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frostlywild17's review
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
amumreads's review
4.0
This is one of those middle grade reads that should be compulsory reading.
Set in 1969, FOTM follows Sharnie who is trying to navigate high school and her family disagreements while the Vietnam War rages on across the ocean. There are themes of morality and mortality as well as bullying, family arguments and the death of a loved one.
This book is written in prose so beautifully that it makes the heavy subject matter a lot more digestible. It evokes so many emotions in me and I was equality able to finish it in one sitting. I can’t wait for my daughters to be old enough so I can share it with them.
Set in 1969, FOTM follows Sharnie who is trying to navigate high school and her family disagreements while the Vietnam War rages on across the ocean. There are themes of morality and mortality as well as bullying, family arguments and the death of a loved one.
This book is written in prose so beautifully that it makes the heavy subject matter a lot more digestible. It evokes so many emotions in me and I was equality able to finish it in one sitting. I can’t wait for my daughters to be old enough so I can share it with them.
bookish_brooklyn's review
4.0
I received a copy of Footprints on the Moon from UQP books in exchange for an honest review, all thoughts are my own.
Footprints on The Moon is honestly such a beautiful book, told so poetically and vividly, filled with hope and innocence as conveyed through the eyes and thoughts of young Sharnie, who not only has to navigate through a new stage of her school life, but also coming to terms that her beloved Grandmother is sadly unwell, a Father who’s away working a lot and an elder sister who she doesn’t feel as close to, as their ages gap a little bit now. The reader can’t help but feel saddened for Sharnie, a pure gem of a young girl, who you just want nice things to happen to!
Yet, there’s not always nice things in the world, as I’m sure we all know. Now, this beautiful gem of a read actually takes place in 1969, where the Vietnam War continues to storm overseas, yet still visibly affecting Australia, with young men being coerced into enlisting to fight for their countries honour, some not even having a say in the matter! Sharnie is visibly (and completely understandable torn up) when she’s caught between being a loyal little sister (when she finds out Cass is seeing a returned soldier and starts getting caught up in anti war protests), and being a dutiful daughter, whos’ father deems it honourable to serve ones country in war!
Lorraine Marwood did just an excellent job of projecting the reader into feeling Sharnie’s emotions throughout and honestly, in my opinion, the fact that this book is presented in verse just makes for even more of an emotive reading experience! The writing just felt so pure and relevant to today, with everything that’s going on in the world, yet, I think, as the title reflects, we’re all leaving our footprints where we step, are we not?
An absolutely stellar middle grade verse novel, completely eloquent and poignant and I absolutely recommend it to everyone, of all ages! A huge thank you to the team at UQP for my review copy.
Footprints on The Moon is honestly such a beautiful book, told so poetically and vividly, filled with hope and innocence as conveyed through the eyes and thoughts of young Sharnie, who not only has to navigate through a new stage of her school life, but also coming to terms that her beloved Grandmother is sadly unwell, a Father who’s away working a lot and an elder sister who she doesn’t feel as close to, as their ages gap a little bit now. The reader can’t help but feel saddened for Sharnie, a pure gem of a young girl, who you just want nice things to happen to!
Yet, there’s not always nice things in the world, as I’m sure we all know. Now, this beautiful gem of a read actually takes place in 1969, where the Vietnam War continues to storm overseas, yet still visibly affecting Australia, with young men being coerced into enlisting to fight for their countries honour, some not even having a say in the matter! Sharnie is visibly (and completely understandable torn up) when she’s caught between being a loyal little sister (when she finds out Cass is seeing a returned soldier and starts getting caught up in anti war protests), and being a dutiful daughter, whos’ father deems it honourable to serve ones country in war!
Lorraine Marwood did just an excellent job of projecting the reader into feeling Sharnie’s emotions throughout and honestly, in my opinion, the fact that this book is presented in verse just makes for even more of an emotive reading experience! The writing just felt so pure and relevant to today, with everything that’s going on in the world, yet, I think, as the title reflects, we’re all leaving our footprints where we step, are we not?
An absolutely stellar middle grade verse novel, completely eloquent and poignant and I absolutely recommend it to everyone, of all ages! A huge thank you to the team at UQP for my review copy.
cassieeemily's review
4.0
This book was sent to me by UQP and Ausyabloggers to review. All words and opinions are my own.
Footprints on the moon is a middle grade read that I thoroughly enjoyed! It’s set in 1969 during the Vietnam war and took me around 2 hours to devour. It has a writing style that I have never read before, however, I enjoyed it and would read more in the same style.
It centres around Sharnie and her time in high school all while the war is raging. It focus on a lot of themes that I still find quite current, while also giving a lot of information from 1969 as well.
This is a book that I would recommend to my younger cousins, siblings and schools to read to their students. This is due to the fact that is addresses some hard topics that could be helpful to students - bullying, death of loved ones and sickness. It also has sister arguments and making friendships.
Oh, did I mention it also has a GREAT peanut brittle recipe, a cat and mentions lunar gardening!
I think everyone should give this a read and then pass it along to the younger generation!
Footprints on the moon is a middle grade read that I thoroughly enjoyed! It’s set in 1969 during the Vietnam war and took me around 2 hours to devour. It has a writing style that I have never read before, however, I enjoyed it and would read more in the same style.
It centres around Sharnie and her time in high school all while the war is raging. It focus on a lot of themes that I still find quite current, while also giving a lot of information from 1969 as well.
This is a book that I would recommend to my younger cousins, siblings and schools to read to their students. This is due to the fact that is addresses some hard topics that could be helpful to students - bullying, death of loved ones and sickness. It also has sister arguments and making friendships.
Oh, did I mention it also has a GREAT peanut brittle recipe, a cat and mentions lunar gardening!
I think everyone should give this a read and then pass it along to the younger generation!
novelty_reads's review
4.0
ARC kindly provided by AusYABloggers and UQP Press as part of the AusYABloggers book tour
I loved this book and I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to read it! I missed reading middle grade books and really wanted to get back into them. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity and through reading Footprints on the Moon, it really showed me just what I was missing.
Told in verse, the book is set in 1969 and follows Sharnie Burley as she navigates her high school life in an ever-changing world. As everyone gets ready to see man first land on the moon, Sharnie's grandmother is starting to forget more things and rifts between family members are threatening to tear apart their family. Through Sharnie's perspective we get to understand topics such as the moon landing, the Vietnam war and memory loss in a way that wasn't too heavy for the reader. Covering a lot of serious themes, the book always maintained a light-hearted feel that made me want to read on to discover what happened next.
I loved how Marwood approached this book. Yes, she could've delved deeper into every single issue and she could've expanded on some, however, I believe that if she did that then the magic of the storytelling would've been lost in the details. It was Sharnie's thoughts and feelings to the world around her that made the book, with her deep and philosophical approach to everything. I loved how Marwood used the 1969 space mission or moon landing, if you will, as a metaphor that encompassed the entirety of the story. It brings me back to this one concept that was mentioned in the book, "would the moon still be there when man lands on it?" If you look deeply into that idea alone, what the question really is asking is "would the world still be the same even if it changes?" which was something Sharnie had to discover and answer for herself. Although the answer was never explicitly told, I loved contemplating this along with her and I liked how I, as a reader, was somehow involved in the story too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it covered a lot of different issues and topics without being too heavy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry especially with a dash of history.
ACTUAL RATING: 4 STARS
I loved this book and I'm so happy that I got the opportunity to read it! I missed reading middle grade books and really wanted to get back into them. I thought that this was the perfect opportunity and through reading Footprints on the Moon, it really showed me just what I was missing.
Told in verse, the book is set in 1969 and follows Sharnie Burley as she navigates her high school life in an ever-changing world. As everyone gets ready to see man first land on the moon, Sharnie's grandmother is starting to forget more things and rifts between family members are threatening to tear apart their family. Through Sharnie's perspective we get to understand topics such as the moon landing, the Vietnam war and memory loss in a way that wasn't too heavy for the reader. Covering a lot of serious themes, the book always maintained a light-hearted feel that made me want to read on to discover what happened next.
I loved how Marwood approached this book. Yes, she could've delved deeper into every single issue and she could've expanded on some, however, I believe that if she did that then the magic of the storytelling would've been lost in the details. It was Sharnie's thoughts and feelings to the world around her that made the book, with her deep and philosophical approach to everything. I loved how Marwood used the 1969 space mission or moon landing, if you will, as a metaphor that encompassed the entirety of the story. It brings me back to this one concept that was mentioned in the book, "would the moon still be there when man lands on it?" If you look deeply into that idea alone, what the question really is asking is "would the world still be the same even if it changes?" which was something Sharnie had to discover and answer for herself. Although the answer was never explicitly told, I loved contemplating this along with her and I liked how I, as a reader, was somehow involved in the story too.
All in all, I really enjoyed this book. I thought it covered a lot of different issues and topics without being too heavy. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who loves poetry especially with a dash of history.
ACTUAL RATING: 4 STARS
tien's review
5.0
How can we look up
and touch the moon,
when we don’t know how
to look across to our neighbours
to listen and take note
of their opinions?
I had no idea that this book was in verse until I crack open to the first page. And I'm always surprised by just how much an author can get across with so little words. Well, if you've been reading my review, you know I cry a lot - that's usually an indication of how much a book got to me. Did I cry in this one? Gosh, yes, I found it hard to hold my tears at bay for the last 20 pages. Oh, um, my 11 yo also predicted that I'd cry lol
Footprints on the Moon is set in 1969, in an Australian town. Sharnie Burley is finding that life is changing and moving in an unknown direction. As she struggles to find her own direction for life, she turns to her grandmother for advice. And later on, she finds wisdom in her sister and a friend. Meanwhile, the world at large did not stop. Apollo 11 is on its way to the moon and the Vietnam War is dividing friends & families.
A beautiful coming-of-age story where we not only see the protagonist finding her feet but also her unique voice. The author was woven world's events quite seamlessly into the lives of these characters and while they are not a direct participants, that did not stop them from leaving their own marks in the world. A great discussion starter to get the young ones involved in current affairs and/or how to voice ones opinions.
Thanks to University of Queensland Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review. And thanks, AusYABloggers for organising the tour.
and touch the moon,
when we don’t know how
to look across to our neighbours
to listen and take note
of their opinions?
I had no idea that this book was in verse until I crack open to the first page. And I'm always surprised by just how much an author can get across with so little words. Well, if you've been reading my review, you know I cry a lot - that's usually an indication of how much a book got to me. Did I cry in this one? Gosh, yes, I found it hard to hold my tears at bay for the last 20 pages. Oh, um, my 11 yo also predicted that I'd cry lol
Footprints on the Moon is set in 1969, in an Australian town. Sharnie Burley is finding that life is changing and moving in an unknown direction. As she struggles to find her own direction for life, she turns to her grandmother for advice. And later on, she finds wisdom in her sister and a friend. Meanwhile, the world at large did not stop. Apollo 11 is on its way to the moon and the Vietnam War is dividing friends & families.
A beautiful coming-of-age story where we not only see the protagonist finding her feet but also her unique voice. The author was woven world's events quite seamlessly into the lives of these characters and while they are not a direct participants, that did not stop them from leaving their own marks in the world. A great discussion starter to get the young ones involved in current affairs and/or how to voice ones opinions.
Thanks to University of Queensland Press for copy of book in exchange of honest review. And thanks, AusYABloggers for organising the tour.
theveryhungrythesaurus's review
challenging
emotional
informative
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
gillyreads's review
emotional
hopeful
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.75
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