Shoot for the Moon [Hardcover]

Norma Howe (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 24, 1992

Gina Gari carries out a mysterious mission for her grandmother, shares a tender summer romance with a young Dutchman, and learns some crucial life lessons on a trip to Italy that she won in a yo-yo contest.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 6-10-- Gina Gari, 16, has been raised mostly by her grandfather, a retired yo-yo salesman who has passed on his talent to her. This skill wins her a yo-yo contest, and ten days in Italy. During the whirlwind trip, Gina deals with her grief over her grandfather's death and takes big steps towards maturity, learning to be responsible and less insecure, as well as understanding and forgiving of a grouchy grandmother and emotionally distant mother. The suddenness of Gina's growing up and the coincidences and contrivances of the plot necessitate readers' total suspension of disbelief; however, this suspension is assisted by the narrative's fast pace and breezy style. Howe writes skillfully, conveying teen humor, yet lacing it with poignancy. Zany and witty, with unique characterizations, Shoot for the Moon is indeed an appropriate metaphor for a novel about growing up. --Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Kirkus Reviews

Gina Gari has a strong and loving relationship with her grandfather, who has paid attention to her while everyone else in her family seems indifferent--most especially, she's shared his love of yo-yos. When he dies, Gina is devastated. With emotional honesty and subtle humor, Howe's opening chapters are believable, but the story quickly slides into an uneven treatment of a girl's coming of age, with many of the later scenes--particularly those surrounding Gina's changing attitudes toward herself and her grandmother--predictable and heavy-handed. The reason for her grandmother's mysterious last request is intended to pique interest, but what Gina actually learns seems so forced that it falls flat. Some themes here are similar to those in Howe's The Game of Life (1989); this will also have popular appeal, but it's less skillfully written. (Fiction. 10-14) -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 217 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; First Edition edition (March 24, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0517581515
• ISBN-13: 978-0517581513
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Shoot for the Moon!, February 28, 2003

By 

GTsai (Cerritos, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Shoot for the Moon (Hardcover)

This book is about a thirteen-year-old girl named Gina Gari who wins a 10 day trip to Italy. She wins this trip because the ice cream parlor where she works is holding a yo-yo competition. Her grandfather taught her how to yo-yo before he passed away.when she godes to Italy, she and her chaperone Maddy meet a cute Dutch boy named Stefan. Her grandmother's last wish before she dies is that Gina go to a chapel in the Italian city of Assi to feed the birds. She wont tell Gina why, but she keeps saying to Gina,"The date is very important.It must be on the fifth day of July and no other,do you hear me?" So Gina goes to Italy to fulfill her "mission" only to find out some things about her grandmother's past that really shocks her.
My favorite part of the book is when Gina gets to Italy because that is where the most exiting part of the entire book happens. For example, Gina gets stuck on a subway that is going to Rome, when her friends are still back at the station.She gets stuck on the train because she had left a bag of sunflower seeds on the train, and she had to get them to feed the birds with. Also, she makes many new friends: Stefan, Ceci, the Australians Barb and Bluey. She also meets this old man that was once her grandmother's boyfriend or something, and when she had to leave him to go to San Fracisco to marry Gina's grandfather, she never saw him again. The reason that it had to be July fifth was because that was the day they parted, and the old man had been coming up to this chapel every July fifth for the last sixty years. Gina felt so sad after hearing this from the old man. When the old man told her that his name was Salvatore, Gina was amazed because her grandmother had named her only son after the boy she had to leave behind. The end is kind of sad because Gina has to leave all of her new friends behind. The saddest one is when she has to say good bye to Stefan because she kinda likes him. This is a really fantastic book. I really liked it.