Synopsis
A twelve-year-old mute boy sets off to find his mother in a blizzard, and becomes the captive of an evil woman in the Half-a-Moon Inn. ‘A suspenseful tale with archetypal characters and a haunting atmosphere. . . . The brisk pace and steady accumulation of events build tension, while Fleischman's fine writing begs to be read aloud." —BL.
1980 Children's Reviewers' Choices (BL)
Notable Books of the Year 1980 (NYT)
1980 Golden Kite Award Honor Book for Fiction (SCBW)
Children's Books of 1980 (Library of Congress)
1980 Silver Medal for Literature (Commonwealth Club of California)
Author Biography: Paul Fleischman was born in Monterey, California, and grew up in Santa Monica. He attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of New Mexico at Albuquerque, and now lives in Pacific Grove, California. He is the author of many books for young readers, includingSeedfolks, The Borning Room, Bull Run, and Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices, and winner of the 1989 Newbery Medal.
Mailbox Bookbag Magazine - Kim Minafo
When an unexpected lizzard keeps Aaron's mother away longer than planned, he sets out to find her. What the 12 year old voiceless boy finds instead is great danger, as he becomes the prisoner of Miss Grackle, wicked proprietor of the ramshackle Half-a-Moon Inn. This captivating tale beckons to be read aloud as it keeps kids wide-eyed and on the edges of their seats, begging for more.