Harper & Moon [Hardcover]

Ramon Royal Ross (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 30, 1993

Although twelve-year-old Harper has always liked Moon, an abused, orphaned older boy, their friendship is tested by a discovery Harper makes when Moon joins the Army in 1943.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7-Up Set during World War II, Raymon Royal Ross's story (Atheneum, 1993) of 12-year-old Harper and his loyalty to 17-year-old Moon unfolds in a small Pacific Northwest community. Read by the author, who gives each character tones and rhythms suited to narrative descriptions of their persons, the plot twists are caused by the deliberate revelations of the characters who people Harper's world, as well as by Harper's own self-realizations. Moon, five years Harper's senior, has always been clever with his hands while hampered in speech - and, some adults in the community believe, in his intellect. Without a family of his own, he is welcome in Harper's home, a warm place with an insightful mother, a wise father, and a hired man who is plain spoken but kind. This year, Harper and Moon have spent the summer camping in the mountains, under the care of Olinger, an old fellow who keeps a small store for passing sportsmen and travelers. When summer ends, Moon slips away and joins the Army, while Harper returns home and to school. In winter, Harper finds Olinger dead, wrapped in a quilt out in the snow, and a criminal investigation ensues when Moon reappears on the scene. Ross writes compellingly of social interpretations of behavior and that dramatic passage between childhood and adolescence. All the main characters are well drawn and strong, while the minor ones are also rounded and understandable in their motivations. Issues of child abuse and lingering wartime stress are broached without dominating the story. This is an excellent choice for book discussions because it presents so many opportunities for students to wonder what they might do in Harper or Moon's stead. -Francisca Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Set in Washington's Walla Walla Valley during WW II, a fine second novel about the unusual friendship between Harper, son of a fruit grower, and the somewhat older Moon--inarticulate, half-wild son of abusive parents, orphaned in early adolescence and living no one knows how or where. At 12, Harper discovers the body of Olinger, an old family friend, outside the snowbound mountain cabin where he lived alone. In shock and hypothermic, Harper is rescued by Moon, who--suspected of murdering Olinger--is jailed, but escapes. Harper finds him, near death from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, and rescues him in turn. Exonerated, Moon finally finds a home in Olinger's cabin. The themes of trust, loyalty, and responsibility here are beautifully developed. There are marvelous set pieces (a summer idyll in the mountains; a scene when Harper is run over by a tractor; another when he finds Moon's life story in dioramas made from bits of wire and paper), and a grand stream-of- consciousness passage depicting Harper's deteriorating mental state after he discovers Olinger's body, as exhaustion and cold take their toll. Vivid storytelling, a rock-solid sense of time and place, memorable, splendidly realized characters: likely to be read in one sitting, under covers by flashlight if necessary. (Fiction. 10+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 160 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; First Edition edition (April 30, 1993)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689318030
• ISBN-13: 978-0689318030
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.8 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,427,246 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book is great!, December 10, 1999

By 

Mandy (Osawatomie, Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Harper & Moon (Hardcover)

Harper and Moon is a very exciting book filled with detail. It is about a boy, named Harper, that loves to spend time with his 56 year old friend Olinger, but one day Olinger disappears. Harper wants to find out what happened to Olinger, so on a cold snowy day Harper started riding his bike to Olinger's cabin 25 miles away, when he was supposed to be in school. When he gets there, he makes a shocking discovery. If you want to find out what happens in the end, you should read this awsome book. I recommend this book to everyone.