Dreamtreaders

Since Archer Keaton lost his mom to cancer, the 14-year-old has helped Dad care for his younger siblings, Kaylie and Buster. What no one but his friend Kara knows is that he’s secretly a Dreamtreader. That makes him one of three people enlisted by Master Gabriel to enter the world of dreams and protect the waking world. He does this by patching up holes or breaches in the dream world so the Nightmare Lord can’t get to people.

During one of Master Gabriel’s visits, Archer learns that if enough breaches fray and a rift tears through, the waking human world will dissolve. There will be no difference between dreams and reality. The danger becomes more real when the two other Dreamtreaders, Duncan and Mesmeera, go missing so Archer has to patch the tears alone. He works tirelessly through the nights, surfing the dream world on his long board and battling the Nightmare Lord.

Meanwhile, a rich and intelligent new classmate arrives at Archer’s school. Rigby is British and charismatic, capturing the attention of everyone, including Kara. Kara has begged Archer to teach her to be a Dreamtreader, but he’s explained it’s something she must be born into. When she learns Rigby can offer her a similar experience as a Lucid Walker, she joins him and learns to surf through dreams.

Master Gabriel continually urges Archer to read The Dreamtreader Creed so he will learn to improve his skills. One thing Archer learns the hard way is that items from the dream world, which appear in the waking world, are Tokens of Doom to a Dreamtreader. In his continued efforts to keep the waking world from dissolving, Archer seeks information within his dreams from a short, green creature named Bezeal. Bezeal tells him about a silver puzzle box his fellow Dreamtreaders are seeking. He tells Archer if the boy brings him the box, he will reveal a secret that will help bring down the Nightmare Lord. Bezeal tricks Archer into making an unbreakable blood pact with him. Gabriel is angry when he learns this and forbids Archer to search for the box. Archer goes after the box anyway and brings it to the waking world.

Archer helps Rigby in a fight at school and gets suspended. At home on his suspension day, Archer prepares to beat Rigby in a rigorous academic challenge that week. He ends up losing the contest. He’s made a bet with Rigby, and as the loser, he must clean up after Rigby’s pets for a week. Archer goes to the old gothic house left to Rigby’s family by the boy’s crazy deceased Uncle Scovy. As Archer cleans the exotic animal cages, he sees a strange door in the basement and gets the feeling there’s something creepy behind it.

Archer admits to Master Gabriel that he has disobeyed and brought the box Bezeal wanted to the waking world. Master Gabriel warns Archer about Lucid Walkers, explaining that they are like common thieves who enter the dream world and manipulate it. He warns that their presence causes horrible breaches. Archer gives Bezeal the box in his dream and discovers Bezeal has a substance that will temporarily close the breaches. Keeping his end of the blood pact, Bezeal tells Archer about two thrones that must be destroyed in order to overthrow the Nightmare Lord.

Back at Rigby’s a few days later, Archer cleans the animal cages with Kaylie. She cracks the code that opens the creepy door. They discover Uncle Scovy, once a pioneering dream researcher, in a coma. Rigby appears and says he knows Archer is a Dreamtreader. He wants Archer to work with him and his Lucid Walkers to kill the Nightmare Lord, which he believes will restore his uncle’s health.

Archer checks with Gabriel, who reluctantly agrees to let him enlist the Lucid Walkers’ help. Archer meets Rigby, Kara and others, including a shadow of Uncle Scovy, inside the dream to battle the Nightmare Lord. The Nightmare Lord tricks them and traps Rigby and Kara using their own fear. He says he tricked Archer into killing the other two Dreamtreaders, and he’s trapped Uncle Scovy as well.

Archer pulls the Nightmare Lord into the waking world. Then he realizes he’s still dreaming and has inadvertently showed the Nightmare Lord his escape route from the dream world. As the Nightmare Lord threatens Archer’s family, Kaylie uses Dreamtreader tips she’s overheard from Archer to make her doll grow to a gigantic size and destroy the Nightmare Lord.

With the Nightmare Lord out of the picture, Gabriel begins to tell Archer about the boy’s new mission. Rigby, Kara and Bezeal, believing they can now rule the dream world, secretly scheme to get funding for more Lucid Walking research.