Moonglass (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Moonglass Deborah Stevenson Kirby, Jessi . Moonglass. Simon, 2011. [240p]. Trade ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-1694-9 $16.99 E-book ed. ISBN 978-1-4424-1696-3 $9.99 Reviewed from galleys R Gr. 7-10. The beach is Anna's natural habitat, but she's not thrilled when her father's new job means moving south to an oceanside national park in Orange County. It's not just the disruption and the sudden immersion in a moneyed crowd at her new high school, it's the fact that they're leaving behind the place where Anna remembers her mother, who drowned when Anna was only seven. Her new home, though, is mere feet from the beach cottage where her mother grew up and met her father, so she's faced more than ever with questions about her mother. Kirby makes the most of her seashore setting, filling her story with the crash of waves, the whisper of old secrets, the promising presence of hot young lifeguards (and a moonlit romance with one of them for Anna), and the sparkle of seaglass, which Anna used to collect with her mother along the beach. Anna herself is a believably complicated character, a beach native who revels in the effect of her bikini on the lifeguards but who is also a serious long-distance runner and tough competitor; secondary characters are similarly rich, especially pampered princess Ashley, Anna's first new friend, who's generous, supportive, and utterly blind to her own tactlessness. The undercurrents of disturbance about Anna's mother and her uneasy history are navigated with both sympathy and a certain amount of taut suspense, allowing readers to enjoy the moody atmosphere and complex emotions while also understanding Anna's pain. This will be a rewarding outing for readers who were moved by Valerie Hobbs' Tender (BCCB 10/01), another waterborne story about a daughter-father family, or those just looking for a beachy summer romance with some real weight behind it. [End Page 476] Copyright © 2011 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois