Thin Elderly gladly discovers that Littlest has the "gossamer touch"; the ability to gather and bestow with great subtlety.

The woman reveals that she is to take an angry 8-year-old boy named John into her household and must learn to deal with the troubles in his life.

That night, Littlest and Thin Elderly discover that a Horde of Sinisteeds intend to inflict nightmares on John and his caretaker.

She wishes to remain assigned to John, whom she has come to love and cherish, but is told by Thin Elderly that dream-givers are not permitted to generate human emotions.

Publishers Weekly referred to Gossamer as a "poetic, fanciful",[1] and "spellbinding story" crafted with Lowry's "exquisite, at times mesmerizing writing".

[2] They described the novel's prose as "lyrical" and "richly descriptive", and highlighted how it "ushers readers into a fascinating parallel world inhabited by appealingly quirky characters".

"[4] While noting that Gossamer's "lyrical and delicate style [is] appropriate to its subject matter", April Spisak, writing for The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, found that "the delicacy sometimes becomes coy and mannered, [...] and the fantasy world overshadows the growing relationship between John and his unnamed foster mother".

Spisak also referred to the "human story" as "heavy handed", especially given that "the maturation and healing of the characters is conveyed through their lengthy discussions of the subject rather than through the book's demonstration of their growth".

Despite these concerns, Spisak concluded that "the novel effectively evokes the flimsy and sometimes tentative grasp on happiness and comfort in a way many readers will understand".

[5] Sarah Wanlass, writing for Children's Book and Media Review, additionally critiqued the novel's "remote, omniscient narrator tone", which may leave readers feeling "distanced from the story".

Publishers Weekly wrote, "Twomey does an excellent job of distinguishing her voice for the different characters" Despite offering a positive review for the novel, Publishers Weekly found the audiobook rendition to be "a less-than-satisfying listen", indicating that the audiobook's "many lyrical, detailed descriptions [...] become overlong and slow-moving when read aloud".

Similarly, although they found "Twomey's soft, soothing voice fits the subject matter", they also indicated it "may well lull young listeners off to dreamland".