The Moon Over High Street

Babbitt, Natalie  The Moon Over High Street      

Scholastic/Grolier/Childrens Press/Watts  2012  148p  $15.95      978-0-545-37636-5     ms    VG      Historical 

Joe, an orphan, lives with his grandmother.  She plans to take Joe to visit "Aunt" Myra for the summer, to keep him in touch with those who remain of his sparse family.  These plans are sent askew when his grandmother breaks her hip and Joe travels to Midville, Ohio, alone.

Joe finds life at Myra’s pleasant.  He befriends Beatrice, the girl next door, and  makes a good impression on Mr. Boulderwall, a lonely millionaire.  Mr. Boulderwall wants to adopt Joe and leave him his business.  Myra also offers to take Joe in; Myra is reminded by Joe of her own Joe, her fiance who was killed in the Korean War. 

Joe dreams of becoming a scientist, studying the moon.  Should he stay with his family, or give up his dreams in exchange for financial security?  The theme of rich versus working class is handled heavy-handedly.

Natalie Babbitt is well-known for the Newbery Honor book Knee-Knock Rise, and for Tuck Everlasting.  Fans who have been waiting for this new title may come away unsatisfied.  Although intended for middle-school students, there is not much action in this story and the characters are not fully developed.  This novel may appeal more to adults than teen readers.            

VG    Hilary Welliver   Orphans, Adoption

 

Rotner, Shelley I’m Adopted!

Rotner, Shelley   I’m Adopted!      

 Holiday House     2011  unp   16.95 978-0-8234-2294-4  

 elem  VG-BNe            

 Addresses most common questions children have regarding adoption.     

 Heavy on pictures and light on text, the straightforward , spare prose is carefully worded, clear, and empathetic.  The most frequently asked questions regarding adoption are answered here.   

     The overall tone is upbeat but still addresses some of the difficult reasons children are made available for adoption.  The pictures depict happy children and families. Given the brevity of the text, the authors note that the book does not cover all adoption agreements.  Still this perceptive volume is sure to become your “go-to” volume when introducing this topic to the younger set.              1. Adoption -- Juvenile literature.       Hilary Welliver

Niner by Theresa Martin Golding

Golding, Theresa Martin, Niner.
Front Street Books (Boyds Mill Press),2008,208p,$16.95, 978-1-59078-549-2
Realistic Fiction

When twelve-year-old Macy discovers a locket on her front steps, she begins a journey to find out about whom she really is and why her adoptive mother has been gone for almost a year.

Philadelphia native Golding nails the Philadelphia setting of this novel, from the descriptions of living with the El rumbling overhead to the shops on Frankford Avenue. The setting contributes to the authenticity of the story of Macy, a biracial adopted girl who longs for her missing adoptive mother while at the same time wondering about the birthmother who abandoned her. After two foster home placements, Macy has been adopted into a loving family and she has a younger sister, Deena, the biological daughter of her adoptive parents. One fateful day Macy discovers a locket on her front lawn, convinced that the locket is a message from her missing mother. A series of misunderstandings places Macy, Deena, their friends Ty, and Eugene, in a dangerous situation. Macy does her best to handle the situation on her own, but it ends in tragedy. The locket prompts Macy to question who she is and where she belongs, but no matter how much her father reassures her, Macy believes that she is the reason for her mother’s absence. It isn’t until her father tells her that no matter what she looks like, no matter the color of her skin, that they are alike where it counts: in the heart, that Macy stops worrying about her genes and begins a patient wait for the return of her mother. The characters are well-developed, and well-defined and the reader identifies with Macy at every turn. The pacing and development of the plot keep the reader engaged and although an astute reader will make the connection in the last few pages between the events at the beginning and the end, this does not take away from another surprise at the end. It is a bittersweet story with much heart, most of it Macy’s.

Highly recommended for the adoption issues discussed by the main character. Subplot involving the mystery of the locket will also keep readers engaged. RZ

Identical Strangers.

Schein, Elyse and Paula Bernstein. Identical Strangers.
Random House /Knopf/Anchor/Three Rivers, 2007. $25.95 270p 978-1-4000-6496-0

This is the chronicle of two women and their mutual discovery that they were twins who were separated when they were adopted by two different families. This double autobiography also examines the nature vs. nurture theory and is sprinkled with scientific information about twins.
This is the chronicle of two women and their mutual discovery that they were twins who were separated when they were adopted by two different families. They bond when they are in their late thirties and team up to find out their biological family history. They learn that the adoption agency that handled the adoptions was involved in an unethical study about twins and that is the reason they were separated. Both Elyse and Paula take turns telling their own story and reflect on how discovering they had a twin has impacted their lives. This double autobiography also examines the nature vs. nurture theory and is sprinkled with scientific information about twins. Color photographs of the two women and their families as they grow up and as adults are included in the middle of the book. The reader will by swept up in the mystery of their search for their mother and the secrets that are kept in the locked their adoption records. This title will be a very good selection for high school libraries where there is interest in the topic of adoption and/or the study of twins. TW