A Place to Hang the Moon
by Kate Albus (Author)
Evacuated from London to live in the countryside, three orphaned siblings must try to stay together as they search for a permanent home-- and a new meaning for family.
A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year
It is 1940 and William, 12, Edmund, 11, and Anna, 9, aren't terribly upset by the death of the not-so-grandmotherly grandmother who has taken care of them since their parents died.
But the children do need a guardian, and in the dark days of World War II London, those are in short supply, especially if they hope to stay together. Could the mass wartime evacuation of children from London to the countryside be the answer?
It's a preposterous plan, but off they go-- keeping their predicament a secret, and hoping to be placed in a temporary home that ends up lasting forever. Moving from one billet to another, the children suffer the cruel trickery of foster brothers, the cold realities of outdoor toilets and the hollowness of empty stomachs.
They find comfort in the village lending library, whose kind librarian, Nora Müller, seems an excellent choice of billet, except that her German husband's whereabouts are currently unknown, and some of the villagers consider her unsuitable.
A Place to Hang the Moon is a story about the dire importance of family: the one you're given, and the one you choose.
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
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Publishers Weekly
In this heartwarming debut that contains nods to British children's classics, three orphans--heirs to a fortune--join the WWII London evacuation after the death of their forbidding grandmother leaves them guardianless. Though they seek safety from the Blitz and the possibility of finding a permanent, loving home, the siblings' plight instead becomes precarious. At their first residence, responsible 12-year-old William, roguish 11-year-old Edmund, and earnest nine-year-old Anna encounter bullying from their foster siblings. At the next--a starkly impoverished billet with a harried mother of four--the children experience hunger, and the boys are forced to kill rats for extra funds. Happily, a friendship with their village's warm librarian, regarded by many with suspicion because of her absent German husband, offers solace and hope to the three. Albus infuses the closely bonded siblings' search for found family with dry humor ("Funeral receptions can be tough spots to find enjoyment"), affectionate and authentic-feeling characterization, and a plot that alludes to and aligns with the works of Enid Blyton, Frances Hodgson Burnett, and E. Nesbit. Includes a bibliography of books mentioned. Ages 9-12. (Feb.)
Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
JUV013050 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Orphans & Foster Homes
JUV016040 - Juvenile Fiction | Historical | Europe
Great Britain
Brothers and sisters
Family life
Orphans
World War, 1939-1945
Evacuation of civilians
George VI, 1936-1952
England
Villages
