MAN IN THE MOON

A stranger appears out of nowhere and gives a young girl the power to change her world. One July evening in 1961 in rural Texas, Janine hears rustling in the cornfields and senses something is wrong, but her parents are preoccupied with her father’s unemployment and younger brother Ricky’s chronic illness. Janine knows Ricky feels as “cooped up” on the farm as she does, but she blames him and wishes she could “just take off running and never stop.” When a man “skinny as Mama’s crochet hook” arrives, Janine’s father recognizes Mr. Lunas, the man who saved his life during the War and invites him to stay, over Mama’s objections. Janine wonders about Mr. Lunas, who keeps growing like the moon, but when Ricky worsens, the mysterious guest inspires Janine to give him a special gift. A sense of quiet mystery appropriate to the lunar theme permeates the storytelling, leaving readers guessing as to Mr. Lunas’s true identity. Guaranteed to inspire, this tender tale provides a fresh look at the proverbial man in the moon. (moon facts) (Fiction. 8-12)