A Cool Moonlight. Angela Johnson. (2003). 133p. New York: Dial Books.
Awards and Honors: Booklist Starred Review
Review:
Eight-year-old Lila was born with a rare disorder that causes her skin to be hypersensitive to light. Ever since she was a baby, she has lived an isolated life, sleeping during the day and only going outside at night. Her companions are her older sister Monk and friend David, with whom she ventures out into the city at night. Lila also has two mysterious friends, Elizabeth and Alyssa, who sneak into her backyard at night and disappear when the sun begins to rise. No one but Lila has seen the girls, who wear tutus and fairy wings and who promise Lila that they will help her find a way to enjoy sunlight. The book ends with a celebration of Lila's ninth birthday, where she comes to realize that being different doesn't mean missing out.
Eight-year-old Lila was born with a rare disorder that causes her skin to be hypersensitive to light. Ever since she was a baby, she has lived an isolated life, sleeping during the day and only going outside at night. Her companions are her older sister Monk and friend David, with whom she ventures out into the city at night. Lila also has two mysterious friends, Elizabeth and Alyssa, who sneak into her backyard at night and disappear when the sun begins to rise. No one but Lila has seen the girls, who wear tutus and fairy wings and who promise Lila that they will help her find a way to enjoy sunlight. The book ends with a celebration of Lila's ninth birthday, where she comes to realize that being different doesn't mean missing out.
Opinion:
This was a strange book; it's written in a child's voice, using stream of consciousness with no capitalization, but I felt that it had little child appeal to it, even though it is recommended for ages 8 and up. Furthermore, the dreamy and vague narrative may turn off some readers. It's not a bad book per se, but I feel that it would have been more successful as a short story.
This was a strange book; it's written in a child's voice, using stream of consciousness with no capitalization, but I felt that it had little child appeal to it, even though it is recommended for ages 8 and up. Furthermore, the dreamy and vague narrative may turn off some readers. It's not a bad book per se, but I feel that it would have been more successful as a short story.
No comments:
Post a Comment