Book Summary from Goodreads:  After the sudden death of her mother, Clare Silver remains in denial until her father, a doctor, whisks her away to a remote African village—the one place he believes can heal both of their hearts.

When a teacher quits, Clare reluctantly agrees to teach the youngest students. Clare can’t help being impressed with the kids who are so eager to learn, despite having to work in small, crowded spaces and share their schoolbooks. As Clare develops a friendship with an orphan named Memory, this girl who has lost so much dares Clare to open her heart again, remember her mother, and laugh with the moon.

Crystal’s Review:  Laugh With The Moon is a book that I want to pass around to everyone! I found this to be a really great book. Death is something that everyone must deal with at one time or another and for children it is a hard and confusing experience. This book tells the story of a young girl who is dealing with the death of her mother and is having trouble with moving on in life and being happy. She struggles with seeing her father happy because she feels being happy means forgetting. Her dad decides that it would be a good idea for them to take a trip to Africa for a few months. Clare decides early in the book that she will hate Africa, especially after finding out their is no cell service, and plans to force her father to take her back home.  After meeting an African girl about her age who has also lost her mother Clare begins to slowly accept her life the way it is now. She quickly makes friends with the girl and through that friendship, as well as others, she learns how to deal with the pain of her mothers death, how to accept things/people that are different, and learns that sometimes you find happiness in places you never imagined you would. This book would be a wonderful read for all children especially those dealing with the issues addressed in the book. This book address issues like acceptance and grief but it also depicts the real life living situations of many African children. It discusses the lack of medication, food, and learning supplies and how the children of Africa live on a daily basis. I feel this book would be easy to integrate into school lessons and is a great read for everyone.


Content: Clean
Recommended age 9-12

About the Author: I got a job teaching sixth grade at the same elementary school that President John F. Kennedy attended, and organized my wedding in between writing lesson plans and correcting homework. I married Oren in the summer. Little did Oren know at the time that he wasn’t just marrying me—but all the characters from A Thousand Never Evers who lived in my head. Lucky for me, Oren has grown to love Addie Ann, Elias, Uncle Bump, Mama, and Mrs. Jacks as much as I do.

After my fifth year of teaching, I gave birth to my son. Shortly after he was born, I found an agent, sold A Thousand Never Evers, and moved with my family from Boston to Austin, Texas, where I’m currently working on my next book.