Book review on The Moonlight Dreamers by Siobhan Curham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a heartfelt young YA book. It is about four girls navigating through the bewildering journey known as life. One doesn’t know how to speak to boys. One has two fathers. One has famous parents and one loves living in a boat.
What troubles them is very topical: peer pressure, first crush, fitting in at home, school and society. The girls have totally different background. When then come together and share their hopes and dreams, they discover that one’s weakness is another’s strength. Through their friendships they learn their self-worth. Retiring Sky learns public-speaking from debator Amber, who gets comfort from a non-judgemental Sky. Sky is probably the first person who knows her obsession with Oscar Wilde. Maali learns to talk to boys from model-girl Rose, who got the courage to pursue her baking dreams from Maali. When Rose got into trouble with a photo on social media, it was Sky who knew what she needed. When Sky found the courage to enter a Poetry Slam, the girls rallied round her.
What I like about this is that it reminds us how easy to disregard what comes naturally to you, that what you have is a gift that others would love to possess. If you are looking for a book with female leads, diversity and LGBT, look no further. A lovely read.
Goodreads Blurb
Amber craves excitement and adventure. Instead, she’s being bullied at school for having two dads, and life at home isn’t much better. Inspired by Oscar Wilde, Amber realizes that among the millions of people in London, there must be others who feel the same as she does; other dreamers – moonlight dreamers. After chance encounters with Maali, Sky and Rose, Amber soon recruits the three girls to the Moonlight Dreamers. It’s high time they started pursuing their dreams, and how better than with the support of friends?
Left behind in the mountains, a desperate boy harnesses a cure from the Great Fire Tree. Even when its dark powers brings tragedy, he believes it will bring his mother home again. For readers 11-14 years.
A harried mother wants to stay one step ahead of her children’s antics and experiments with the Magic Mixer. A machine invented by a female scientist and engineer, it gives her special animal abilities. But choosing the right animal proves more difficult that she thought. For readers for 6-9 years
Justine Laismith 