Pfeffer, Susan Beth. The Shade of the Moon.

Pfeffer, Susan Beth.  The Shade of the Moon.    Houghton Mifflin/Harcourt Brace  2013     288p  $17.99  ISBN 978-0-547-81337-0  ms/hs    Science fiction  VG-BN 

Jon and his extended family have struggled to survive ever since they left Pennsylvania.  The family settled in Sexton, which is where the Clavers (the “Haves”) live.  The Grubs are the “Have-Nots.”  Jon, his stepmother, and his half-brother Gabe were lucky enough to have slips to enter and live in Sexton, while everyone else in the family lives in White Birch as a Grub.

Jon must constantly balance what he thinks is right against the wrongs he sees inflicted on the Grubs in White Birch.  When he meets Sarah Goldman (who disagrees with the practices of the current enclave), Jon begins to understand and disagree with the unfair practices of the town’s leaders.  However, everything comes apart for him after his sister Miranda (a Grub) is told by the hospital that her baby was born deformed and died, only to discover later that the child was sold to a “favored” couple in Sexton.

Readers will find this a fast-paced, nerve-tingling, and constantly twisting read.  Just as soon as the reader figures out one plot-line, another one twists into the equation.  Readers will not wait patiently for the next book in the series. 

Summary: Life is a struggle in a world of limited resources.  Jon Evans relies on his soccer prowess to help him keep his family safe.  His life is endangered when Jon has to make some serious moral choices.  survival-fiction    

Survival-Fiction, Dystopian fiction                         --Linda McNeil