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What the Moon Saw
by
Laura Resau (Goodreads Author)
Clara Luna's name means "clear moon" in Spanish. But lately, her head
has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents.
Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents...more
has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents.
Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
September 12th 2006
by Delacorte Books for Young Readers
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Clara has received an invitation to go visit her father's parents in Mexico, and she's a little intrigued, but mostly scared. Her father left many years ago and rarely looked back, and now she's expected to go to a place with no electricity, all they speak is Spanish (hers is rusty) and she won't know anyone? But something Clara hasn't told her parents is that she's been feeling restless, so this two month visit might just be what she needs to 'find herself'. So, Clara accepts the invitation and...more
Rating -
Plot - 29/30
Writing – 19/20
Characters - 18/20
Creativity - 18/20
The *Wow* Factor - 9/10
Grand Total - 94/100
Grade – A
Review -
I read this book over a year ago, so my memories of it aren't as clear as with a book I just read. But I do remember how wonderful it was! When the story began, Clara Luna seemed pretty much like a normal American teenager, and remains so when she meets her grandparents in Mexico. She undergoes a transformation as she learns about her history, culture, and healing ab...more
Plot - 29/30
Writing – 19/20
Characters - 18/20
Creativity - 18/20
The *Wow* Factor - 9/10
Grand Total - 94/100
Grade – A
Review -
I read this book over a year ago, so my memories of it aren't as clear as with a book I just read. But I do remember how wonderful it was! When the story began, Clara Luna seemed pretty much like a normal American teenager, and remains so when she meets her grandparents in Mexico. She undergoes a transformation as she learns about her history, culture, and healing ab...more
This is Laura Resau’s debut novel and from the very first, she had me hooked! Clara Luna is a modern teen living a middle class, convenience-filled life in the Bay Area. When she gets an invitation to visit her paternal grandparents whom she’s never met, she’s in for big surprises. Their home in southern Mexico is worlds away from her home in more ways than she imagines. After the initial culture shock of arriving in a small village with no electricity or indoor plumbing, Clara starts to absorb...more
I wanted to read another book by Laura Resau but my library didn't have it, and I got this one instead. Good introduction to this author. It's a coming of age story about a girl coming to terms with her Mexican heritage. Reading it I was jealous of her 2 month vacation away from our world, so busy and fast that you never have time to stop and really enjoy it. The descriptions of the landscape and the food in this book were good enough to mentally transport me to the middle of nowhere, Mexico and...more
this is the story of clara luna. her father came to america at a very young age and made a life for himself with a landscaping business. although clara asks her father about his home, he never speaks of his parents or where he came from in mexico. as clara is on the cusp of high school, she feels restless in her maryland town. a letter arrives from mexico addressed to clara. it is her maternal grandmother and she is inviting clara to visit for the entire summer. and so begins a young girl's jour...more
YA novel about Clara Luna who is daughter of a man who came to the US illegally, married a white American citizen and got his citizenship. Clara, now 14, is sent to spend the summer with her grandparents in the Oaxaca area. Her grandmother is a healer and Clara finds that she is too. Wonderful descriptions of life in a small rural part of Mexico and the honor of ancestors. Told in two voices, Clara and Helena, the grandmother, gives the story the history and the current struggles of American tee...more
This was a book that my daughter read for school. She said I would like it...guess she knows me pretty well. It was a lovely story of a teenage girl from Maryland who goes to rustic Mexico to visit her grandparents whom she had not previously met. It is a story of a young girl discovering her roots, listening to her soul and becoming aware of her families' interconnectedness. The stories of her grandmother's life are compelling. The author brings the landscape and scenery of the mountain region...more
Lovely, charming, accessible magical realism-ish YA.
As a new Laura Resau, I found this book pretty good. I liked how I was able to relate to the main character, Clara. Like her, I probably wouldn't have wanted to go to visit my long-lost grandparents over the summer. As the book progressed, I enjoyed the transitions from Clara's time and Helana's time. I really like hearing how strong and cool her grandparents are. This book made me think a lot and I really liked it. It was interesting to hear about another culture and I enjoyed hearing about the...more
4 1/2 stars
Ooo, I really liked this one. I find language and culture fascinating, so it's not much of a suprise that I like it. I also liked that I was able to translate the bits of Spanish that were interwoven into the book (they're translated into English for non-Spanish-speakers). I think that this was a very well written book that fully deserved the LoneStar award (a TX award given to a list of books each yr). Some of the LoneStars are not so great, but this one lived up to my expectations.
Ooo, I really liked this one. I find language and culture fascinating, so it's not much of a suprise that I like it. I also liked that I was able to translate the bits of Spanish that were interwoven into the book (they're translated into English for non-Spanish-speakers). I think that this was a very well written book that fully deserved the LoneStar award (a TX award given to a list of books each yr). Some of the LoneStars are not so great, but this one lived up to my expectations.
A different story but almost the exact same themes as the other book by Resau that I've read, Red Glass. Fortunately it is also eqaully good and inspiring. I just have a feeling I'm going to wind up with the stories all muddled in my mind.
Laura Resau touches the hearts of young adults with the story of Clara Luna. Readers will be mesmerized by the amount of heart that was put into writing this book. Clara Luna’s path to self discovery is a story that every reader can relate to. Resau brings to life the story of a young girl with detailed descriptions and eye opening adventures anyone can enjoy. Readers will fall in love with Clara Luna’s adventures into the background of her heritage.
13 year old Clara Luna feels restless growing up in her Maryland home. Just as she feels like she is lost in the US, a letter comes from her Abuelita in a small village in Oaxaca, Mexico. Clara decides to take a trip to meet her grandparents for the first time. While in Oaxaca, she learns about the great power of healers in her family, and discovers the secrets of the village and grows closer to her illegal immigrant father's history.
I'm trying to read books based in other cultures. This book was amazing! It is based in the mountains of Mexico and mixes a lot of culture into the writing, without you really noticing. The writing is extremely figurative and filled with metaphors...I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm thinking of putting it on my 7th graders' reading list because it is really a story of coming to realize how shallow all the possessions in America are.
Interesting story of a girl, Clara, who is sent to a village in Mexico for the summer. She lives with her grandparents, who basically have nothing. Coming from the suburbs, she has to adjust to the new lifestyle but begins to enjoy it. When her grandmother begins to teach her some of her healing arts, Clara begins to feel as though she were meant to live that way, and resolves to not fall into the conspicuous consumption trap back home.
This was a beautiful, lyrical novel of a teen girl from Maryland who discovers her roots in Oaxaca, Mexico. I picked it up because I'd recently met some families from there and thought it would be interesting. The writing is sweet and lovely as it tells Clara's story of visiting her grandparents for the summer, learning their history, and finding herself. She learns about herself as she learns about her grandmother's past and her abilities as a healer. The story is told with love for the area an...more
I stumbled across this book while searching for something else. Glad I did. I enjoyed the dilemmas of a suburban teenage girl who chooses to spend a summer in the remote Mexican village where her father grew up. There's humor, drama, a touch of romance, and hints of magic in the gift for healing that the girl clearly shares with her grandmother.
this book is one of the BEST books I have ever read. So many good morals and shows a lot of good sense. this book teaches one about the "spider web" of love between people no matter how far. This book also taught a lot of good lessons, Im sad I finished it, it was so good! I would reccomend this book to anyone I came across! loved it (:
May 26, 2009
Kirsten
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Grades 4-7
Recommended to Kirsten by:
YA book reviews
Shelves:
ya-literature
Coming of age novel - a young girl grows into herself as she travels to her father's small village in Mexico to meet her grandparents. Sweet and well written - puts the importance of cultural traditions before materialism and works. Timely, a "Women Who Run with the Wolves" for young girls.
I love books about a character in a different culture. This one had potential to put in a lot more details about the Mixtec culture, though. Also thought there should be a reconciliation with Dad at the end, but there was no mention of her asking him why he left.
When Clara Luna goes to visit her illegal immigrant father's parents in Oaxaca, Mexico, she learns about healing, both herself and her family. This satisfying story has an exciting climax as Clara and her friend/soul-mate, Pedro, survive a torrential storm.
I do enjoy reading this authors books. There is always a great story with a little bit of magic. It is heartfelt and real and truly inspiring. I also like how the author writes.
http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot...
http://dragonflowersandbooks.blogspot...
Clara Luna knows her father came from Mexico, but he doesn't speak about his boyhood or past life. When she is invited to visit her grandparents, It is nothing like what she expected.
This is a lovely story with great imagery and spirituality.
This is a lovely story with great imagery and spirituality.
It took me a while to get into this book, but once I did I was caught in its spell, much as the main character, Claire, is caught in the spell of her grandparents' remote home in Mexico. Claire has grown up without knowing her Mexican parents, but when she turns 14, she receives a letter inviting her to stay the summer. At first she dismayed by how very different it is from the home she's used to--from the airport there is a long bus ride, and an even longer walk when the bus slides down the mou...more
This is a young adult that revolves around a young girl discovering her roots, and herself in the process. While the story was entertaining, and easy to follow, I found that it was the writing itself that made this a worthwhile read.
The first time I read through this book, I was like.. "What. Seriously? What was this even ABOUT?" But then I read it again. Though that was over 3 years ago, it finally made SENSE. Honestly, this book was an AMAZING book, so 4 stars!!! :3
Mar 16, 2012
Lina Suarez
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommended to Lina by:
Vanessa
Shelves:
young-adult,
latino-chicano
Such a beautiful book - i can't bear to turn over the last pages, so i won't yet. It is so simple that older elementary school readers would understand it, but the wording is so touching that adults can find a connection with this book. love it.
This is a juvenile novel a friend recommended about a young girl whose father is from Oaxaca, Mexico. It tells about her journey finding who she is and where she came from. It is a fun coming of age novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
I love books that make me think about my priorities and values, without being too heavy handed. This is a lovely story about a girl who comes to realize that all her stuff doesn't mean anything, but relationships and service to others are more important. It's set in the present, with mystical experiences that are fantastic, but drive home the point.
Read this book as a possible Rappin' Readers' Club book, but think that it would be better for Teen Club....since I have the list for 2013, will add this to 2014 book club....loved the book....very interesting..
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I'm the author of the young adult novels The Queen of Water, Red Glass, What the Moon Saw, The Indigo Notebook, The Ruby Notebook , The Jade Notebook, and the middle-grade novel Star in the Forest. I grew up in Maryland, then moved around for ten years (as student, ESL teacher, and anthropologist), making my home in New Orleans; Aix-en-Provence, France; Oaxaca, Mexico; Tucson; and now, Fort Colli...more
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Feb 01, 2010 02:38pm