikie gang. Careful reading
of the prologue hints that this novel is about mental illness as much as it is about bullying (but I
didn't work that out until the epilogue).
Grade 10 student Michael is obese and has attended 7 schools in 4 years. He is, of course, the
victim of bullying in every school he has attended. His father's drinking and abuse is his way of
coping with grief and loss. Michael has different coping strategies - he practices lucid dreaming.
When Michael starts at Millways High School he meets teachers and students who are willing to
befriend him but he also comes up against hostility. Whilst some people are genuine and real,
some of the characters exist in Michael's head.
Barry Jonsberg has cleverly interwoven reality with dreams so that it was not until the end of the
book that I could work out who is flesh and blood and who is a figment. Throughout the book it is
obvious that Jonsberg's teaching experiences enable him to paint an accurate picture of teachers,
school communities and the insidiousness of bullying that exists within and without the walls.
Throughout the story there are incidents that make the blood boil but these are tempered with
glimmers of hope. I particularly like the notion of 'small magic' as proposed by Michael's
homeroom teacher - the idea that small kindnesses can make a big difference.
If one can like a book about such a subject as bullying then this is an enjoyable but also an
important read. There are many points for discussion so this would make an ideal book for class
study or literature circles for grades 9 or 10.
Kimbra Weeks, Teacher Librarian, International School Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam