Written by Michael Morpurgo
When Merry’s mother receives a letter with news of her husband’s injury from the war, she is determined to sail across the Atlantic to be with him. Taking her daughter, Merry, they set sail aboard the luxurious Lusitania despite the danger warnings of traveling across the ocean during wartime. What happens next is recorded history.
This story is so rich in characters living in a time of fear and war, yet the kindness and compassion shown is powerfully woven in. The love the Wheatcroft family extend to the young girl they found on an uninhabited island, injured and alone, and who doesn’t speak. The doctor who helps care for the girl who soon would be known as Lucy Lost. Peg, the stubborn and aloof horse who allows Lucy into his heart. The German soldiers who take pity on a young girl adrift in the sea. Sprinkled in are the moments of bigotry and the horror of a sinking ship and the war to add contrast. There are so many powerful characters and story lines combining to make Listen to the Moon a story not soon forgotten by the reader. I love the way Michael Morpurgo writes this story as a granddaughter remembering the life of her grandmother. I highly recommend this book.
Review by Renee Larsen, Hillside Elementary Media Center
Rating: ★★★★★ (5 stars)
Interest Level: Grades 5-8
Listen To The Moon
Written by Michael Morpurgo
Feiwel and Friends
341 pages
Release Date: October 27, 2015 (US Edition)
A review copy was provided by the publisher.
Categories: Elem. – Fiction, Jr. High – Fiction
Tags: World War 1914-1918, Survival, Friendship, Isles of Scilly (England), Historical fiction
