Moonpowder

Young Eli Trebuckle is the “fixer of all things fixable.” He fixes the vacuum cleaner, the fan, and even the radio, hoping to catch some news of his father who is away at war. But there’s one thing that Eli simply can’t fix—his bad dreams. It’s the same one over and over again: a mountain of junk, a prize just beyond his reach, and a fall.

One night as Eli stays up late to work on his most recent invention and escape another nightmare, a mysterious, luminous, and somewhat bumbling man by the name of Mr. Moon appears at his window. He knows just what the matter with Eli is and promises to help him, if he can fix one more thing…

And so Eli Trebuckle makes the journey to the broken Moonpowder factory. If he can get it up and running, he can ensure that the whole world will have sweet dreams! But can Eli face his greatest fears and meet the biggest challenge of his lifetime? With inspiring courage, determination, and a little faith, Eli proves that, happily, the answer is yes.

Young Eli, a Mr. Fix-It,  stays up late tinkering so he won’t have any more bad dreams. One night, a huge, golden, pock-marked moon sticks its head in the window and proclaims the problem is Moonpowder. Eli isn’t getting enough of the magical marvel, which brings sweet dreams. The factory has been on the blink lately, and Mr. Moon thinks Eli can fix it. Eli’s foray to the factory in his helio-rocket-copter provides ample opportunity for Rocco’s fabulous artwork. His inventive paintings, done in deep, rich colors of night and tinged with gold, are used in spreads, panels, and full pages. The mechanical “gizbots” inside the factory, adjusting valves and dials, along with the intricate hand drawings of the factory’s inner workings, will keep children, especially the mechanically inclined, totally fascinated. Although the story may not have quite as much magic as the artwork, the ending, which brings Eli’s soldier father home, is sweet and satisfying. This will sustain many readings. Preschool-Grade 1. --Ilene Cooper