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Luna Rae is Not Alone
“The thing about a new house is everything’s new. That sounds really obvious, I know, but if you think about it, one of the things about where you live is that you build up all this stuff there … You get used to old things. New things take getting used to.”
Luna Rae has moved to a new house and a new school. It’s hard fitting in – especially when there’s so much to worry about at home. She’s SURE that the way to solve everything is by winning the school baking competition with her mum … but there’s a problem. Luna’s mum has disappeared.
A wise, warm and uplifting story about families and friendship, from a beautiful new voice in children’s fiction.
Luna Rae has moved to a new house and a new school. It’s hard fitting in – especially when there’s so much to worry about at home. She’s SURE that the way to solve everything is by winning the school baking competition with her mum … but there’s a problem. Luna’s mum has disappeared.
A wise, warm and uplifting story about families and friendship, from a beautiful new voice in children’s fiction.
- GenresMiddle GradeChildrens
192 pages, Paperback
First published February 4, 2021
2 people are currently reading
36 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 20, 2020
There are a lot of new things in Luna Rae's life. New home, new school, new friends. It's a lot to deal with and the one she thinks might help would be winning the school's baking competition with her mum. The only problem is that Luna's mum has disappeared...
Luna Rae Is Not Alone is something rather special indeed. You should be getting it on your radar now. This is such a gentle, wise and soft book full of advice and guidance for anybody going through complicated family situations. Luna is prone to 'catastrophising' - that is, to see the worst possible outcome in a scenario, and Webster handles her anxieties so beautifully and kindly. I loved it. It's the sort of book where there's a lot swimming underneath the surface and you just sort of feel it coming through, this sort of warm and gentle and soft honesty. It doesn't solve everything, nor 'fix things' nor does it wrap up everything in a neat bow. It just sort of goes 'look, this is life' and presents it to readers with such utter, gentle kindness. Beautiful stuff.
I also enjoyed how Webster handled the adults in her book. I think you can tell a lot about a book in the way it treats the adults and this is perfectly handled stuff. Adults have flaws, same as everybody else, and they're trying to make things work the best they can. Might not be the right way, might not be the best way, but they're trying and they're learning along with all of us. There's depth and texture in this book, everywhere you look.
February 2021, mark the date.
My thanks to the publisher for a review copy.
Luna Rae Is Not Alone is something rather special indeed. You should be getting it on your radar now. This is such a gentle, wise and soft book full of advice and guidance for anybody going through complicated family situations. Luna is prone to 'catastrophising' - that is, to see the worst possible outcome in a scenario, and Webster handles her anxieties so beautifully and kindly. I loved it. It's the sort of book where there's a lot swimming underneath the surface and you just sort of feel it coming through, this sort of warm and gentle and soft honesty. It doesn't solve everything, nor 'fix things' nor does it wrap up everything in a neat bow. It just sort of goes 'look, this is life' and presents it to readers with such utter, gentle kindness. Beautiful stuff.
I also enjoyed how Webster handled the adults in her book. I think you can tell a lot about a book in the way it treats the adults and this is perfectly handled stuff. Adults have flaws, same as everybody else, and they're trying to make things work the best they can. Might not be the right way, might not be the best way, but they're trying and they're learning along with all of us. There's depth and texture in this book, everywhere you look.
February 2021, mark the date.
My thanks to the publisher for a review copy.
January 3, 2021
I read the entirety of this book in a blackberry scented bath, and then curled up under the covers in the dead of night, like I used to when I read Jacqueline Wilson books as a child. The JW comparisons don't end there though, and I think that Hayley Webster's first offering for 9-12 years olds is going to be such an important book to so many children.
Luna Rae has just moved to a new house with her family and started a totally new school when her mum disappears. Her dad keeps sleeping and being weird, beer cans growing around him in the night. With no one to look after her or her sister, Luna Rae makes the packed lunches, gets them ready for school, keeps everyone going. She knows she's prone to catastrophising, and so decides to hope her mum will be back home soon.
Really, Luna Rae just wants to be a detective, watching the people on her new street, or hiding in the amazing treehouse with her new friend. But when her new school announces a parent-child baking competition, Luna Rae decides this will be the best way to bring her mum home.
This is such a mature, gentle book that is honest with the reader about the flaws of adults, somehow comforting and careful while also dealing with mature topics. This doesn't surprise me as I'm a huge fan of Hayley Webster's books for adults, and I'm always struck by the empathy and compassion her work exudes. I really think this book should be a classroom staple, not just because it's a wonderful book, but so that the children who feel alone know that really they aren't alone. This book has a quiet power about it that absorbed me entirely.
Luna Rae has just moved to a new house with her family and started a totally new school when her mum disappears. Her dad keeps sleeping and being weird, beer cans growing around him in the night. With no one to look after her or her sister, Luna Rae makes the packed lunches, gets them ready for school, keeps everyone going. She knows she's prone to catastrophising, and so decides to hope her mum will be back home soon.
Really, Luna Rae just wants to be a detective, watching the people on her new street, or hiding in the amazing treehouse with her new friend. But when her new school announces a parent-child baking competition, Luna Rae decides this will be the best way to bring her mum home.
This is such a mature, gentle book that is honest with the reader about the flaws of adults, somehow comforting and careful while also dealing with mature topics. This doesn't surprise me as I'm a huge fan of Hayley Webster's books for adults, and I'm always struck by the empathy and compassion her work exudes. I really think this book should be a classroom staple, not just because it's a wonderful book, but so that the children who feel alone know that really they aren't alone. This book has a quiet power about it that absorbed me entirely.
February 25, 2021
There’s a lot I liked about this book. Luna’s struggle for friendship and to protect her sister is really admirable and unique. I liked her and I am always pro acknowledging that children have rich and complicated inner lives too. The descriptions of school and school life were great and really reminded me of my time working in a junior school.
I gave it 3 stars because I don’t think the plot came together in a very satisfying way. I think at the beginning I was expecting something big to happen, and it didn’t really. I also think what happened to Rudo was a bit mad. I still really enjoyed it and think there is a very distinctive voice in there.
I gave it 3 stars because I don’t think the plot came together in a very satisfying way. I think at the beginning I was expecting something big to happen, and it didn’t really. I also think what happened to Rudo was a bit mad. I still really enjoyed it and think there is a very distinctive voice in there.
January 21, 2022
“𝑰 𝒑𝒖𝒕 𝒂 𝒃𝒊𝒈 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒂𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒆𝒏𝒅 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒅𝒐𝒏'𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆. 𝑺𝒐𝒎𝒆𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒔 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝒗𝒖𝒍𝒏𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒐𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒉𝒐𝒘 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒊𝒏 𝒐𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏. 𝑰 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘.”
My first childrens book of 2022 - I’ve had a few YA so far but this was my first for younger readers this year.
Luna Rae has moved in to a new house. She is missing the smells, sounds and familiarities of her old home, school and neighbourhood. But on her first day at her new school Luna signs up to a contest, with the dream of winning first prize for her favourite thing - baking, and she can’t wait to get in to the kitchen to create her marvellous creation with her Mum. But there’s one small problem…Luna’s Mum is missing.
This was such a lovely read. Full of very valuable lessons for children and grown ups! Luna is a wonderful, mature, kind and clever character and my heart ached for her throughout.
Webster has written a book full of truth and honesty about life’s rollercoasters, perfect for 9-12 year olds and adults alike. This book felt very much akin to Jacqueline Wilson’s canon of stories of children experiencing the true ups and downs of being human in a way that wasn’t sugar coated or patronising. Difficult issues are tackled head on with openness and warmth.
A sincere and candid book that I enjoyed immensely!
March 14, 2021
A tender real story read in one sitting about Luna Rae whose family moves house. Luna Rae takes care of her young sister, tries to understand her parents, why her Mum is suddenly not around anymore, why her Dad behaves as he does. A new school, making friends, dealing with bullies, Luna Rae has a lot to handle and I love the way Hayley Webster gets into the mind of this young girl. This is a beautiful read, an exploring story examining how children's minds work at times and how spot-on their observations are. I loved this book!
January 24, 2021
Not really a review.
Just wanted to say that I absolutely loved it! Gorged on it and read it in a day.
I thought it was insightful & tender, and such an awesome view of family dynamics from a child’s eye view.
Just wanted to say that I absolutely loved it! Gorged on it and read it in a day.
I thought it was insightful & tender, and such an awesome view of family dynamics from a child’s eye view.
November 22, 2021
Luna Rae has only moved to a new house and a new school along with her dad and her sister when has mum has disappeared.
It is a beautiful, wise, warm and uplifting story about families and friendship.
It is a beautiful, wise, warm and uplifting story about families and friendship.
January 2, 2021
everything is different for luna rae.
Her family have moved house, she needs to make new friends, and where exactly is her mum
This is a great middle grade book,
Her family have moved house, she needs to make new friends, and where exactly is her mum
This is a great middle grade book,
February 24, 2021
Read & reviewed for The Bookbag:
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/L...
http://www.thebookbag.co.uk/reviews/L...
July 19, 2021
Good book
February 27, 2022
Such a great book! I read it in one sitting and loved every single page. We’re about to start it as our class novel and can’t wait to share it with the children.
July 20, 2021
A wise, genuine family story about change and starting again, it draws you right in to Luna Raes’ world and warms your heart.
May 17, 2021
I was a huge fan of One Christmas Night, which is an adult title Hayley wrote, so I’ve been excited for her first middle grade ever since I first heard it was happening. It’s the story of Luna Rae, and what happens when her family moves to a new house and amidst the stress and chaos of that, she also has to worry about why she hasn’t seen her mum since they moved in, especially as she is desperate to enter the school baking competition with her. Luna is such a wonderful main character and I especially loved how protective she was of her little sister (who was, coincidentally, adorable). Her relationship with her new friend Rudo was super lovely, and I found the adult characters in this book so interesting, as they show that adults are also flawed and don’t actually have all the answers in life. I really didn’t expect some of the reveal moments in this, mainly something that happens with Rudo and then when Luna discovers where her mum is. This is such a compassionate, heartwarming comfort read, and I love its message that no matter how alone you feel, there are more people looking out for you than you think.
March 4, 2022
Very middle grade vibes but it was an easy read
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews