Over the Moon
By Natalie Lloyd
Published by Scholastic Press
ISBN-10: 1338118498
304 pages, Hardcover
Age: 8-12 years old
Last summer, my daughter Chloe and I decided to read together out loud, A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd. We loved it so much we went on to her next book, The Key to Extraordinary. It was the best thing we did together all summer, I loved the bonding time we had – getting cozy before bed to each read out loud a chapter to each other each night. For Christmas I gave Chloe Natalie Lloyd's third book, The Problim Children – another hit Chloe is obsessed over. Now whenever there's a birthday party happening for one of Chloe's girlfriends, Natalie Lloyd's books are the perfect gifts for us to give!
Over the Moon, just out today, is the pinnacle of what Lloyd does best – bringing magic and mystery to kids, along with a dash of clever prose. Once you start this story – you'll know it's full of magic. Dustflights, Dustblobs, Feathersworth, you start to get a feel for just how different the world of Coal Top is through the eyes of its heroine, twelve year old Mallie Ramble. Despite her physical handicap of an undeveloped full arm, Mallie is brave and fiercely focused on saving her family, namely her younger brother Denver from entering the dangerous world of the mines that most boys are required to work in by the time puberty hits. Mallie disguses herself as a boy and joins in on a mission headed by Mortimer Good' for young boys. Mallie heads up into the magical West Woods to discover that "Starbirds" (magical horses that fly) that were thought to have left the area, are indeed still around.
When Mallie meets her Starbird for the first time "Wonderwow" comes out of her mouth. She wanted to say "wow" and "wonderful" and this is what came out. This is what I love about Natalie Lloyd. There's that tactical feeling to words in her books. You can feel them in the air and they end up becoming their own mantras poetically in her books. In A Snicker of Magic, it was "Yes, Yes, Yes" that Chloe and I like to repeat when we really love something.
We find out not far into the book that Mortimer Good is definitely not a good guy and his plan to have the kids of Coal Top riding Starbirds to gather gold dust from all the mountain tops, rather that inside the mines seems like a dangerous undertaking and no one is sure of Good's intentions. Mallie is up for the challenge as her main concern is saving her brother and getting her family out of debt since her father has gone blind and lost his voice from working in the mines. Plus she gets adventure to boot, learning how to fly a magical horse! We as readers feel Mallie's excitement and sense of adventure.
What will Mallie discover of Mortimer Good's plan? How will she save her family and more importantly her brother from working the mines? The more you read, the more you are invested into Mallie plight. Over the Moon is a delightful page turner with mystery and fantasy all rolled up into one.
You can listen to an audio clip of Over the Moon on the Scholastic web site which is narrated by voice actor Cassandra Morris. She's a thirty-something gal that sounds perfectly like a 12 year old and really sets the mood for the book. You'll definitely get a taste for what Mallie's personality is like and Natalie Lloyd's fantastic writing style.
Purchase up the book, Over the Moon by Natalie Lloyd on Amazon.
Review copy provided by author
