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A review by novelty_reads
Footprints on the Moon by Lorraine Marwood
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