Laugh with the Moon (Bluebonnet '13-'14 Highlights)

I've read the Bluebonnet List for this year, and it is an excellent list. I do not say things like this lightly. The BB List has been weak for the last couple of years, in my opinion, and I am so very excited about this year's list! For the next few posts, I am going to highlight the books that I think are the cream of this very good crop. Books that I think kids will like, too!

(I am not going to review Wonder and The One and Only Ivan, which are both on the list. I think we can safely say that these have been adequately reviewed, they are amazing, and kids will love them! I love them, too!)



Laugh with the Moon by Shana Burg
Which readers? 4th Grade and up

"Grief isn't a tunnel you walk through and you're done," she says. "It waxes and wanes like the moon."

Clare is deep in the throes of grief after the passing of her mother when her father, a physician, decides that they will go to Malawi so that he can offer his help to a hospital in need. Things between Clare and her father are already strained, and this new adventure is the last thing she wants to do. She embarks on this journey against her will and with a determination to simply endure until she can get home. She is totally out of her element in a new country, new school, and completely different way of life. But the friends she makes and the events that happen on this life-changing trip will help Clare come to terms with her loss and look at the world with a whole new perspective.

This book is about dealing with grief, but the story line is not maudlin or overly sappy. It moves quickly, and does not get bogged down in too much introspection, which is where we can lose some young readers. Although Clare is working through her own feelings throughout the book, there is laughter, adventure, new friends, and healing. Author Shana Burg has been to Malawi and worked with the children there, and this authenticity comes through in her writing. There are events that are both touching and laugh-out-loud funny, and I think children will enjoy both the emotional impact of the book and also the adventures Clare experiences in this foreign land. I also think the book does a great job of driving home the (yes) sappy but oh so important concept of "we are all citizens of the Earth...love is the same in any language."

And the author lives in Austin! I love it when great books on The BB List are by Texas authors!

Author's Website

Book Trailer - Includes the author's pictures from Malawi! Great resource.