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Unhooking the Moon

by Gregory Hughes (Goodreads Author)

4.01 of 5 stars 4.01 · rating details · 151 ratings · 37 reviews

Meet the Rat: A dancing, football-playing gangster-baiting ten-year-old. When she foresaw her father’s death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York.
Meet her older brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle in America and discover a new life for them both.
On their adventures across the flatland...more

Paperback, 374 pages

Published April 29th 2010 by Quercus

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The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

"Kids" books, that are so much more...

24th out of 42 books — 28 voters

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Jun 12, 2011 Jo rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya, hometown-glories-uk, just-been-cutting-onions, soul-sister-heroine, e

Initial Final Page Thoughts.
I can’t deal with this. This was supposed to be my happy place book post- Feed and Deadline. But wow… what a beautiful book.

High Point.
The fact that no one that I know has read it so it’s MINE ALL MINE. The Rat = possibly the cutest kid in the entire world. I want her to be my best friend and we can talk in accents together and sing Frank Sinatra and drink Mocha even though I don’t like coffee. Bob= the second cutest kid in the entire world and the best big brother E...more

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Jun 30, 2011 LH Johnson rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: childrens-literature, perfect

Meet Marie Claire and Robert DeBillier. Aka Bob and his sister - The Rat. Following a tragic family incident, the two of them decide to seek out their long-lost Uncle who lives in New York. Trouble is - these kids currently live in Winnipeg. Cue one of the most heart-breakingly brilliant roadtrips I've ever read about.

I can't believe how good this book was. It's extraordinary. Hughes has the ability to construct character so well through his use of language; The Rat is one of those gloriously e...more

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Jan 10, 2011 Rosie Brocklehurst rated it 4 of 5 stars

I found this book impressive and much better than many books by established children's authors. I finished it in one reading. Hughes makes you care about the characters in a tale that compresses more harsh realities in its pages than any child should have to experience. After their father dies, the two kids aged ten and twelve, journey from Winnipeg to New York to find a long lost Uncle , their only know relative, despite the fact that they believe he is involved with drugs. The Canadian scenes...more I found this book impressive and much better than many books by established children's authors. I finished it in one reading. Hughes makes you care about the characters in a tale that compresses more harsh realities in its pages than any child should have to experience. After their father dies, the two kids aged ten and twelve, journey from Winnipeg to New York to find a long lost Uncle , their only know relative, despite the fact that they believe he is involved with drugs. The Canadian scenes set the backdrop of their early lives. Hughes uses home life, schoolfriends, teachers, Native Canadians, food and love to set the scene. Dad lives outside of conventional society and raises his kids alone after his wife dies in a car accident when the kids are very young. He gets drunk but always provides and makes wonderful meals. The heart of the book is rooted in a dark reality of street life among the poor and dispossessed of New York. But the kids get to meet shady characters who turn out to have heart, and also their favourite Rapper, the world famous 'Iceman' whose empathy with them comes from his own experience of life which is slowly being expunged by celebrity and riches. The protagonist, a girl child called 'Rat', aged ten is the bravest and feistiest character I have ever come across in children's fiction or fiction of any kind, and she is marked by psychic abilities, disturbed dreams, fits, which mark her out as not only unusual but a character of transcendant spirit. She meets evil head on. She says and does things that you would want people to say who are rebellious and strong. She defies convention and stands up to wickedness. Anger at injustice and cruelty enables her to shut down fear. This is the true voice of the child who has learned to fight back against personal injury against herself and All children, by shutting down caution, hence her fight against paedophilia which she knows about and is implacably devoted to fight against. She is at one and the same time innocent and without innocence. The voice that Hughes' uses is authentic and flows well and is reminiscent of Mark Twain's Huckleberry Finn, also written from the perspective of a boy telling a story in the first person. The love the boy has for his remarkable courageous and feisty sister (the Rat) seeps through every page. Bob and Rat respond to others and circumstances in a way that thrills. Their story is edgy and dark from the outset but lightened by good characters-some teachers, or characters who are often from the margins of society. Difficult to say what audience Hughes is writing for-he just wrote it knowing that kids understand 'reality' more than a lot of adults would like to admit. The story could have been cut in parts without losing anything-but it is a great book.

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Jan 26, 2013 Michele rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ya

Star parts: OK where to start. Well for a start the book made me laugh out loud. And what were the bits that made me laugh the most, well probably the bits that should have had you crying such as the funeral scene. And the climax, which involves some pretty awful people, and is totally exciting, and still hysterically funny.

The characterisation is great, the Rat and Bob really come alive, their voices are authentic and they way Bob deals with his sister is, in my mind, really realistic.

The sto...more

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Oct 20, 2010 Erzsi Deak rated it 5 of 5 stars

Cannot say enough about this book -- loved it. But here's the publisher's blurb:
Meet the Rat: A dancing, football-playing gangster-baiting ten-year-old. When she foresaw her father's death, she picked up her football and decided to head for New York. Meet her older brother Bob: Protector of the Rat, but more often her follower, he is determined to find their uncle in America and discover a new life for them both. On their adventures across the flatlands of Winnipeg and through the exciting stre...more

1 like · like · see review

Mar 13, 2011 Josie rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

The Rat has to be one of the best fictional characters I've read about in a long while. She reminds me of a modern-day Anne Shirley -- garrulous, bluntly honest, good-hearted, and with a very individual outlook on life. I loved the beeping and her obsession with bringing down paedophiles, haha. And of course I'm a huge fan of what I call Incidental Magic, which is when there are supernatural elements in an otherwise ordinary, set-in-real-life story (think: The Time-Traveler's Wife).

I thought the...more

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Mar 06, 2012 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Sometimes life hands you a gentle lesson. My wise and courageous preteen daughter guided me to 'Unhooking the Moon' two weeks into her first year at High School. I didn't realise at the time that she was giving me a little bit of herself. The Rat - the heroine of Unhooking - is a wise and courageous preteen too and I can see why my 'rat' connected so well.

Rat and her brother Bob travel to New York from Canada after the sudden death of their sad sole father in a quest to find his drug dealing br...more

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Apr 23, 2011 Susan Mann rated it 3 of 5 stars

Central character Rat is a fascinating 10 year old. The author has created a typical youngster playful, naughty, but also very feisty. In some respects she seems the one with the most sense the best judge of character leaving her elder brother Bob behind in so many ways.

This novel is written from Bob's point of view, he admires his sister worries about her, not only her recklessness but also her health particularly her state of mind.
He follows her through a series of adventures that would make...more

1 like · like · see review

Aug 24, 2011 Franzie rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: lex

Den Mond aus den Angeln heben erzählt die unkonventionelle Geschichte von Roberto "Bob" und Marie Claire "Die Ratte" DeBillier.

Eines Tages kommen Bob und die Ratte nach Hause und finden ihren wundervollen Vater tot in der Küche - Herzinfarkt. Da ihre Mutter schon Jahre vorher das Land der Lebenden verlassen hat, beschließen die beiden, abzuhauen und den einzigen lebenden Verwandten zu suchen, von dem sie wissen: Jerome DeBillier, Bruder ihres Vaters, ihrer Aussage nach Drogenhändler. So machen s...more

1 like · like · see review

Jul 23, 2011 Candy Wood added it

Shelves: children-s-ya

I certainly see why this book was shortlisted for the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize in 2010. The narrator is 16, telling about events that happened when he was 12 and his sister, called the Rat, was 10. Through his engaging voice, the Rat (aka Marie Claire) is a bright, lively character. The events are improbable: when their father dies suddenly (their mother having died much earlier in a car crash), they leave their Winnipeg home to look in New York City for an uncle they’ve never met. A fr...more

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Apr 13, 2013 Janet Joy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Available this fall to North America .... I read the manuscript over the course of the last two nights. The adventure these two kids go on from Winnipeg to New York City is unbelievable. It is an emotional trip for the reader as well. We laugh with Marie Claire aka Rat and her order brother Bob, we fear for their safety, we gasp at the situations and there will be tears. I was a wreck last night but I am so glad I read this novel. It does what extraordinary books are supposed to do - it transpor...more

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Jul 23, 2012 Luna rated it 4 of 5 stars

It took me ages to get into this story, it wasn’t until Bob and his little sister, The Rat, were on their journey to New York that I started to care.

Unhooking the Moon is all about The Rat, Bob might be the narrator but everything that happens is because of Marie Claire (aka The Rat). She is one of the most complex, confusing and wise characters I have ever read and she is a real pain. Maybe if Gregory Hughes has made The Rat more plain this story would have been easier to enjoy but if he had th...more

1 like · like · see review

Nov 11, 2011 Catie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Recommended to Catie by: Jo

Shelves: middle-grade, read-in-2011

This is a very engaging and sweet story that will carry you right along with its madcap, almost surreal adventures. I really enjoyed reading it, but I just never quite connected to it all the way. I kept feeling swept forward, without anything firm to hold onto.

The story is narrated by a sixteen year old Bob, as he recalls the fateful summer when he was twelve, and he and his ten year old sister Marie Claire “The Rat” Debilliers traveled (by bicycle and other unreliable means) from Winnipeg to N...more

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Jun 08, 2011 Ringo The Cat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult, ya, children-s-fiction

Meet Bob and his sister, the Rat. They are prairie kids from Winnipeg, a land “so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days”. When their father dies (after one of the Rat’s curiously accurate premonitions), the Rat decides they should go to New York, to find their long-lost (drug dealer) uncle Jerome DeBillier. So the two set off on a road trip of sorts to New York. What follows is one of the quirkiest of traveler’s tales, with the two of them meeting conmen, hustlers, rap idols, etc.
U...more Meet Bob and his sister, the Rat. They are prairie kids from Winnipeg, a land “so flat you can watch your dog run away for three days”. When their father dies (after one of the Rat’s curiously accurate premonitions), the Rat decides they should go to New York, to find their long-lost (drug dealer) uncle Jerome DeBillier. So the two set off on a road trip of sorts to New York. What follows is one of the quirkiest of traveler’s tales, with the two of them meeting conmen, hustlers, rap idols, etc.
Unhooking the Moon is one of those rare novels that just seem to come out of the blue (it is Gregory Hughes’ debut novel). The originality of this little novel comes from 2 distinct points. At first there’s the character of the Rat (Marie Claire). She’s a bit of everything, carefree, witty, wise, fearless…, and even her brother Bob hasn’t quite figured her out: a 10-year-old who loves to play soccer, who puts on different accents, who speaks French and Spanish fluently, who is into Native culture and myth, who literally beeps out her swearwords, who’s not afraid to shoplift, who has strange fits and premonitions, … the Rat could be quite gorgeous and mysterious at times, yet everyone seemed to fall under her spell as soon as they met her.
Second, the point of view and writing style is what makes this novel both different and endearing. I can understand people who say they found this book hard to get into. The style of the novel is fairly magical. In fact, I’d say the entire story reads like a fairy tale, a bit akin to a lot of Neil Gaiman’s award-winning writing. Gregory Hughes himself says: “I thought it would be a great thing to write a book that anyone could read. I never toned down the language, I wrote it on my voice, in just the way I speak. I was taught that you should never try to make the language flowery or show off to impress the reader and I talk kind of basic anyway, I don't use big words so the language I was using, an 11 or 12-year-old would not have to strain themselves to understand it.” The childlike wonder and the innocence in the language and behavior of the characters is definitely present in the novel. And when a grownup reader tries to look with their grownup eyes at the deceptively simple and basic language that Bob – still only a 12-year-old himself – uses and the type of roadside adventures the two end up in, you might feel a bit uncomfortable when you read this book.
However, if you let yourself discover the child within you and you let the words of the book absorb you completely, this is a gem of a novel. Despite this being a “children’s book”, there’s no embellishing of things. From the beginning you know this will not be your typical happy ending fairy tale. Of course, fairy tales in themselves might end well, but they also play on the most basic and primal fears of a society – something that I would argue Gregory Hughes is also doing in Unhooking the Moon. Though a lot of the scenes are incredibly fun, you’re always left to wonder what’s lurking in the shadows.
Unhooking the Moon won the 2010 Booktrust Teenage prize, a prize which has a bit of history of celebrating truly original and creative writing. Well, they’re truly original and creative books to me in any case, and definitely books with an appeal to more than their so-called target audience: Mark Haddon’s The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book, and my absolute favorite in their list of winners Patrick Ness’ The Knife of Never Letting Go… Unhooking the Moon is not so much a book that you have to read, but experience.
Meet Bob and The Rat. The Rat could be full of surprises sometimes.
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Mar 11, 2011 Anne rated it 5 of 5 stars

'Unhooking The Moon' won the Booktrust Teenage Prize last year and in my view, this was a very worthy winner.
Gregory Hughes has written an extraordinary story of a brother and sister from Winnipeg, USA. Bob and his younger sister Marie-Claire - AKA The Rat are orphans. Their mother died many years ago and they have spent the last few years being cared for by their Father. When their Father dies quite suddenly, the two of them are determined that they will not be put in a home so they set off to...more

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Nov 28, 2010 Clay added it

Shelves: upper-middle-school-young-adult

Booktrust Teenage Prize

After their father dies, the hapless 12YO Bob and his psychic 10YO precocious-to-the-max sister Marie Claire, a.k.a The Rat, leave Winnipeg by hopping a freight--with their bikes--cross the border with the help of Joey the cigar smuggler and bike into NYC to find their uncle the drug dealer (yes and no) with the help of cigar Joey, a street hustler and their new best friend and famed rapper-of-the-moment, Ice. Far-fetched in spades (though no more than say, Hunger Games),...more

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Nov 02, 2010 Yellowoasis rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2010

The book starts with a bang, introducing the offbeat heroine of ‘the Rat’ in a way that is fresh and quirky. But as the two children continued their journey to New York I found the quaintness a bit wearing. The characters they meet are all lovable rogues and somewhat two dimensional. The ending too is disappointing and unresolved. Interestingly this book was in the junior section of our public library. I’m against ‘censorship’ by any means, but I believe this would appeal more to a teenage audie...more

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Aug 07, 2011 Julia added it

This is actually a childrens title but just as suitable for adults (as many books are). I am not sure their adventure could be described as 'funny' as the back cover describes but certainly poignant amd gripping (you really do want them to succeed in finding their father etc); there are little comic moments but they are actually quite touching too

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Aug 15, 2011 Lucy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: tear-jerkers, 2011

i thought this book was AMAZING!!! and i didn't expect the ending. but it is truly magical the way it's written. Gregory Hughes brings the charaters to life, especially the Rat. at the beginning i didn't know how they were going to just get to NYC but it just flowed right the way through. Plus I made my mum read it to. she loved it like i did.

1 like · like · see review

Dec 28, 2010 Rachael (Piper) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Winner of the Booktrust Teenage Prize 2010, and I can see why.

Basically this book is about Bob and his sister Marie Claire. Marie Claire is an amazing character, she's very unique, has visions of the future, speaks loads of languages and knows everyone in their village in Canada and loves drinking a mocha coffee.

But after their Dad dies Marie Claire (or the Rat as she's known!) convinces Bob to travel to New York to find their only living relative there, their drug dealer uncle. The book is abou...more

2 likes · like · see review

Mar 12, 2011 Clare Arnold rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: carnegie

A children's novel where the main character's fear is pantomime paedophiles? I found this book unengaging, unconvincing and often quite distasteful. Yet it has already won awards and several nominations. Have I somehow missed the point?

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Jan 22, 2013 Darkthine added it

this book is great it brings soo many emotions and the bond between brother ans sister. It made me relate to the ups and downs with my sis and yet it becomes heart pounding and interesting it captures u fro the beginning

1 like · like · see review

Dec 20, 2011 Angela Alcorn marked it as to-read

Shelves: 2010-2019, 21st-century, kids, kids-8plus, young-adult, second-hand-bookshop-wishlist, fiction, fantasy, girl-stuff, bruce-wants-to-read, animals

I heard this book has one of the most lovable rat characters ever written and was also nominated for the Guardian Children's Fiction Prize.

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Dec 01, 2012 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

I think this book was quite well written and I enjoyed most of it. Although some things were quite unexpected I liked it a lot and I will definitely read more books my Gregory Hughes.

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Dec 02, 2010 Mary rated it 5 of 5 stars

Whimsical and beautifully written story about the journey of two children from Winnipeg to New York. 10 year old the Rat is a wonderful character.

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Feb 12, 2011 Kat rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: kids-and-ya-realism

Deceptively accessible and despite many of the themes - death and abuse being two of the tougher ones - unexpectedly lovely.

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Jun 09, 2012 David rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked it. Can't really remember much of it. I think there was bits I didn't like. Definitely got to re-read it.

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Mar 09, 2012 £mily rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: children

I love this book! Brilliant characters, plot, narrator. I love the Rat! I want her as my little sister!

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Aug 14, 2012 {Double A} N Y A rated it 5 of 5 stars

A great book. Very powerful. Young-Adult book. Amazing. I am so speechless.

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Mar 13, 2011 Alison rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: young-adult

http://ali-fantasticreads.blogspot.co...

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About Gregory Hughes

Got off to a bad start as a teenager. Expelled from school - ended up in the Big House. That said I've had a happy life. I've done a lot of traveling and met a lot of good people on the way.

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