M E R I D I A N     M A G A Z I N E

Books for Readers to Moon Over
By Holly E. Newton

There’s been a lot of buzz about a series of books that I finally relented to read.  (That’s quite an accomplishment because I only take time to read books for possible reviews.  But when my 22-year-old daughter encouraged me again and again, and I also asked friends who had very highly recommended these books and all the answers were affirmative, I finally picked up book one.)  

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I was a bit leery knowing that it’s a young adult book and such books are hard to find that are good as well as appropriate. So I was pleasantly surprised to find that Twilight, by Stephenie Meyer, is a book that you’ll easily sink deep into and find it hard to come up for air.  

This book is so good that I could see why everyone is talking about it.  I had to pry it out of my hands to go to sleep at night and actually finished reading the 498 pages in two days.   Part of the high interest in this first book in the series is in not knowing what it’s about before you read it. (So reader-beware!)   

Meyer has an uncanny ability to write with eloquence and elegance.  Her fluid flair of description doesn’t bog down the romantic mystery and propels the protagonist continually as she tries to assimilate all that is happening around her.  “I vividly remembered the flat black color of his eyes the last time he’d glared at me — the color was striking against the background of his pale skin and his auburn hair.  Today, his eyes were a completely different color:  a strange ocher, darker than butterscotch, but with the same golden tone.”  Here is a sophisticated and suspenseful mystery that will undoubtedly hold you on the edge of every page. 

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New Moon is the second book in this series, and the excitement and anticipation of the story continues.  However, the story slows a bit through more than half of the book.  Again, I don’t want to give much of it away so I’ll just suffice it to say that Bella, the main protagonist, continues to tell the story through her eyes.  The story finally crescendos and adventures really begin to happen when she finally meets someone she thinks she’s lost forever. 

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Eclipse is the last book in the series thus far, although two more books are planned.  This book picks up the pace after it slowed somewhat in the second book, culminating the ensuing conflicts and rising climax to a final resounding and gratifying resolution.  In all three of the books, the author's beautiful descriptions don’t weigh down the story.  In fact, it becomes more exhilarating and breathtaking as you can almost sense the imagery Meyer quantifies gloriously! 

Parents should note that there are mild swear words found in all three books as well as a good deal of inappropriate behavior on the protagonist’s part all the way through the series — but especially in book three.  That was disappointing to read, because the author graduated from BYU.  As in all books ever published, the need for swearing, however mild, and sexual innuendoes, however implied, are never necessary to propel the storyline along.  But, I think the popularity with LDS members shows the thirst for exciting and well-written fiction.

Since these three books have a “moon” connotation, the picture books listed below have a similar theme. The Moon Might Be Milk, by Lisa Shulman, and illustrated by Will Hillenbrand, is a sugary treat as Rosie asks her animal friends what they think the moon is made of.  The pleasant answers begin to conjure a delectable and edible recipe found on the back page.

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How many children imagine what it would be like flying in a plane?  How many imagine what it’s like on the moon?  Peter McCarty simply states, and splendidly illustrates, Moon Plane as a child’s wonder becomes an imaginative trip high beyond the clouds.  The pencil illustrations have the perfect hue to compel the imagery of a plane flight to the moon.

I believe I’m reviewing a Caldecott contender.  Catching the Moon, by Myla Goldberg, and beautifully illustrated by Chris Sheban, has the effortless majesty that catches the beams of light at night.  The text is captivating, educational and intriguing — all of the elements that make it exceptional.  But it’s the beauty of the watercolors that blend with dexterity of picture and word.  The old fisherwoman, as she sits on the dock with her fishing pole in the moonlight, finally enlightens the reader and the moon as to why she’s fishing in the dead of night.  Exquisite!

Little Moon Dog, by Helen Ward, and intricately illustrated by Wayne Anderson, becomes enamored with the fairy summer visitors that have come for their annual visit to romp and play on the moon.  The story is simple with a moral, but the detailed paintings make this book a must!

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Owl Moon, by Jane Yolen, and illustrated by John Schoenherr, captures the heart of a cold winter night.  This reissue was awarded the Caldecott Medal back in 1988, and there is no doubt of why this won.  Whether you live in a cold or warm location, the crunch of snow and the frost in the air will surround you as you read this classic!

The last three picture books are funny and would be perfect to read aloud.  Monsters are Afraid of the Moon, written and illustrated by Marjane Satrapi, shows how these creatures are really frightened when Marie captures the moon and puts it in her room to scare them away.  But now it’s dark outside, what will the night animals do without light?

Hedgie Blasts Off!, written and illustrated by Jan Brett, is another great adventure of Hedgie the Hedgehog heading into outer space to solve an intergalactic problem.

Another Day in the Milky Way, written and illustrated by David Milgrim, is hilarious and will have kids giggling all of the way to the end.  A youngster knows he must be “on the wrong planet” when he wakes up. His mom has three heads, she’s prepared liver flakes for breakfast and his morning drink has goldfish in it.  And that’s just on the first page. Very inventive!

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