Moon Runner

By Carolyn Marsden

Book Overview

With subtlety and insight, the author of SILK UMBRELLAS and THE GOLD-THREADED DRESS explores the delicate issue of competition between friends. The "Fellow Friends" have a secret handshake and a special Friendship Ball made of scraps of colored yarn. The four of them - Ruth, the athlete; Sammy, the bug collector; Alana, the avid reader; and Mina, the newest friend - take turns bringing the ball home from school every day, each one adding something new. Gradually, the ball has grown as fat and round as a full moon. But when Mina, a self-professed "girlie-girl," learns that she excels at track, the other Fellow Friends are as shocked as she is, especially the competitive Ruth. Even more surprising is the way running seems to lift Mina up and make her happy. When Coach chooses her to run the fifty-meter against Ruth, Mina faces an unhappy predicament. Should she slow down on purpose and let Ruth hold on to the spotlight? Or let herself soar?

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 076362117X
• ISBN13: 9780763621179
• Release Date: March 2005
• Publisher: Candlewick
• Length: 97 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.4" x 0.5" x 5.6"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Carolyn Marsden Is a Rising Star in Children's Literature

I read Moon Runner and loved it. I'm going to buy copies of all of Marsden's books for my nieces. With Moon Runner, Gold-Threaded Dress, and The Quail Club, Marsden is developing her own beautiful genre: moving, multicultural chapter books that speak to the hearts of elementary school children. From the very first page of each book she presents nuanced portraits of kids with important decisions to make. What I love about Marsden's characters is that they seem so real, not cardboard or over dramatized. Each moment, each decision the children make is honored and described. In between the plot points is rich detail, and crystalline moments where we can feel and experience some of the pleasures of being alive. She's creating something rare and valuable: nourishing, contemporary literature that kids will find accessible and fun to read.