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WHEN THE MOON IS FULL

Name: WHEN THE MOON IS FULL
Author: Robin Moore
ISBN: 0-679-85642-0

SUPERNATURAL STORIES FROM THE OLD PENNSYLVANIA MOUNTAINS

by Robin Moore ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1994

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To kids accustomed to gory horror fiction, Moore's (The Bread Sister of Sinking Creek, 1990, etc.) spooky tales from the Pennsylvania mountains—some based on traditional stories, others newly written—may seem tame indeed. More's the pity, for they're beautifully written and quietly chilling, full of shape-changing and weird, primitive archetypes. There's an Indian boy who rescues four girls enslaved by a swamp wizard, a hunter who spends the winter in a bear's cave and becomes a bear himself, and a fiddler whose girlfriend turns into a wolf every night. There are stories about love, too: A grieving mountain lion brings back to life her stuffed mate, who's been nailed to a shed roof; a crusty mountain man drowns trying to save his faithful, moon-crazed hound dog; a young man lost in the wilderness is rescued by an eight-foot-tall hairy woman who will later bear his child. Set in the old days of Indians and pioneers, these episodes portray a world in which you can walk in the woods for days and not meet another human (a thought frightening enough to many urbanites). The stories also tap into the timeless moral truths of an oral tradition—ideas about love, courage, honor, and integrity that are generally hard to teach without sounding hokey. A professional storyteller, Moore knows how to draw his readers gently into this mysterious world, giving them something to dream about without giving them nightmares. (Fiction. 10-14)

Pub Date: Nov. 1, 1994

ISBN: 0-679-85642-0

Page Count: 128

Publisher: Knopf

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 1994

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MAN WITH THE SILVER OAR
by Robin Moore

- BOOK REVIEW
HERCULES
by Robin Moore & illustrated by Alexa Rutherford

- BOOK REVIEW
THE CHERRY TREE BUCK
by Robin Moore

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PERCY JACKSON'S GREEK HEROES

by Rick Riordan ; illustrated by John Rocco ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 18, 2015

Tales that “lay out your options for painful and interesting ways to die.” And to live.

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In a similarly hefty companion to Percy Jackson’s Greek Gods (2014), the most voluble of Poseidon’s many sons dishes on a dozen more ancient relatives and fellow demigods.

Riordan averts his young yarn spinner’s eyes from the sex but not the stupidity, violence, malice, or bad choices that drive so many of the old tales. He leavens full, refreshingly tart accounts of the ups and downs of such higher-profile heroes as Theseus, Orpheus, Hercules, and Jason with the lesser-known but often equally awesome exploits of such butt-kicking ladies as Atalanta, Otrera (the first Amazon), and lion-wrestling Cyrene. In thought-provoking contrast, Psyche comes off as no less heroic, even though her story is less about general slaughter than the tough “Iron Housewives quests” Aphrodite forces her to undertake to rescue her beloved Eros. Furthermore, along with snarky chapter heads (“Phaethon Fails Driver’s Ed”), the contemporary labor includes references to Jay-Z, Apple Maps, god-to-god texting, and the like—not to mention the way the narrator makes fun of hard-to-pronounce names and points up such character flaws as ADHD (Theseus) and anger management issues (Hercules). The breezy treatment effectively blows off at least some of the dust obscuring the timeless themes in each hero’s career. In Rocco’s melodramatically murky illustrations, men and women alike display rippling thews and plenty of skin as they battle ravening monsters.

Tales that “lay out your options for painful and interesting ways to die.” And to live. (maps, index) (Mythology. 10-14)

Pub Date: Aug. 18, 2015

ISBN: 978-1-4231-8365-5

Page Count: 416

Publisher: Disney-Hyperion

Review Posted Online: July 21, 2015

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
PERCY JACKSON AND THE OLYMPIANS
by Rick Riordan

- BOOK REVIEW
THE SUN AND THE STAR
by Rick Riordan & Mark Oshiro

- BOOK REVIEW
THE MAZE OF BONES
by Rick Riordan ; adapted by Ethan Young ; illustrated by Ethan Young ; color by George C. Williams

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A LONG WALK TO WATER

BASED ON A TRUE STORY

by Linda Sue Park ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 15, 2010

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Salva Dut is 11 years old when war raging in the Sudan separates him from his family. To avoid the conflict, he walks for years with other refugees, seeking sanctuary and scarce food and water. Park simply yet convincingly depicts the chaos of war and an unforgiving landscape as they expose Salva to cruelties both natural and man-made. The lessons Salva remembers from his family keep him from despair during harsh times in refugee camps and enable him, as a young man, to begin a new life in America. As Salva’s story unfolds, readers also learn about another Sudanese youth, Nya, and how these two stories connect contributes to the satisfying conclusion. This story is told as fiction, but it is based on real-life experiences of one of the “Lost Boys” of the Sudan. Salva and Nya’s compelling voices lift their narrative out of the “issue” of the Sudanese War, and only occasionally does the explanation of necessary context intrude in the storytelling. Salva’s heroism and the truth that water is a source of both conflict and reconciliation receive equal, crystal-clear emphasis in this heartfelt account. (Fiction. 10-14)