HALF MOON SUMMER, by Elaine Vickers, Peachtree, June 6, 2023, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
Two 7th-graders discover friendship through the power of a good run in Half Moon Summer, by Elaine Vickers.
Drew was never much of a runner. Until his dad’s unexpected diagnosis. Mia has nothing better to do. Until she realizes entering Half Moon Bay’s half-marathon could solve her family’s housing problems.
And just like that they decide to spend their entire summer training to run 13.1 miles. Drew and Mia have very different reasons for running, but these two 12-year-olds have one crucial thing in common (besides sharing a birthday): Hope. For the future. For their families. And for each other. —Synopsis provided by Peachtree
Half Moon Summer unfolds from the alternating viewpoints of Drew (prose) and Mia (verse). This mixture of styles not only sets the two voices apart, but really encompasses their personalities.
Author Elain Vickers’ writing feels comfortable and assured as she follows her protagonists through the hardest summer of their young lives. She captures their emotions with an earnestness that is rooted in authenticity.
Everything about Half Moon Summer rings true. It’s a warm book about friendship and family that’s definitely worth reading.
*Half Moon Summer is a Cybils-nominated book. This review is my opinion and not the opinion of the middle-grade fiction panel as a whole.
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