Harper and Moon

by Ramon Royal Ross

Although twelve-year-old Harper has always liked Moon, an abused, orphaned older boy, their friendship is tested by a discovery Harper makes when Moon joins the Army in 1943.

Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade

181 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 1993

Reviews

[Shirley]

What I liked:
-Descriptive writing of backwoods territory of Walla Walla Washington area during WWII years
-Mysteries surrounding Moon and Olinger
-Childhood innocense enbedded in a young adult plot
-Conflicts between truth, loyalty, and trust
-A young protagonist (8-years-old) who seems wise and courageous beyond his years
-Reads like a true story
-A refreshing escape from the titles that are so popular with junior high readers in 2016
-An ending that provides some relief from the emotional hardships endured by characters

I can't wait to start recommending this novel to my junior high readers. Ask them to be sure to read all the way to the end. It isn't their normal reading genre and they will miss out on a truly exceptional piece of writing if they don't complete the book. Mysteries, afterall, truly aren't completely resolved until the end.

[Cynthia Brodowska]

I re-read this at age 38 after only ever reading it as a younger teen. I remember really loving this book and it sticking with me over the years. Reading it now, it made me very sad why I think I related to parts of it at that age without really knowing the connections at the time. However, on a lighter note, I think it still tracks as a classic Americana read in the same vein as Call of the Wild. It’s a kind of simple story with a lot of subtle but powerful character portrayals. And just lost of nostalgia-for-a-time-you-never-lived-in with snowy mountain treks and making ships out of detritus to sail down a creek and kids collecting feathers and stones on the prairie.

[Cws]

JAR4-Ros

[Janet]

Different story. Just o-kay.