Shoot for the Moon!
Hello readers! I hope your book situation is going well and you are well stocked. As most of you know, the coronavirus has closed most of our public libraries, which has completely cut off our access to books. I made the mistake of not going to my local library before they closed and have run out of books! If you are in the same situation as I am, see if your local bookstore can deliver books to you or offers curbside pickup. If not, try listening to an audiobook or download an online reading app. Libby, Overdrive, and Hoopla are free and easy to use. Today I’ll be reviewing one of my new all time favorite books, Outrun the Moon. The author, Stacy Lee, has written some of the best historical young adult novels in recent years. Outrun the Moon was such a good book I think I finished it in three days! I never wanted to stop reading, that is how good it is. But don’t take my word for it. This book was selected as a New York Public Library Book of Year as was the winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature in 2016. And just to add to its amazing-ness, it also won the PEN Center USA Literary Award for Children’s and Young Adult Literature and made the Amelia Bloomer Book List, a list of books expressing women and what women can do and have done throughout history. As you can probably tell, this book is way above 5 stars and would be appropriate for kids ages 12 and up. The content is appropriate for mature middle schoolers with limited swearing, mild peril and the mention of death and injury.
Outrun the Moon is about 15-year-old Mercy Wong who lives with her family in San Francisco in 1906. She has always wanted to be a businesswoman, travel the world, and make her parents and little brother, Jack, proud. In order to do so, Mercy needs a good education, but the only school available to her would barely provide basic teaching. In the early 1900’s, Chinese immigrants were not treated equally and looked down upon by most Americans. Many Chinese immigrants lived in poorly structured houses and didn’t have the same access to education or goods like everyone else did. But Mercy's determination pushes her to fight her way into an elite, all-girls school. However, in order to attend her new school she must leave her family and all of her friends behind. Mercy soon finds dealing with a grouchy, mean, and high-tempered headmistress and the rest of the girls is not easy. But, Mercy manages to find a way to survive and even makes a few friends. That is until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits and everything turns to rubble, including her school. Many lives are taken and those who survived are hungry. Can Mercy and her friends find a way to overcome the odds and make their way out of San Francisco?
Happy reading,
Evelyn Harrier
Outrun the Moon is about 15-year-old Mercy Wong who lives with her family in San Francisco in 1906. She has always wanted to be a businesswoman, travel the world, and make her parents and little brother, Jack, proud. In order to do so, Mercy needs a good education, but the only school available to her would barely provide basic teaching. In the early 1900’s, Chinese immigrants were not treated equally and looked down upon by most Americans. Many Chinese immigrants lived in poorly structured houses and didn’t have the same access to education or goods like everyone else did. But Mercy's determination pushes her to fight her way into an elite, all-girls school. However, in order to attend her new school she must leave her family and all of her friends behind. Mercy soon finds dealing with a grouchy, mean, and high-tempered headmistress and the rest of the girls is not easy. But, Mercy manages to find a way to survive and even makes a few friends. That is until the 1906 San Francisco earthquake hits and everything turns to rubble, including her school. Many lives are taken and those who survived are hungry. Can Mercy and her friends find a way to overcome the odds and make their way out of San Francisco?
Happy reading,
Evelyn Harrier
