
It’s easy to root for Esther, who makes the most of each day, wants little, and gives much. Rosengren, in her first novel, offers an intimate account of a family’s adjustment to country life and the hardships of the Great Depression. She comes to like farm life in spite of the hardships of a house with no electricity, an outhouse instead of a bathroom and lots of.

Esther’s family moves to a farm in Wisconsin when her father loses his job. Yet what she really wants-approval, a steady best friend, and relief from poverty-are elusive. A coming-of-age tale gets to the heart of family dynamics in the face of drastic life changes in the earliest days of the Depression. Optimis-tically determined to see the situation as an “adventure,” Esther is thrilled to have horses, cows, and (best of all) a dog, and she finds beauty in the quiet landscape and excels in school. The house is dilapidated, with no electricity and an outhouse instead of a bathroom. In 1930, Esther’s life changes dramatically when her family moves from Chicago to a Wisconsin farm after her father loses his job. Each offering to date has engaged me, while also transporting me to another time and place. Thanks to her superstitious mother, Esther knows some tricks for avoiding bad luck: toss salt over your left shoulder, never button your shirt crooked, and avoid black cats. Her superstitions, combined with a lack of physical affection, make (nearly) 10-year-old Esther wonder if Ma loves her. Through Advanced Reader Copies, I am becoming a fan of historical fiction for young people. What the Moon Said Gayle Rosengren 3.94 597 ratings132 reviews Fans of the Little House books will fall in love with Esther.


A ring around the moon, a dream about a wedding, and rain at the outset of a journey are all causes for alarm in the mind of Esther Vogel’s Russian immigrant mother.
