Listen to the Moon - Softcover

Morpurgo, Michael

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1250104327 ISBN 13: 9781250104328

Publisher: Square Fish, 2017

Synopsis

Alfie lives off the coast of England. Merry lives in New York City. Until Merry and her mother set sail on the Lusitania for England, where Merry's father is recuperating from a war injury. People told them not to go, hearing rumors that the Lusitania might be carrying munitions. But they are desperate to be reunited with Merry's father.

Alfie and his father find a lost girl in an abandoned house on a small island. The girl doesn't speak, except to say what sounds like "Lucy." Alfie's mother nurses her back to health. The others in the village suspect the unthinkable: Lucy is actually German―an enemy―because she's found with a blanket with a German tag.

Told from Alfie and Merry's points of view, this exquisite novel tells of friends, enemies, and unexpected kindnesses.

Listen to the Moon by Michael Morpurgo is war story and a tragic sea ship story, inspired by the sinking of the Lusitania during World War I.

About this title

About the Author:

Michael Morpurgo, a Member of the Order of the British Empire, is the author of over 100 children's books, including An Elephant in the Garden, Shadow, and A Medal for Leroy. He is also the author of the New York Times bestseller War Horse, which debuted on Broadway and also became a film by Steven Spielberg.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 5 Up—The place: the Scilly Isles, off the coast of Cornwall, England. The time: May 1915, during the bleak early days of World War I when German U-boats patrol the seas and sink British ships. While fishing near a deserted island, Alfie Wheatcroft and his father hear a child crying and discover a sick, traumatized, speechless girl. "Lucy" is all she can say, and "Lucy Lost" is what she is named. Alfie and his parents take her in, and although she slowly recovers her physical health, she remains silent. Brief glimpses of who she might be—her ability to tame the cantankerous workhorse Peg, her skill at drawing, her adoration of music—tantalize the islanders. Early tales that Lucy is part mermaid or ghost, though, soon veer into suspicion that she's actually a German spy, and vicious persecution follows. Since chapters about the Wheatcrofts alternate with the recollections of Canadian American Merry MacIntyre, who is traveling to Liverpool aboard the Lusitania, readers are well aware of Lucy's real identity and root for her recovery all the way. This is a superbly written, gripping novel of friendship, family, healing, and war that is primarily geared toward middle school readers but will appeal to adults as well. By framing Listen to the Moon as a historical study, quoting fictional primary sources, and including helpful background information, Morpurgo may also inspire students to interview relatives and document their own family stories. VERDICT This is one of Morpurgo's best works to date; a first purchase for middle grade and teen collections.—Ann W. Moore, Schenectady County Public Library, NY

About this edition

• Publisher: Square Fish
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1250104327
• ISBN 13: 9781250104328
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368