Rêves de l’île

BASIC INFO	LANGUAGE LEVEL	COMPREHENSION-AIDING FEATURES
Book Title Rêves de l’île (In English, Dreams from/of the island) Author(s): JJ Hill, Marissa Rubin, Roberta Price Illustrator Cover art by Daria Corbett Other Contributors Translated from the original Spanish version by Judy Weiss Genre Realistic Fiction Publisher: JMR Press Publication date: 2017	Level Two Total Word Count Unknown	Illustrations NO Glossary NO Guiding Questions NO Context NO Other

IDENTITIES PRESENT IN THE TEXT		SYNOPSIS
Races, Ethnicities, and Nationalities Races: Not specified in the text. Nationalities: Haitian; Dominican; U.S. American Languages spoken French Sex and Genders Female Male Ages Teenager: 13-18 Young Adult: 18-35 Mid-life Adult: 35-65 Social classes Poor Working class Middle Class	Sexual Orientation Heterosexual (Dis)Abilities and Neurotypes Other: None mentioned in the text. Religions, Syncretism, and Spirituality Other: None mentioned in the text. Relationship and Family Structures Extended family Heteroparental Body Descriptions Maurice: “Je suis grand, sportif, et d’après ma grand-mère, très beau” / I am tall, athletic, and according to my grandmother, very handsome (p. 3), and “Il a les cheveux noirs et il est grand et très mince” / He has black hair and is tall and very thin (p. 47). Unnamed Haitian girl: “Elle est petite et très belle” / She is short and very pretty (p. 5). Marcos: “Il est grand et brun avec des yeux marron” / He is tall and brown-haired with brown eyes (p. 23). Omar: “Il est aussi grand et brun avec des yeux marron” / He is also tall and brown-haired with brown eyes (p. 23). Carlota: “Mais, tout a coup, Omar voit une très belle fille. Elle a les cheveux longs et de beaux yeux” / All of a sudden, Omar sees a very beautiful girl. She has long hair and beautiful eyes (p. 25). Rodrigo: “Alors, l’homme est petit, brun et un peu gros” / So, the man is short and a little fat; he has dark hair (p. 29).	From the publisher’s website The Gómez brothers love playing street baseball with their friends in the Dominican Republic. Will their favorite pastime lead them to success elsewhere? What role will Maurice and his country play in their adventures? Will everyone’s dreams come true?

THIS BOOK IN OTHER LANGUAGES
The original book is in Spanish: Sueños de La Isla, which is significantly different from the French version. See our review about the Spanish edition. In French, editions are available in present and past tenses. This review references the present-tense French version.

ILLUSTRATIONS	STORY	SOCIAL JUSTICE
To what extent do the illustrations present positive and thoughtful representations of identities? The cover shows the face in profile of a boy with dark brown skin, brown eyes, and black curly hair; behind him, there is a map of the island and three indistinct figures playing baseball. The book includes a map of the island where Haiti and the Dominican Republic are located, with many cities labeled. There are no other illustrations.	We understand identities are complex and no single story represents the spectrum of identity-based experiences. Also, a text may address a stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization without relying on it. *Does any stereotype, misrepresentation, or generalization affect any positive and thoughtful representations of identities in the text?* The text (including illustrations) upholds gender stereotypes. Social situations and problems are seen as individual problems, not situated within a societal context.	This section is for teachers who are working towards sourcing more texts within the four domains of anti-bias education. We are excited about reading all books and we understand that not all books are written for this specific purpose. *Does this text work toward goals within any of the* four domains of anti-bias education as defined by Learning for Justice? Diversity: Foster intergroup understanding. Omar, who is from the Dominican Republic, wants to help Maurice, who has come to the Dominican Republic from Haiti, and involves other boys at the camp. Action: Motivate students to act by highlighting individual and collective struggles against injustice. Hélène Duval, Maurice’s grandmother, was a union leader in Haiti in 1987.

LLLAB’s REVIEW
Rêves de l’île is set in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It describes societal problems while focusing on the stories of teenaged boys and their athletic dreams. The story presents with sensitivity the fallout of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Both before and after the earthquake, characters move back and forth between the two countries. The mothers and grandmothers of the boys are strong characters who fight against social injustice and care for their families. While the adult women and teenaged boys are described in nuanced ways, the teenaged girls are mostly portrayed through the eyes of the boys they meet. Rêves de l’île is divided into two halves; the first half focuses on the history of Maurice’s family in Haiti, while the second half focuses on Marcos and Omar in the Dominican Republic. Maurice also appears as a character in the second half of the book; when he reappears in the Dominican Republic, he is alone, unhoused and hungry (p. 47). Because the reader has a backstory of the family from part one, Maurice is presented as more than a stereotype of “a poor Haitian boy needing help.” Maurice explains that his Haitian family died in an earthquake in January of 2010. This is a reference to a true event that affected Haiti, with repercussions that are still felt today. The authors have taken care to situate the character’s individual problems in societal contexts. Although the authors of Rêves de l’île do not explicitly discuss the complicated and at times discriminatory relationship between Haitians and Dominicans, they hint at it, which gives an opening for teachers who wish to explore this topic. Rodrigo, the owner of the Dominican baseball camp, says, “Ici dans mon camp on ne permet pas d’Haitiens” / Here in my camp, we don’t allow Haitians (p. 52). Rodrigo sees Maurice as “Haitian” even though Maurice says, “Ma maman était d’Haïti mais mon papa était dominicain” / My mom was from Haiti but my dad was Dominican (p. 50) and “Je veux trouver ma famille dominicaine” / I want to find my Dominican family (p. 52). This short book gives two examples of characters who go out of their way to fight against injustice. In part one, Hélène Duval, Maurice’s grandmother, makes demands to factory owners in Haiti. She thinks her status as a valuable employee will protect her; instead, her plan to organize a strike for better working conditions leads to her being fired. In part two, Omar is a teen who does what he can to help Maurice, the Haitian boy he has just met. Omar asks for permission to bring Maurice into the baseball recruitment camp, and when the adults say no, Omar sneaks Maurice in. Omar’s leadership convinces the other boys to hide Maurice; they offer him food and a place to live, and Omar begins to teach Maurice how to play baseball. In a book in which characters dream of becoming professional athletes, leaving the island to find success in the United States is a common dream. However, the authors avoid the trope of presenting the U.S. as “a magical land where all dreams come true” by having a variety of happy outcomes for the characters. Maurice leaves the island in search of financial and professional success as a baseball player in the U.S., while Omar finds happiness as he chooses to stay on the island and build a family there. The character who leaves is of Haitian origin and, as a youth, had dreamed of playing professional soccer in his own country; it was the earthquake that made it impossible for him to reach his dreams without leaving the island. The authors depict characters who are poor (Maurice), working class (Marcos and Omar), and middle class (Rodrigo, who owns a baseball training camp). It is worth noting the depiction of Maurice’s family’s poverty and his attitude towards it. Before the earthquake, when Maurice describes his family in Haiti, he concludes with “Nous n’avons pas beaucoup, mais nous sommes heureux” / We don’t have a lot, but we are happy (p. 3). Maurice repeats this phrase when he is talking to the baseball players in the training camp in the Dominican Republic. He describes his life before the earthquake and remarks, “Nous n’avons pas beaucoup mais nous sommes contents” / We don’t have a lot but we are happy (p. 55). In the context of this story, Maurice describing his own family as poor but happy can be understood, especially when contrasted with the utter devastation–both financial and emotional–that followed the earthquake. However, the teacher will need to be careful to avoid the stereotype of Haitians as “poor but happy.” The attitudes of many teenaged characters in the book reflect a casual cruelty. When Marcos throws a ball and it hits the other boy in the head, the injured boy “commence à pleurer comme un bebe” / starts crying like a baby (p. 24) and all other boys begin to laugh at him despite clear evidence that the boy is hurt–a big bruise appears on his head and he abandons the game to go home. No one checks to see if the boy is okay. When Omar falls during the race, the crowd watching the race has the same reaction: “Tout le monde commence à rire quand Omar trébuche et tombe” / Everyone starts to laugh when Omar trips and falls (p. 25). These scenes in which the misfortune of one person becomes entertainment for others, without apparent challenge from the text, may serve to normalize a lack of care and empathy. The main characters are adolescent boys. When the boys meet girls their own age, the text portrays the girls only through the eyes of the boys. For example, Carlota seems to exist only to be Omar’s girlfriend. He sees her for the first time during a race with another boy from the neighborhood. Omar gets distracted by Carlota because she is pretty, and he falls down: “Quand Omar voit la belle fille, il est distrait et il tombe” / When Omar sees the pretty girl, he is distracted and falls (p. 25). After the fall, Omar manages to ask Carlota her name and to win his race. The text doesn’t tell much about Carlota besides the fact that she is pretty, and that this is the reason Omar likes her. Carlota, one of the few female characters in the book, thus serves as a foil and not as a fully developed character. Maurice works at a supermarket, and witnesses a girl stealing chocolate: “Elle me regarde dans les yeux avec insolence. Elle prend le chocolat et ouvre le papier lentement. Tout a coup, elle mange toute la barre!” / She looks me in the eyes arrogantly. She takes the chocolate and opens the paper slowly. Suddenly, she eats the entire bar! (p. 5). When Maurice asks for money, the girl just leaves. Later, he thinks of this incident: “Elle est tellement audacieuse! Elle est un peu comme ma grand-mère…” / She’s so audacious! She is a little bit like my grandmother… (p. 6). This references the previously-discussed event in which Maurice’s grandmother stood up to her factory boss for workers’ rights. This comparison of the girl’s theft to his grandmother’s action may serve to devalue the sacrifice of his grandmother. Note to authors: If you are the author of this book and you have feedback, please contact us here. If anything we have written is inaccurate, misleading, confusing, poorly worded, or lacking important context, we would be happy to update our review. Note to readers: Comprehension-based novels contain language that varies in how natural it feels to users of the language. Sometimes the author has intentionally simplified the language as a stepping stone toward proficiency, or complexified the language for a variety of reasons. Other times, variations result from the language proficiency levels, linguistic repertoires, (sub)cultural experiences, geolects, or personal preferences of authors. LLLAB typically does not comment on the linguistic choices of authors (e.g., vocabulary and grammar) since variations occur naturally within groups of language producers. Teachers may wish to supplement novels with additional linguistic material to increase student acquisition of the various geolects associated with the settings of stories. See related discussion of linguistic imperialism at the LLLAB glossary. (This note is included in every LLLAB review published on or after May 2026)

LLLAB’s REVIEW

Rêves de l’île is set in both Haiti and the Dominican Republic. It describes societal problems while focusing on the stories of teenaged boys and their athletic dreams. The story presents with sensitivity the fallout of the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Both before and after the earthquake, characters move back and forth between the two countries. The mothers and grandmothers of the boys are strong characters who fight against social injustice and care for their families. While the adult women and teenaged boys are described in nuanced ways, the teenaged girls are mostly portrayed through the eyes of the boys they meet.

Rêves de l’île is divided into two halves; the first half focuses on the history of Maurice’s family in Haiti, while the second half focuses on Marcos and Omar in the Dominican Republic. Maurice also appears as a character in the second half of the book; when he reappears in the Dominican Republic, he is alone, unhoused and hungry (p. 47). Because the reader has a backstory of the family from part one, Maurice is presented as more than a stereotype of “a poor Haitian boy needing help.” Maurice explains that his Haitian family died in an earthquake in January of 2010. This is a reference to a true event that affected Haiti, with repercussions that are still felt today. The authors have taken care to situate the character’s individual problems in societal contexts.

Although the authors of Rêves de l’île do not explicitly discuss the complicated and at times discriminatory relationship between Haitians and Dominicans, they hint at it, which gives an opening for teachers who wish to explore this topic. Rodrigo, the owner of the Dominican baseball camp, says, “Ici dans mon camp on ne permet pas d’Haitiens” / Here in my camp, we don’t allow Haitians (p. 52). Rodrigo sees Maurice as “Haitian” even though Maurice says, “Ma maman était d’Haïti mais mon papa était dominicain” / My mom was from Haiti but my dad was Dominican (p. 50) and “Je veux trouver ma famille dominicaine” / I want to find my Dominican family (p. 52).

This short book gives two examples of characters who go out of their way to fight against injustice. In part one, Hélène Duval, Maurice’s grandmother, makes demands to factory owners in Haiti. She thinks her status as a valuable employee will protect her; instead, her plan to organize a strike for better working conditions leads to her being fired. In part two, Omar is a teen who does what he can to help Maurice, the Haitian boy he has just met. Omar asks for permission to bring Maurice into the baseball recruitment camp, and when the adults say no, Omar sneaks Maurice in. Omar’s leadership convinces the other boys to hide Maurice; they offer him food and a place to live, and Omar begins to teach Maurice how to play baseball.

In a book in which characters dream of becoming professional athletes, leaving the island to find success in the United States is a common dream. However, the authors avoid the trope of presenting the U.S. as “a magical land where all dreams come true” by having a variety of happy outcomes for the characters. Maurice leaves the island in search of financial and professional success as a baseball player in the U.S., while Omar finds happiness as he chooses to stay on the island and build a family there. The character who leaves is of Haitian origin and, as a youth, had dreamed of playing professional soccer in his own country; it was the earthquake that made it impossible for him to reach his dreams without leaving the island.

The authors depict characters who are poor (Maurice), working class (Marcos and Omar), and middle class (Rodrigo, who owns a baseball training camp). It is worth noting the depiction of Maurice’s family’s poverty and his attitude towards it. Before the earthquake, when Maurice describes his family in Haiti, he concludes with “Nous n’avons pas beaucoup, mais nous sommes heureux” / We don’t have a lot, but we are happy (p. 3). Maurice repeats this phrase when he is talking to the baseball players in the training camp in the Dominican Republic. He describes his life before the earthquake and remarks, “Nous n’avons pas beaucoup mais nous sommes contents” / We don’t have a lot but we are happy (p. 55). In the context of this story, Maurice describing his own family as poor but happy can be understood, especially when contrasted with the utter devastation–both financial and emotional–that followed the earthquake. However, the teacher will need to be careful to avoid the stereotype of Haitians as “poor but happy.”

The attitudes of many teenaged characters in the book reflect a casual cruelty. When Marcos throws a ball and it hits the other boy in the head, the injured boy “commence à pleurer comme un bebe” / starts crying like a baby (p. 24) and all other boys begin to laugh at him despite clear evidence that the boy is hurt–a big bruise appears on his head and he abandons the game to go home. No one checks to see if the boy is okay. When Omar falls during the race, the crowd watching the race has the same reaction: “Tout le monde commence à rire quand Omar trébuche et tombe” / Everyone starts to laugh when Omar trips and falls (p. 25). These scenes in which the misfortune of one person becomes entertainment for others, without apparent challenge from the text, may serve to normalize a lack of care and empathy.

The main characters are adolescent boys. When the boys meet girls their own age, the text portrays the girls only through the eyes of the boys. For example, Carlota seems to exist only to be Omar’s girlfriend. He sees her for the first time during a race with another boy from the neighborhood. Omar gets distracted by Carlota because she is pretty, and he falls down: “Quand Omar voit la belle fille, il est distrait et il tombe” / When Omar sees the pretty girl, he is distracted and falls (p. 25). After the fall, Omar manages to ask Carlota her name and to win his race. The text doesn’t tell much about Carlota besides the fact that she is pretty, and that this is the reason Omar likes her. Carlota, one of the few female characters in the book, thus serves as a foil and not as a fully developed character.

Maurice works at a supermarket, and witnesses a girl stealing chocolate: “Elle me regarde dans les yeux avec insolence. Elle prend le chocolat et ouvre le papier lentement. Tout a coup, elle mange toute la barre!” / She looks me in the eyes arrogantly. She takes the chocolate and opens the paper slowly. Suddenly, she eats the entire bar! (p. 5). When Maurice asks for money, the girl just leaves. Later, he thinks of this incident: “Elle est tellement audacieuse! Elle est un peu comme ma grand-mère…” / She’s so audacious! She is a little bit like my grandmother… (p. 6). This references the previously-discussed event in which Maurice’s grandmother stood up to her factory boss for workers’ rights. This comparison of the girl’s theft to his grandmother’s action may serve to devalue the sacrifice of his grandmother.

Note to authors:
If you are the author of this book and you have feedback, please contact us here. If anything we have written is inaccurate, misleading, confusing, poorly worded, or lacking important context, we would be happy to update our review.

Note to readers:
Comprehension-based novels contain language that varies in how natural it feels to users of the language. Sometimes the author has intentionally simplified the language as a stepping stone toward proficiency, or complexified the language for a variety of reasons. Other times, variations result from the language proficiency levels, linguistic repertoires, (sub)cultural experiences, geolects, or personal preferences of authors. LLLAB typically does not comment on the linguistic choices of authors (e.g., vocabulary and grammar) since variations occur naturally within groups of language producers. Teachers may wish to supplement novels with additional linguistic material to increase student acquisition of the various geolects associated with the settings of stories. See related discussion of linguistic imperialism at the LLLAB glossary. (This note is included in every LLLAB review published on or after May 2026)

Share this:

Related

Leave a comment Cancel reply