11/01/2014 Gr 4–6—Flor and Sylvie are more than just best friends; "they are each other's perfect friend." But when Sylvie is suddenly sent away to live with relatives, Flor must fend for herself on isolated Moonpenny Island. Friends are hard to come by in such a tiny town, but Flor soon meets Jasper, the odd daughter of a geologist doing research on the island. Through the study of ancient fossils, Flor learns about the evolution of eyesight and applies her newfound knowledge to her own personal experience. She learns that, when dealing with people, eyesight can be clouded by preconceptions and judgment. Springstubb has written a heartwarming coming-of-age story, reminiscent of Kevin Henkes's Junonia (Greenwillow, 2011) and Jeanne Birdsall's "The Penderwicks" series (Yearling). The community of Moonpenny Island is both isolated and intimate; nature plays a major role. There is family strife in the story—alcoholism, physical fights, abandonment—but they are dealt with very gently. The language has a quaint, old-fashioned feel: young characters use phrases such as "despicable boy" and "birdbrained." The (over)use of exclamation points in the narration can be distracting, particularly at the story's denouement. However, sensitive readers will be able to relate to Flor's widening worldview when she perceptively remarks that "'no man is an island,' but apparently eleven-year-old girls can be."—Laura Lutz, Convent of the Sacred Heart, New York City
…Tricia Springstubb has found just the right mix of intrigue, sorrow and compassion…Moonpenny Island is, at its core, about adaptation. How do people, like other organisms, change in order to survive? As Flor wonders, "will future humans be able to see stuff we can't?" But what if evolution sent you backward? And can confinement possibly make a person bigger or better? As in all well-written children's books, these are questions not just for a young person, but for all of us.
The New York Times Book Review - Holly Goldberg Sloan
★ 12/08/2014 “Some things in life change wham-bam, dramatic and sudden as a pin and a balloon. But usually, change is sneakier. More like that balloon leaking its air, deflating bit by bit.” Springstubb (Mo Wren, Lost and Found) follows Flor O’Dell’s search for sure footing as her safe, comfortable island life is rocked by change. Flor faces several potentially earth-shattering shifts in her family and friendships just as she’s entering sixth grade, each knock like “an invisible fist on the end of a long arm,” leaving her bruised and angry. Can friendship survive distance? Should she worry about her sister’s strange behavior? Will her parents stop fighting? Will Mama return to her big Spanish-speaking family? And who is that strange girl watching Flor everywhere she goes? While exploring familiar themes of the unavoidable changes of adolescence, the novel weaves complex layers of fresh, relatable imagery and charming characterization across education levels, cultures, and generations, beautifully teaching that our shared humanity is one thing that doesn’t change. Ages 8–12. Author’s agent: Sarah Davies, Greenhouse Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Feb.)
Tricia Springstubb has found just the right mix of intrigue, sorrow, and compassion…Not just for a young person, but for all of us.” — New York Times Book Review
“While exploring familiar themes of the unavoidable changes of adolescence, the novel weaves complex layers of fresh, relatable imagery and charming characterization across education levels, cultures, and generations, beautifully teaching that our shared humanity is one thing that doesn’t change.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
“Poetic and poignant, Springstubb’s tale of friendship, loss, hope, and heartache is so fresh and honest it will resonate widely.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“In her inventive and big-hearted Moonpenny Island, Tricia Springstubb lovingly assures her readers that though change can be terrifying, we have the ability to adapt and even thrive-especially if we all stick together. Sparkling and singular, this book is a gem.” — Anne Ursu, acclaimed author of The Real Boy and Breadcrumbs
“Tricia Springstubb tells Flor’s story of shifting, unmappable hearts with the honesty and grace of a changing tide, letting Flor ride her bicycle right off the page—and straight into the reader’s heart.” — Sheila Turnage, Newbery Honor-winning author of Three Times Lucky
“Flor’s growing...awareness of change and heightened understanding of those around her result in a unique protagonist who, like a fossil, creates an imprint that remains long after her story is finished.” — Horn Book Magazine
Flor’s growing...awareness of change and heightened understanding of those around her result in a unique protagonist who, like a fossil, creates an imprint that remains long after her story is finished.
Tricia Springstubb has found just the right mix of intrigue, sorrow, and compassion…Not just for a young person, but for all of us.
New York Times Book Review
Tricia Springstubb tells Flor’s story of shifting, unmappable hearts with the honesty and grace of a changing tide, letting Flor ride her bicycle right off the page—and straight into the reader’s heart.
In her inventive and big-hearted Moonpenny Island, Tricia Springstubb lovingly assures her readers that though change can be terrifying, we have the ability to adapt and even thrive-especially if we all stick together. Sparkling and singular, this book is a gem.
★ 2014-11-11 When one of an inseparable pair of friends is sent away, the other's life turns upside down. Lake Erie's Moonpenny Island is a tourist destination in summer and a small enclave of familiar weirdness the rest of the year. Flor loves it, riding her bike like a trusty steed, imagining the infinite possibilities of her world. Flor can hardly believe it when Sylvie, whose family is practically royalty on Moonpenny Island, announces that she's being sent away to attend private school on the mainland. Further rocking Flor's unsteady world, her parents are fighting more than ever, using ugly words that twist daggers of fear into Flor, her little brother, Thomas, and older sister, Cecilia. When the unthinkable happens and Flor's Latina mother leaves the island too, Flor begins feeling less audacious and more uncertain. However, when she meets quirky new girl Jasper and her unconventional father, Dr. Fife, Flor learns what it means to really see the world around her as it is and not just the way she imagines it. Springstubb delivers a beautiful tale of friendship, family, loss and renewal. Her third-person narration is razor-sharp. The author delicately parallels Flor's emotional minefield with the stark absolutes of Dr. Fife's scientific study of trilobites. Poetic and poignant, Springstubb's tale of friendship, loss, hope and heartache is so fresh and honest it will resonate widely. (Fiction. 8-12)