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Full Moon, Half a Heart
Sixth grade is almost over. Celeste loves Kansas (her grandparents, her trailer house on the edge of town, almost everything) but Dad is moving them north to Wisconsin. To a stinky dairy farm, at that.
Far from Sunflower State Mennonite School and her friend Lexi, Celeste struggles to adjust to a place where school feels like prison, winter lasts forever, and her only pal is a Siamese cat. Worst of all is the barn full of scary cows to feed.
Can Celeste find something likable about this place? Maybe Sally or Rita, her new classmates? Or the calf she saves? (Definitely not Ronnie, of course!)
With so many tough changes, Celeste must grow and be strong, no matter how it hurts.
Far from Sunflower State Mennonite School and her friend Lexi, Celeste struggles to adjust to a place where school feels like prison, winter lasts forever, and her only pal is a Siamese cat. Worst of all is the barn full of scary cows to feed.
Can Celeste find something likable about this place? Maybe Sally or Rita, her new classmates? Or the calf she saves? (Definitely not Ronnie, of course!)
With so many tough changes, Celeste must grow and be strong, no matter how it hurts.
219 pages, Paperback
Published May 1, 2019
16 people want to read
About the author
Vila Gingerich
4 books24 followersVila Gingerich grew up in Mennonite communities across the Midwest. She spent seven years doing volunteer work in Romania and now lives on fifty acres in Missouri with her husband, cats, and an overgrown veggie garden.
She was a winner of the 2014 Highlights for Children fiction contest and her work has been published in Highlights for Children and Purpose magazines.
Vila is the author of two middle-grade novels, both loosely based on her childhood--Growing Toward the Sun and Full Moon, Half a Heart--as well as a memoir anthology titled White Horse to Bucharest: Lessons Romania Taught Us.
Vila teaches sixth through eighth grades in a private Mennonite school. She tells her students that everyone has a special talent, good books take you places, and sometimes it’s okay to add on your fingers.
She was a winner of the 2014 Highlights for Children fiction contest and her work has been published in Highlights for Children and Purpose magazines.
Vila is the author of two middle-grade novels, both loosely based on her childhood--Growing Toward the Sun and Full Moon, Half a Heart--as well as a memoir anthology titled White Horse to Bucharest: Lessons Romania Taught Us.
Vila teaches sixth through eighth grades in a private Mennonite school. She tells her students that everyone has a special talent, good books take you places, and sometimes it’s okay to add on your fingers.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
August 13, 2022
Long Awaited Book
Oh my! I waited a long time for this book and it was well worth it! Celeste's father decided that he wanted to try dairy farming in Wisconsin. The rest of the family wasn't enthused but went along anyway. At first Celeste hated it but gradually adapted. She learned to enjoy farm life and made new friends. Eventually her father learned that he wasn't cut out to be a farmer and they moved back to Kansas. This story is based on the author's childhood. Sequel to Growing Toward the Sun
What I loved about it is that is so relatable. I grew up on a dairy farm and made several moves in my day. I could understand the mixed feelings that Celeste had to deal with. Children of all ages will love this book!
Oh my! I waited a long time for this book and it was well worth it! Celeste's father decided that he wanted to try dairy farming in Wisconsin. The rest of the family wasn't enthused but went along anyway. At first Celeste hated it but gradually adapted. She learned to enjoy farm life and made new friends. Eventually her father learned that he wasn't cut out to be a farmer and they moved back to Kansas. This story is based on the author's childhood. Sequel to Growing Toward the Sun
What I loved about it is that is so relatable. I grew up on a dairy farm and made several moves in my day. I could understand the mixed feelings that Celeste had to deal with. Children of all ages will love this book!
June 8, 2019
Celeste, a sixth grader, lives in a trailer home at the edge of town on the Kansas prairie with her dad and mom, younger sisters Farrah and Karolyn, baby brother Monty, and cat Spicy. Her beloved Grandpa and Grandma live nearby, and Aunt Wendy often visits when home from her work on an Indian reservation. Celeste attends the Sunflower State Mennonite School where she loves her teacher Mr. Smith and her best friends Lexi and Renita, although bossy Tony often teases and annoys her. But life seems almost perfect until one day, suddenly Dad makes the announcement that the family is moving north to run a stinky dairy farm in Wisconsin—even before school is out.
Celeste has to finish the year at the Hilltop Mennonite School with the nervous Miss Penner, and she struggles to adjust to a place where school feels like prison, winter lasts forever, and her only pal is her Siamese cat. Can Celeste find anything to like about this place? Will she make friends with her new classmates like Sally or Rita? And does she ever get used to that barn full of scary cows to feed? Author Vila Gingerich, who grew up in Mennonite communities across the Midwest, loosely based the plot on a very fictionalized version of an eventful year in her own childhood. This book is a sequel to Growing Toward the Sun, in which Celeste and her friends solve the mystery of the Reno County thief.
Gingerich says that Full Moon, Half a Heart is realistic fiction, a coming-of-age story aimed at readers aged 9-12 years. It began as a book for her people. Mennonite kids seldom get to read about children like them. But then she realized that she wanted to share her culture in a way that would interest others. The book includes occasional references to God, Christian living, and Mennonite history; but the purpose is to entertain, not evangelize. I enjoyed reading it. Those who are interested in Mennonite life and background will especially like it, but it is a good story for any young person. With so many tough changes, Celeste must grow and be strong, no matter how it hurts, and thus she learns important lessons in kindness and responsibility.
Celeste has to finish the year at the Hilltop Mennonite School with the nervous Miss Penner, and she struggles to adjust to a place where school feels like prison, winter lasts forever, and her only pal is her Siamese cat. Can Celeste find anything to like about this place? Will she make friends with her new classmates like Sally or Rita? And does she ever get used to that barn full of scary cows to feed? Author Vila Gingerich, who grew up in Mennonite communities across the Midwest, loosely based the plot on a very fictionalized version of an eventful year in her own childhood. This book is a sequel to Growing Toward the Sun, in which Celeste and her friends solve the mystery of the Reno County thief.
Gingerich says that Full Moon, Half a Heart is realistic fiction, a coming-of-age story aimed at readers aged 9-12 years. It began as a book for her people. Mennonite kids seldom get to read about children like them. But then she realized that she wanted to share her culture in a way that would interest others. The book includes occasional references to God, Christian living, and Mennonite history; but the purpose is to entertain, not evangelize. I enjoyed reading it. Those who are interested in Mennonite life and background will especially like it, but it is a good story for any young person. With so many tough changes, Celeste must grow and be strong, no matter how it hurts, and thus she learns important lessons in kindness and responsibility.
August 13, 2022
Oh my! I waited a long time for this book and it was well worth it! Celeste's father decided that he wanted to try dairy farming in Wisconsin. The rest of the family wasn't enthused but went along anyway. At first Celeste hated it but gradually adapted. She learned to enjoy farm life and made new friends. Eventually her father learned that he wasn't cut out to be a farmer and they moved back to Kansas. This story is based on the author's childhood. Sequel to Growing Toward the Sun
What I loved about it is that is so relatable. I grew up on a dairy farm and made several moves in my day. I could understand the mixed feelings that Celeste had to deal with. Children of all ages will love this book!
What I loved about it is that is so relatable. I grew up on a dairy farm and made several moves in my day. I could understand the mixed feelings that Celeste had to deal with. Children of all ages will love this book!
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews