June Read - West of the Moon

[Kristen]

Margi Preus is no stranger to the ALA Newbery awards having won an honor in 2011 with Heart of a Samurai. West of the Moon has been proclaimed by many to be a strong contender for the Newbery in 2015. What did you think of it?

[Martha]

An interesting way to weave folklore into a historical setting for fiction. But I am still waiting...

[Monica]

I adored it. Asti is a fabulous character ---tough, feisty, not always particularly nice or good, and an incredibly unreliable narrator. Preus subverts a whole bunch of standard story types here from the immigrant narrative to 19th century historical fiction to that of many a fairy tale. I just loved the way she mixed harsh historical reality with the fantasy and wish fullfillment (or lack thereof) of fairy tales. My review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Sara]

I loved it as well! Asti was so resourceful, and as Elizabeth Bird points out in her review (http://blogs.slj.com/afuse8production...), she is not a flawless heroine. This characterization makes her feel like more of a real person; being a pillar of virtue creates distance from the reader. I was not familiar with all of the stories embedded so I found the folklore very interesting. Preus is an amazing writer, and this book is a showcase of that fact.

[Laura]

Kristen wrote: "Margi Preus is no stranger to the ALA Newbery awards having won an honor in 2011 with Heart of a Samurai. West of the Moon has been proclaimed by man..."

I would love West of the Moon to win an award. I think it is a fabulous book.

[Czechgirl]

The book was well-written with a blend of historical fiction and folklore--very creative. I believe that this book will definitely be discussed as a contender for the Newbery due to the fact that that Preus wrote the book with the perfect amount of historical reality and folklore. For my taste, the book only got 4 stars from me. I loved the first third of the book; I really liked the second-third; whereas the last third I became more tired.

[K8]

So far, this is one of the best books I've read this year (across genres, reading-levels, etc.). The characters felt real and substantial, even as their stories merged with folk and fairy tales. The storytelling was particularly deft and I believed in the world (well, at times worlds) Preus created. I'll be the first to admit that I'm fond of this type of story, but that also means I expect a lot from them. I wasn't disappointed.

[Jenna]

Echoing everyone else's thoughts... perfect blend of folklore and realistic historical setting with a really well-developed (and awesome) main character. Also, the design of this book is beautiful. Definitely a strong contender.

[Susan]

As a classroom teacher I can see so many ways to use this book- it's an excellent blend of genres and would be a great independent reading book for some students. It could also be a read aloud. In terms of the Newbery- I agree with previous posters regarding characterization and writing. This could be my pick, but there is still half the year and many books that I need to read!

[Alpha Selene]

I loved this book. I thought Preus's mixture of traditional Norwegian folktales and realism was incredibly thoughtful and well-done. I was connected to Astri from the very first chapter. This is a powerful articulation of the Norwegian-American immigration experience as well as a coming-of-age narrative that is new and important.

[Josie]

I agree, this is a well crafted book, the folklore intertwined with the story is incredible and makes for a unique book and great story.

[Laura]

I wish it was getting more publicity. It is fairly well hidden in most large bookstores. I know it is hard to compete with today's young adult titles. And especially John Green. lol

[Claire]

I echo everyone else's enjoyment of the clever intertwining of historical fiction and folklore. Preus is certainly a beautiful writer. I'm not always a fan of folklore or more artsy kinds of books, so I was surprised by how much I liked this book. That being said, I agree with Czechgirl that I enjoyed the first two thirds of the book much more than the last third. For some reason, it started to drag for me at the end.

[Lisa]

I finished this one just as June ended. It took me longer to read through it than I expected, and I wonder how it will read for children. It is a story that I found very interesting, but I love fairy tales. I have a couple of teachers who do fairy tale units, and we work together. This would be a great choice for those students who want something "like a fairy tale" to read after the unit is over. Newbery? I'm not sure yet, but maybe.

[Virginia]

I felt that there were some things that were done well in this book. As many of you have mentioned, the intertwining of folklore and historical fiction is masterful and the folklore helps us to understand the time and place better. I also liked that Astri was far from perfect. We read a lot about the importance of "having grit" these days, and Astri certainly exhibited grit and determination throughout the story that readers can admire, even though we may not admire all of her methods and tactics.

Overall, though, I found myself thinking that this was a book that I couldn't imagine many of my students really getting "into". I felt like the start was really quick, but then the days and days Astri spent with the goatman were long and depressing. I could see some of my students abandoning the book at that point. If students were to stick with the book, I think they would find it pretty confusing. Between the flashbacks, the dream sequences, and the occasional overuse of pronouns, I even found myself going back to reread to try and figure out what was going on. Definitely a book for upper elementary or early middle school at the youngest. Of the books we've read so far, my least favorite for the Newbery....

[Jenni]

Finally got this from the library right before I left on vacation. Although it was a quick and engaging read, I did not feel connected and invested in the characters. The weaving in and out of the folklore was nice, but somehow kept a really emotional story at a very surface level for me. This might have been intentional, perhaps to reflect Astri's stoic Scandanavian nature. Still not feeling it as "the one" when it comes to the Newbery.

[Becky]

Totally agree. This one will be a hard sell to my students. Maybe the Where Mountain Meets the Moon crowd?

[Kelly]

I must admit I am not terribly far into this book but I cannot see myself ever recommending this book to a child. The way themes of sexual assault are handled so early in the book do not sit well with me. Though I do think the assault falls within the parameters of the story, the way it's dealt with to keep it "juvenile friendly" is just not appropriate. Within the first 50 pages Astri is being physically abused, almost raped, and then gaslit, and that's pretty serious. If you ask me, kids need to see that that kind of behavior gets dealt with swiftly and with extreme prejudice.

Honestly I think West of the Moon suffers from the mentality that if a story is about a kid, it must be for a kid. If this were presented as Y-Fic or Adult Fiction I wouldn't have such a problem with it.

[Kristen]

I agree with Virginia. I listened to the audiobook and it was difficult to keep everything straight "between the flashbacks, the dream sequences, and the occasional overuse of pronouns".

As I was not familiar with all the folklore, it was quite the distraction as I tried to figure out how the stories were related to the action.

I did like Astri, and I particularly liked how she leaned so heavily on the folklore as a source of strength, even when I didn't understand.

I would have to give it a reread to really judge it's Newbery potential, but I think it relies to heavily on outside knowledge. Though it did achieve excellence in characterization.

[Margaret]

I felt like this book tried to take the ingredients of an award winning book, stick it in the blender, and then hope that the results would be fantastic.

I liked all of the historical references, the folklore,and the characters; but the resulting story felt disjointed. The mother's story, the backstory of the twins, and the imagery of the bear prince all felt only vaguely connected to the rest of the story.

That being said, Astri and the Spinning Girl were fantastic characters, and the parts of the story (spoiler alert) where Astri escapes with Greta were engrossing, to say the least.

I don't know what age group this book would be most appropriate for, but maybe teen folklore could be a new section of the library?

[Reving]

Loved this one: http://revingsblog.blogspot.com/2014/...

[Kelly]

Reving, out of curiosity I'm wondering if you could go on a bit about what struck you as "lovely"? I'm interested to get more of your perspective.

[Margaret]

Rev - I also wonder what struck you as "lovely" about this book.

[Laura]

Kelly wrote: "I must admit I am not terribly far into this book but I cannot see myself ever recommending this book to a child. The way themes of sexual assault are handled so early in the book do not sit well w..."

It is shelved with the young adult books in most bookstores in NY. Chains and indies.

[Kelly]

Laura wrote: "Kelly wrote: "I must admit I am not terribly far into this book but I cannot see myself ever recommending this book to a child. The way themes of sexual assault are handled so early in the book do ..."

It's interesting to consider the differences in audience.

[Reving]

I think that there was so much beauty in the way that it was written...for example, how strong Astri was. How dedicated she was to her sister. I just thought she was such a strong, amazing character.
It was a just incredible to me how she could have such a sense of forgiveness, way, way, way much more than I ever could. It was almost like she was a Christ figure.
Also, please, please keep in mind that I am TERRIBLE with words and getting my thoughts out of my head and into the world! Honestly, I can't see recommending this to a child at all. I think is one of those adult books that would be excellent for a book discussion in a psychology class, a seminary class, pretty much anywhere, for adults. Does that make sense?

[Kelly]

Reving wrote: "I think that there was so much beauty in the way that it was written...for example, how strong Astri was. How dedicated she was to her sister. I just thought she was such a strong, amazing chara..."

Personally, I found that the language was good, but in this instance there was just too much detracting from my enjoyment of it.

[Mary HD]

While I admired the ambition of the author in combining history and fantasy in WEST OF THE MOON, I think the book suffered rather than benefited from its split personality.

Folkloric tales succeed best when there is a bit of mystery to the story, when a reader’s imagination is sparked as he wonders just how a challenging task was accomplished or a dangerous quest completed. But in WEST OF THE MOON, the prosaic recounting of a typical emigrant experience clashed with the protagonist’s flights of fancy and disrupted the momentum of the overall narrative. As a result, the reader ends up somewhat confused as to which aspect of the novel is more significant and more “true”.

But that is an adult reader’s perhaps specious analysis. A young reader may not even notice the literary speed bumps!

[Laura]

Mary wrote: "While I admired the ambition of the author in combining history and fantasy in WEST OF THE MOON, I think the book suffered rather than benefited from its split personality.

Folkloric tales succeed..."

Very good points. I would not underestimate the young readers, however. Many of today's kids/ya's are extremely literary savvy. Many are in reading groups and circles just like us. Not to mention the vast social media arena.

[Sue]

I agree with both points. I wonder how many students are aware of those particular folk tales? I confess I was not. I did love the way she tied it to her family story.

[Kelly]

I agree Mary. You seemed to have pinpointed precisely the conflicting tones of the story.

[Cynthia]

The mixture of Norwegian folk tale and pursuit of a quest makes this a very distinct book. I found the beginning completely took hold of my attention. There are some gorgeously crafted lines throughout. Typeface and book design (black and white pages) were also interesting.

The hardships in this book reminded me of The Night Gardener. Conflicting tones could be seen as asset of the story.

Astri's inner conflict-- always thinking she was evil -- made her character real.

Still thinking about this one.

[Becky]

I finally got my hands on this book. I just finished it, so I am not sure of what I think about Newbery. It is certainly well written, but I am sitting here somewhat "bummed out." The tone of the book is dark. It makes it hard to separate personal feeling from Newbery criteria. Here is what I wrote for my Goodreads review:

In the first 32 pages and Astri has been sold by her Uncle to a horrible, old goatherd, separated from her sister, hit, verbally abused, almost raped by the goatherd, and threatened with forced marriage followed by rape. If I hadn't read many glowing reviews of this book, I would have abandoned it at that point.

By page 58, Astri has escaped, and although things are not perfect (by a long shot), they do start getting somewhat better. She is able to rescue her younger sister, Greta, and buy (or steal) what they need to get on a ship bound for America. That being said, though, the dark tone of the book continues to the end. Awful things continue to happen, or are remembered throughout the book. Most reviewers say that this book is appropriate for 10-14 year olds. I teach fifth grade, and I can not think of many students I would hand this to. I see this as a book more appropriate for grades 7-9.

Much has been said about the folk tales that Preus weaves throughout the story. I loved the way Astri comments on and makes sense of her experiences through referring to the tales from her Norwegian heritage. I had been under the impression that the tales were actually told over the course of the book. This is not the case. You have to know the original tales to totally understand Astri's comments. This is another reason that I think the book is more appropriate for upper middle school rather than upper elementary.

All of that being said, I do see this as a very well written book that has much to offer. On the other hand, I don't think I will be putting it in my classroom library.

[Celeste]

I was not engaged by this book, and I am really not sure who the intended audience is. I also found this book disturbing, especially when Astri chops off the Goat Man's fingers and he eventually dies, and also when the mother leaves the child in the woods. I am not against dark elements in books for children, I just do not like how these elements are presented in this book.

[Jess]

I loved the way the folktales were intertwined with Astri's story - how important they were to her as a way to make sense of her own life. One of the strongest pieces of children's fiction I've read this year. I don't think I would have found this too dark or confusing as a middle schooler - and remember that the audience for Newbery includes age 14. While it's not a book that will appeal to every reader, I thought it was completely successful. I didn't LOVE it, but I would be very happy to see it recognized this year.