Readers of Kate DiCamillo and Sheila Turnage will love Moonpenny Island, a middle grade novel of friendship and secrets by the beloved and acclaimed Tricia Springstubb.
Moonpenny is a tiny island in a great lake. When the summer people leave and the ferries stop running, just the tried-and-true islanders are left behind. Flor and her best, her perfect friend, Sylvie, are the only eleven-year-olds for miles and miles—and Flor couldn't be happier. But come the end of summer, unthinkable things begin to happen. Sylvie is suddenly, mysteriously, whisked away to school on the mainland. Flor's mother leaves to take care of Flor's sick grandmother and doesn't come back. Her big sister has a secret, and Flor fears it's a dangerous one.
Meanwhile, a geologist and his peculiar daughter arrive to excavate prehistoric trilobites, one of the first creatures to develop sight. Soon Flor is helping them. As her own ability to see her life on this little lump of limestone evolves, she faces truths about those she loves—and about herself—she never imagined.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful.
No man is an island...but what about an 11-year-old girl?
By Janet Hamilton
Summary: Flor and Sylvie have always been inseparable friends, the only two girls their age who live year-round on Moonpenny Island. But at the end of the summer when they are both 11 years old, things start to change. Sylvie suddenly announces that she is leaving the island to attend private school on the mainland. Flor’s parents are fighting almost every day, and her older sister Cecelia acts like a stranger. As Flor starts school as the only sixth grader, she has never felt so alone. But as summer slowly moves to fall and winter, she begins to discover life on her own terms and to reach out to friends she never knew were there.Pros: Beautifully written, with an almost magical island setting and memorable characters. Give this to fans of Because of Winn-Dixie.Cons: Some readers may find the plot slow going.
0 of 0 people found the following review helpful.
Buy it.
By Caseyb50
My eleven year old granddaughter loved this book.
