The Great Dream Robbery

Product Information

Pupils, from across the town, received copies of The Great Dream Robbery for their school library, after putting questions about their writing journey and dreams to the authors, during the interactive virtual visit.

Featuring a hospital heist, some banana-loving llamas and a talking cat called Bin Bag, this is one mind-bending adventure you won't want to wake up from. Teddy and Bea were such terrific characters. Love how they are twins but their personalities couldn’t be any more different. Bea is rational, calm, smart. Teddy is like the Cheshire Cat. I had to get used to Teddy a bit but after a while I just really liked the guy. He was so funny and his plans were wild but also great. But something went terribly wrong and Dad is in hospital, unable to wake up. His boss Lilith Delamere is paying all the expensive hospital bills, but Maya thinks there's something not quite right about the tall, dark haired lady who looks like she hasn't slept for months! The Professor invented a device that allows you to visit other people's dreams. But the devious Lilith Delamere has trapped him inside a nightmare and Maya and the mysterious Dream Bandits must find a way to rescue him before it's too late! Maya will face a dangerous journey and some difficult choices. But sometimes all you need is a dream . . . and a bit of courage.

The fourth wall being broken! I just love it when books do that and I was already looking forward to seeing it happen in this book. They also did it in their Kid Normal book, so I knew I would be in for a treat in this book. Whether you’re reading this popular children’s book with your class in school or your kids at home, you’re sure to find these resources useful. They’re perfect to deepen children’s understanding of the story and develop a variety of key literacy skills. Maya will face a dangerous journey and some difficult choices. But sometimes all you need is a dream . . . and a bit of courage. Have you ever had a really strange dream? Maya Clayton definitely has. Last night she dreamt that her dad, the brilliant but slightly odd Professor Dexter, had been trapped in a nightmare by his evil boss Lilith Delamere!

The villain was great, I couldn’t even really dislike her. In fact I mostly just felt sorry for her. I knew that underneath all that anger was a tired woman who just wanted to freaking sleep for once but thanks to nightmares and dad she wasn’t able to. So I was looking forward to seeing her change, see her understand. But before that we get some great parts in which she is a wonderful villain. Evil, mean, and shouty. By the crazy creators of the hilarious and clever Kid Normal series, The Great Dream Robbery is even more imaginative - even using imagination to drive the plot. As always, the authors often stop to speak directly to the reader, whether to explain something, apologise for something or to just make us laugh. Loved the plans the kids had and loved that they all did it in dinky old van with a mattress on top. Loved that the van was electric and had a laugh at how they had to divide the energy between driving or the lab in the book.

Curriculum

Here at Twinkl, we know how time-consuming it can be to create engaging literacy resources. So, we’ve taken the stress out of resource creation with this range of engaging activities based on the well-loved book by Greg James and Chris Smith. There are a variety of fun materials to choose from that are certain to support learners in reading this exciting tale. We know that author visits help play a vital role in helping children to create positive associations with reading, support their wider learning and inspiring them to dream big. Reading has a proven link to children’s wellbeing and there couldn’t be a more important time to support the health of our children and young people. Greg James and Chris Smithteamed up with the National Literacy Trust and Puffin Books, part of Penguin Random House Children’s Booksfor the event.

Professor Dexter’s motto has always been "What if?", and has led him to the verge of a huge breakthrough in dream research at Somnia Inc. But six weeks ago, there was a terrible accident that left him trapped in a nightmare that he can’t wake up from.

When twelve-year-old Maya Clayton’s sleep expert father invented a special device that allows you to slip into other people’s dreams he was excited at the prospect of discovering more about the human imagination. What he did not plan was for his villainous boss of Somnia Incorporated, Lilith Delamere, to trap him in a nightmare from which he cannot escape. I loved the later part of the book with them breaking into the dream lab! That was just so much fun to read and see what these kids get up to! Lots of imagination and tons of laughter from my side. On Friday 17 September, the authors of the Kid Normal serieshosted an interactive workshop about the power of imagination with KS2 pupils as part of the National Literacy Trust’s Connecting Stories project, funded by Arts Council England. The conclusion was wonderfully frightening even though I knew exactly what they had to do. But how do you think straight facing something so horrifying? Together on Greg's show and in their weekly podcast, Chris and Greg are responsible for some of radio's most ludicrous games and characters, which genuinely wouldn't make any sense if we tried to explain them here ...

Greg James said to the pupils "Make sure you’re having fun – that is the most important thing with any book! I could probably talk more and more about this book but I will just say that everyone will need to read this one! It is fun. Hilarious. Imaginative. Dream-filled.

Diaries & Calendars

Anish Harrison, Hub Manager of Swindon Stories, said:“We’re thrilled that so many pupils in Swindon got the chance to meet their literary heroes Greg James and Chris Smith – and put their own questions to them! In line with the National Curriculum, all of our ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ activities have been designed especially for use within children aged between 7 and 11 years old. You can also trust that they’re stimulating for your little learners, having been created in collaboration with our team of experienced primary school teachers. How are these ‘The Great Dream Robbery’ activities useful?