Shadows & Moonshine

By Joan Aiken

Book Overview

A collection of thirteen tales by Joan Aiken. She can be scary (everyone knows her fascination with wolves and witches) and poetic (as in "Moonshine in the Mustard Pot" or "The Lilac in the Lake"). But whatever she sets her hand to, it is the work of a master. And set against the lovely and luminous pencil drawings of Pamela Johnson, we have a a baker's dozen of magical tales that will stay with readers long after the last page is turned and the lights turned out.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1567921671
• ISBN13: 9781567921670
• Release Date: December 2001
• Publisher: David R. Godine, Publisher
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 8.7" x 0.7" x 5.9"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Strange and Whimsical Stories

I had picked up another collection of Joan Aiken stories, A Necklace of Raindrops, at the library, and liked it enough to want to read more, so I ordered Shadows and Moonshine. (Joan Aiken is best known for her wonderful adventure story, The Wolves of Willoughby Chase.) The stories in Shadows and Moonshine seem to me to be for a slightly older reader than the ones in A Necklace of Raindrops. At least four of them are quite poignant, with an almost adult sensibility. In general, some of the tales work better than others, but all of them start off with intriguing premises--which is more than can be said for many of the stories in collections written recently. The best of the bunch is probably "A Harp of Fishbones," which is told in grand fantasy style. The others mostly mix magic with modern or mundane situations. The funniest bit is from "The Gift Pig": a baby princess is cursed that if anyone ever presents her with the gift of a pig, something bad will happen--and her boy cousin goes to a lot of trouble to find a pig to give her because he's dying to see what the outcome will be! Still, my favorite Joan Aiken story of all time is "The Boy Who Read Aloud," which is not, unfortunately, in this book. You'll find it in Classic Fairy Tales to Read Aloud, selected by Naomi Lewis.