⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  5 Star Review – THE DILBONARY 

Dilby R. Dixon’s The Dilbonary is a children’s fantasy tale of triumph over bullying, written by Tony J. Perri. Born ten years ago during a power outage during a thunderstorm, Dilby Dixon is (once again) bullied on his way home from school by a student renowned for his pettiness and undesirable behavior, Riley Rogers, along with his sidekick wannabes, Johnny and Billy. In humiliation, the troublesome trio is brought down a notch or two by a girl, Grace Billings, who attends Goodwin Elementary School with them all. Daydreaming seems to be constantly taking Dilby to fantasy worlds, but he decides one day to start documenting each daydream when an amazing phenomenon occurs, and he brings physical items out from his subconscious. At Dilby’s home, a whole new language is born from Dilby’s subconscious. Now known as the world’s first time-dreamer, Dilby has a target on his back which is larger than life, as Riley will stop at nothing to get his hands on the book which carries all of Dilby’s most incredible thoughts, secrets and experiences… The Dilbonary.

I grabbed this book as Dilby seemed so much like myself in many ways, and I just had to find out more about him. The fantasy aspect which has been sculpted into this incredible storyline is amazing, and it is hard not to empathize with Dilby R. Dixon, whilst admiring the literary talents and imagination of Tony J. Perri. Bullying is such a controversial topic and Riley, Johnny and Billy seem to take the crown at Goodwin Elementary School, but soon find that there is a lot more to Dilby R. Dixon than just a dopey daydreamer who is an easy target. When friends started rallying around young Dilby, I couldn’t help but cheer out loud (much to the dismay of my sleeping husband). The uniquely amazing ability to journey into one’s own imagination and come back with souvenirs is any child’s fantasy, as well as that of many adults, and I couldn’t help but pray Dilby would use his new-found skills not only to help others, but to also find a way to help himself triumph over the rotten treatment he’d grown used to by the school bullying trio. I will not spoil the ending for any of you, but will say that I thoroughly enjoyed the worthwhile journey that my own mind took while reading Dilby R.Dixon’s The Dilbonary, and highly recommend it to children aged 7-15 (and older audiences as well) who enjoy turbulent travel into adventures of one’s mind and beyond.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  4 Star Review – THE TIME DREAMER

Dilby R Dixon’s The Time Dreamer by Tony J. Perri takes us on a magical adventure through our imaginations. Dilby Dixon is an eleven-year-old just about to graduate from Elementary School and head off to Junior High. Dilby was once a non-entity among his schoolmates, the butt of jokes and bullying, but since Dilby introduced his peers to his Dilbonary (a collection of made-up words that Dilby has fashioned into a dictionary of sorts), Dilby has become a “cool kid” and not one to be messed with. Apart from his Dilbonary, Dilby has a secret that only his best friend, Grace, knows. Dilby is a Time Dreamer. Time Dreaming allows Dilby to travel to strange worlds in his imagination when he is asleep and to experience many things way above an eleven-year-old’s usual environment. When Dilby discovers that he can bring people and things with him on his Time Dreams, and also bring things back from the places he visits, an exciting and enthralling summer is ahead for the three friends, Dilby, Grace and George. 

Dilby R Dixon’s The Time Dreamer is aimed at a middle school audience and, as such, author Tony J. Perri hits the mark extremely well. The concept of time dreaming is not something I have come across before and, as a unique construct, it allows young readers to believe and hope that there is something special about them, no matter what their circumstances. I particularly enjoyed the way the author was able to weave moral messages into Dilby’s thoughts and ideas without coming across as too preachy. The author’s use of words from the Dilbonary for a number of common things from the story was clever. This is a sweet, almost a coming-of-age story as Dilby begins slowly to explore the feelings that may exist between himself and his best friend/possible girlfriend Grace. Totally age appropriate, this is a great adventure read for middle school aged children. I enjoyed this unique and gripping story.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  4 Star Review – THE TIME DREAMER

Dilby R. Dixon’s The Time Dreamer is a fantasy middle grade novel by Tony J. Perri. It is the second book in the Dilby R. Dixon’s series. Dilby is a young boy who is graduating from the 6th grade and is leaving his elementary school. But he is not like the other kids: Dilby has learned he is a time dreamer, which allows him to have special powers. One day, Dilby realizes that his journal of special words, which is called the Dilbonary, is stolen. With the help of his friends, George and Grace, Dilby must find his journal, face a bully and find his dog, Hopper. He must also travel to Risenfall, a land where all time dreamers go. Dilby has a hard time balancing his time dreamer life and real world life, but on his journey he learns more about himself and who he is as a person.

Dilby R. Dixon’s The Time Dreamer will excite any middle schooler; once they start reading they will want to learn more about Dilby and his adventures. Dilby is a great character that I think a lot of young kids can relate to; sometimes it is hard to know who your true friends are, especially around the middle school age. The plot of the novel is certainly interesting, and Tony J. Perri’s great writing makes you feel like you are in on the journey to Risenfall. His descriptions are great and the pace is fast enough so that you get a good handle on what is going on in the story. My favorite part of this novel is learning about the journal, aka The Dilbonary. I think it is very special in that it allows kids to learn more about words and numbers. I suggest this book for anyone who is looking to read about a world beyond Earth. This book teaches you that as long as you believe in yourself, you can do anything you set your mind to.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️  4 Star Review – THE TIME DREAMER 

The story begins the day after Dilby R. Dixon finished 6th grade. He woke up with an inexplicable black eye after a time dream. But he could not miss the Goodwin Elementary School carnival and yearbook signing party. He planned to meet his friends, Grace, George and Harold, there. It was an eventful day, as Dilby talked to Mr. Bailey, the widower next door, spoke to Lamont, who had been the new student, and was part of an incident with the pop girls. His classmates knew he had written the Dilbonary, a journal of words he created. What they did not know was that these words came to him in time dreams. In Dilby R. Dixon’s The Time Dreamer, written by Tony J. Perri, an adventure unfolds. Dilby has extraordinary experiences in Riseanfall in his dreams, and he has exciting escapades in his everyday life. 

This book will stimulate an elementary school-aged child’s imagination, with Dilby’s special abilities and spiritual perceptions. The author has included a brief description of numerology and the fact that Dilby’s life has been defined by the number 11. There are many words that Dilby uses throughout the story, and his Dilossary, his word for a glossary, is added in the front of the book. Author Tony J. Perri has written an unique children’s book in Dilby R. Dixon’s The Time Dreamer. It is the second one in a series, and it seems more will be written about this youngster’s adventures as he discovers how to use his special powers in positive ways.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – THE DILBONARY – ‘Great new book from a great new writer!’

“What a unexpected fun ride from a first time imaginative writer. This book deals with a very common issue in our society today, and deals with it in a way that will get through to young readers without coming across as instructive. Great job!!!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – THE DILBONARY – ‘Bullys suck, this book doesn’t!’

“Book is great. I love the anti-bullying side of the story. Read it!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY – ‘My new favorite book!’

“Hi my name is Bella and I am 9 years old. I love to read and I read this book in 2 days. I couldn’t get my nose out of it! I love all the made up words and even started using some of them myself!! This is my new favorite book! I think the author Tony Perri has a great imagination!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – THE DILBONARY – ‘Fun, Exciting, and Relatable! I couldn’t put it down!’

“The Dilbonary is a great story about growing up and embracing who you are. It teaches children that it’s okay to use your imagination and to be proud of the things that make you special. Yet, the storyline remains real and relatable as Dilby has to deal with a school bully and decide whether to stand up to him or live every day being afraid of him. Being taken away to a different land with each dream makes The Dilbonary hard to put down and made me excited to read more! I loved getting to spend time in Dilby’s world and practice the words I learned from The Dilbonary as I was reading. I would definitely recommend this book!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY – ‘A fantasy dreamer who was once bullied overcoming it all!!!’

“Dilby R Dixon’s The Dilbonary really relates to everyone in some way. It takes you on a journey of a 10 year old boy, Dilby who is bullied in school. Dilby is a social outcast with no friends and learns how to use his secret world to relate to others. He not only learns confidence and how to make friends but learns about a special way of dreaming that really makes him evolve. It is great for all ages and in the end you want nothing more than to be rooting for Dilby. Without giving away the whole book, it is a must read and hits all the emotions. I could not put the book down and still wanting more.”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ – THE DILBONARY – ‘fast paced read, great positive message to kids’

“This is a wonderful book for kids of all ages. I read it to my son in kindergarten, and my 3rd grader read it herself. Both had many full belly laughs. After each chapter we had to read, “just one more, Mom??” Great message to empower children and follow their dreams. Can’t wait for the next addition!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY –  ‘Great middle school read’

“Awesome book! Highly recommend it!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY –  ‘A BOOK FOR ALL AGES! AMAZING JOURNEY!’

“Amazing! I was fortunate enough to get my hands on actual copies of this book. This book had me on such a journey. I had to put it down and take a couple breaths during some “oh, no!” parts of the book. (I also have to pause movies when the action starts or emotional scenes begin. LOL) This book is a must read for ALL ages! Everyone can feel for and maybe relate with at least one character in the story about The Dilbonary. A parent, an aunt, a friend, or maybe even a JINBONE who wishes he/she was NOOK NOOKS with a GIDLADER. (P.S. additional copies were given to my adult and autistic teenage children. And yes, I promised to purchase them every book written about Dilby.) Let’s just hope that Tony Perri keeps writing and maybe we will see new series created. Can’t wait!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY –  ‘Loved it, have your kids read it!!’

“This book is so well written! Perfect read for kids to encourage them to use their imaginations!”

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️– THE DILBONARY –  ‘Fun read’

This book was so much FUN! It’s great for ALL ages. I gave copies to each of my children who happen to be autistic teenagers and an adult. The book can also be a way to have conversations about bullying. The Dilbonary was a fun journey and relatable for all ages. This is the book to buy for all occasions and a perfect book to read WITH your children. Impatiently waiting for the next book to be published!