Once in a Blue Moon
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- $10.99
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- $10.99
Publisher Description
A beautiful and uplifting novel in verse about family, friendship, journeys that take us far from home and back again, renewed and more courageous from the three-time Coretta Scott King Honor winner of The Skin I'm In!
James Henry used to be brave. He hasn't been the same since that fateful night at the lighthouse when his ma went searching for Dog. Now months later, he feels as small as the space between the numbers on a watch, nervous day and night, barely able to go outside. Even words have a hard time leaving his mouth. The only person he speaks to is Hattie, his courageous twin sister, who fiercely protects him, especially from bullies.
James Henry wants nothing more than to be brave again. However, finding his voice will mean confronting the truth about what happened at the lighthouse-a step James Henry isn't sure he can take. Until a blue moon is forecast, and as Gran has said, everything is possible under a rare blue moon . . .
* "An evocative, immediate novel with compelling characters and a wonderfully well-paced plot." —The Horn Book, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Twins deal with the fallout of their mother's hospitalization in this emotionally raw verse novel by Flake (The Skin I'm In), set in Jim Crow–era North Carolina. After their mother nearly drowns, she's sent to a Detroit hospital, leaving 11-year-old Black twins James Henry and Hattie Mae in the care of Gran and Uncle. Only James Henry knows what really happened the night she almost died, but his anxiety, fear, and guilt result in him feeling unable to speak to anyone except Gran and Hattie Mae, prompting suspicion and blame from Uncle and other townspeople. James Henry even refuses to leave the house, creating a rift between the siblings. He finds refuge in astronomy, only going outside to survey the moon. When Hattie Mae learns that a rare blue moon—or a wishing moon, according to Gran—will soon be visible, she's sure that if they can get to the ocean, James Henry could wish away "his condition," as he calls it. But she must persuade him to leave the house first. Brief but impactful poems narrated by perceptive James Henry deliver a poignantly compelling intergenerational story that underlines themes of community and family, forgiveness, grief, and healing. An author's note concludes. Ages 8–12.
