You don’t want to mess with Joe Marma. He’s the toughest kid in the seventh grade, and he’s not afraid to show it. Few things excite and stimulate Joe more than a good fistfight, but as he notes with disappointment when we first meet him in The Eye-Dancers, few people are willing to challenge him anymore, his reputation being what it is.
About a year earlier, in sixth grade, Joe rescued Mitchell Brant from a beating–two kids were banging away at him before Joe stepped in. Since then, the boys have become good friends. And when Mitchell confides in Joe about his recurring dreams of the spectral girl with the blue, spinning eyes (whom he refers to as “the ghost girl”), Joe surprises him by saying he’s been having the same dreams! This is a sobering development for the boys. What can it mean? Why does the same little girl haunt both of their dreams?
Joe wishes the mystery could be more like a fight–where one good shot to the jaw can solve the problem. But it’s going to take a lot more work, and it’s going to cause the boys to confront their deepest insecurities and fears. For Joe, a big issue is his older brother, Bob. Bob has it all–movie-star looks, girlfriends to spare, straight A report cards. And he’s tall–unlike Joe. Just another reason for the ever-present chip on his shoulder. People better not underestimate Joe because he’s short. And they better not poke fun at him. His temper is never far from the surface. Never far from erupting. It’s frustrating being the sibling to the perfect older brother.
But Joe has never backed away from a challenge, and he’s not going to back away from the mysteries of this “ghost girl” or the strange, hypnotic power of her eyes. He knows the next time he falls asleep, she will be there, in his dreams. Bring it on.
But there are more pieces to this puzzle, more boys who will be affected by these events. Ryan Swinton, for one. He’s been Joe’s friend since they were toddlers. Ryan–the class clown, the comedian . . .
Eye-Dancers 
Mar 13, 2013 @ 19:34:07
Dreams ae good.