Penny, our narrator, lands her “dream” job, working at The Dallergut Dream Department Store. She finds Mr. Dallergut kind and fair as he manages the five-story repository housing different types of dreams for purchase on every floor. To Penny’s delight, she also meets some of the Dream Designers who provide the store with a constant stream of unique and varied dreams: Babynap Rockabye, Wawa Sleepland, and Yasnoozz Otra. Penny and her coworkers, Speedo, Mogberry, and Weather, spend each workday helping both people and animal customers choose just the right dream. Some dreams are even designed specifically for naps!

I requested this book through NetGalley, intrigued and excited by the description. I couldn’t wait to start it! That said, I feel a little let down after having read it. The episodic story had no underlying plot. Only the novel’s characters and the department store link the chapters. Except for Penny and Mr. Dallergut, even the characters seem flat and one dimensional. The choice of names and the naiveté of the writing style are reminiscent of a middle-grade novel.

However, this author has created a unique, in-depth world! The idea behind this book has infinite possibilities and is untouched ground in fantasy. Several sobering and tear-inducing chapters toward the end give a sweet glimmer at this book’s full potential! Perhaps, a sequel will rise to fulfill all the possibilities The Dallergut Dream Department Store promised?