In a almost perfect novel, Danette Vigilante writes about the true struggles of growing up in places such as the projects. She shows the violence that is commonly caused, the problems that different people could be having, and mental and physical disabilities. At the same time, this book shows how others can have the back of others, as the main character Dellie, constantly supports a child she is looking after in the book, despite some of the limitations held against her. If that in itself wasn't enough, This book also showcases both the good and bad sides of young love. Dellie herself has a crush on another character, who has a good reputation. Meanwhile, her best friend is with a dangerous character, who relies on edgy things, such as smoking. All in all, this book has many great features, with the only downside of the book being its page length. I would recommend this book to 2nd Grade to 8th Grade, as the book has many mature topics, but is relevant for many elementary and middle students. I enjoyed reading this book, and am confident that many others will too.
The Trouble with Half a Moon
By Danette Vigilante
| Interest Level | Reading Level | Reading A-Z | ATOS | Word Count |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Grades 6 - 8 | Grades 2 - 4 | n/a | 3.7 | 36485 |
Thirteen year old Dellie lives with the guilt that her little brother's death was her fault. Her mother cries all the time and because she wants Dellie to stay safe, she keeps her inside as much as she can. It doesn't matter that Dellie longs to go outside to be like other girls or that there's a boy she likes and he likes her too. All that matters to her mother is that she's safe at home. So, Dellie has no choice but to watch the world of her housing project through her second story window.
Things start to change soon after new neighbors move in on the first floor. Trouble like this has never happened in Dellie's building before. Now there are men fighting on the stoop, gunshots echoing through the night and Corey, a hungry and abused five year old boy knocking on her door looking for something to eat. Corey reminds Dellie of her brother and even though their friendship is dangerous, she wonders if this time, she'll be able to do what needs to be done. Will she be able to save Corey?
Things start to change soon after new neighbors move in on the first floor. Trouble like this has never happened in Dellie's building before. Now there are men fighting on the stoop, gunshots echoing through the night and Corey, a hungry and abused five year old boy knocking on her door looking for something to eat. Corey reminds Dellie of her brother and even though their friendship is dangerous, she wonders if this time, she'll be able to do what needs to be done. Will she be able to save Corey?
Publisher: Puffin Books
ISBN-13: 9780147515506
ISBN-10: 0147515505
Published on 5/5/2015
Binding: Paperback
Number of pages: 208
Book Reviews (4)
![bradley](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 12 12"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
that was so sad that the boy to death.
what is this
I actually really liked this book. Dellie had to live with the guilt of her little brothers death. Her mother wanted to keep her safe and wouldn't let her go anywhere, but when she does go somewhere everything goes wrong. She also likes to take care of an abused 5-year-old on the first floor. They build a strong friendship but one day he's in trouble and its up to Dellie to save him. I liked this book because it was almost a mystery and it made you want to keep reading and not stop. It was a "whats going to happen next" type of book. I almost want to read it again! i loved it