Fiction - Horror, Monsters & Ghosts, Fiction - U. S. People, Places & Cultures

Blue Moon

Name: Blue Moon
Author: Hila Feil
ISBN: 9780152059330

by Hila Feil

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Overview

Sophisticated sixteen-year-old New Yorker Julia is not expecting much excitement when she leaves the city to spend the summer as an au pair on Cape Cod. But when plans are made to remodel the dilapidated old house where she is staying, strange things begin to happen. Julia and her young charge, Molly, suspect the house is being haunted by the ghost of Molly's deceased mother, Maria.

But after a frightening incident on the night of the blue moon, Julia and Molly realize they must stop chasing down the spirit of the mysterious Maria and live in the present.

Working on Cape Cod as an au pair, Julia and her young charge, Mollie, sense the mysterious presence of Mollie's mother who died years ago.

Synopsis

The atmospheric tale of one young woman's summer of self-discovery

Publishers Weekly

Still reeling from her parents' divorce, Julia arrives on Cape Cod to spend the summer caring for Molly, an unhappy child who hasn't yet recovered from her mother's recent death. Almost from the start, Molly and Julia are united against Cheryl, Molly's squeaky-clean stepmother. This conflict escalates when Cheryl begins renovating the old house that belonged to Molly's mother. The bereaved girl, however, is convinced that her mother's spirit will put a stop to Cheryl's project. A string of eerie events persuades Julia that otherworldly forces are indeed present, and Molly is poised on the brink of danger before Julia takes action. Though this novel never quite achieves the precise interlocking metaphor of Joan Aiken's gothic tales, the author's skillful blend of a spooky plot, a delightfully cynical heroine and literary style is sure to appeal. Ages 10-14. (Mar.)

About the Author, Hila Feil

HILA FEIL is also the author of The Windmill Summer and The Ghost Garden. She divides her time between New York City and Cape Cod, Massachusetts.

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Editorials

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

School Library Journal

Gr 7-9-- Written in the form of a journal, this is the story of 16-year-old Julia's summer as an au pair on Cape Cod. Her first impressions of her charge Molly, Molly's stepmother, and their spooky old house are not reassuring. Molly seems obsessed by her mother, who died some years earlier, and eventually Julia herself begins to sense a mysterious presence both in the house and in a drowned village nearby. At the same time as she must deal with these phantoms, she must cope with the very real presence of Sean, a local artist, who shows a disturbing but not unwelcome interest in her. Finally, as summer draws to a close, she must resolve both influences and return to life in the city. The word for Feil's novel is cool. The title is cooly lyrical, the cover illustration is in cool blues, and the text is unsensational, balanced, and refreshing. Clear descriptions, effective development of suspense, and seamless plotting are satisfyingly rounded off with a conclusion that is neither too predictable nor too outlandish. Most difficult of all, Feil has created a protagonist who demonstrates both the self-confidence and doubts of youth, leveling a critical eye on herself and her surroundings without claiming the adolescent omniscience so prevalent in novels for the age group. Feil's device of a teenage crush on an older man is not original, but she maintains her balance even here, and the relationship is handled realistically. Images of ephemeral times, events, and people reinforce the changes that Julia experiences during a most unusual summer. --Barbara Hutcheson, Greater Victoria Public Library, B.C., Canada