Unfortunately, there can be no doubt that man is, on the whole, less good than he imagines himself or wants to be.
Everyone carries a shadow ... Carl Jung
Everyone carries a shadow ... Carl Jung
Moon Shadow by Erin Downing
 "This whole night is karmic kismet" | Let’s start with a shopping cart containing an unusual assortment of items. I headed to my local market to recreate the opening scene in Erin Downing’s Moon Shadow. Can you figure out the connection between the items pictured in my basket? Read the first chapter of the book to discover how they are related. Or you can cheat and see the answers posted below. * We're on the honor system here. |
| Can we discuss the cover? It is gorgeous. The graphic design element is powerful. Two figures under the spell of a glowing full moon. I love the moon’s subtle color shifts from red to gold to palest yellow. The overlapping O’s echo the lunar shape and mirrors the closeness of the two silhouettes. A striking introduction to the story. I opened this book expecting a sweet tale of middle grade romance. Lucia and her friends are preparing to celebrate both her thirteenth birthday and the lunar eclipse. Her former best friend Velvet is throwing an eclipse party and they are invited. So we’re moving along here, checking off all the middle grade tropes: quiet misunderstood protagonist, divorced parents, boy-next-door who may be more than a friend, mean girl out for revenge. When... WHOA! Things quickly take a turn that I was not expecting. I should have paid more attention to the word “shadow” in the title. |  "I'm pretty sure everything shifted the night of the eclipse." |
The pages go dark. Literally go dark: black paper with the white italicized text. But it's not just the visual change that is immediately apparent. The narration moves from Lucia’s engaging first person voice to a strangely detached almost other-worldly third person view when she is goes to sleep.
These dark pages are interspersed throughout Lucia's story of her contentious connection with Velvet, her developing friendship with two classmates, and her strained relationship with neighbor Will. She is also dealing with the fallout from her parent's broken marriage: mom moves away to Sweden with a new partner, older sister remains aloof, and dad seems to be paralyzed by this divorce. Now she's thirteen and trying to figure it all out.
Lucia tries to puzzle out what is happening when she appears to be asleep and yet another part of her begins to act out her subconscious desires. What causes these episodes? These strange interludes are forcing her to see another side of herself. Does she like who she becomes during her sleep-induced experiences? Who is in control here and what does she really want?
Magic, shadows, dreams, and desires all come together in this spell-binding middle grade novel.
Magic, shadows, dreams, and desires all come together in this spell-binding middle grade novel.
* Cheat sheet: Sunny Delight, Sun Chips, Moon Pies, Starburst, star fruit are treats for the eclipse celebration occuring on Lucia's thirteenth birthday.
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