Keeping the Moon

Keeping the Moon
Author Sarah Dessen
Cover artist Linda McCarthy
Country United States
Language English
Genre Young adult novel
Publisher Julia MacRae Books
Publication date
September 1, 1999
Media type Print (Hardback & Paperback)
Pages 228
ISBN 978-0-14-240176-7
OCLC 55498486

Keeping the Moon is a young adult novel by author Sarah Dessen. It is her third novel and was first published in 1999.

Plot Summary

Nicole Sparks (Colie) and her mother used to be poor and moved often. They were very overweight and spent most of the time living in their car while her mother switched jobs.

Colie endures the aftermath of “chick night” and enjoys her newfound confidence, finally standing up to her bully back home and giving her number to a cute guy she meets, Josh.

The novel comes to an end: Morgan is getting over her loss for Mark, Norman and Colie are in a relationship, and Isabel and Morgan come together during a disco beat. At 12:15 Colie gets to see her first eclipse and watches in awe as she looks across her row of new friends, and at the sky as the moon disappears.

Characters

Major themes

Publishers Weekly claimed that Colie “[learns] some pretty important lessons about friendship and learning to love herself.”[1] Likewise, TheCelebrityCafe.com picked up on the theme of self-acceptance, writing that the novel deals with “teenage issues”[2] that Colie has to overcome. Reviewers saw Keeping The Moon as a “kind of Cinderella story”[1] in which Colie undergoes "a happy metamorphosis.”[3]

Reception

Publishers weekly described the dialogue as "snappy"[1] and complimented the "colorful episodes"[1] throughout the novel. They also praised the "unexpected pearls of wisdom."[1] Booklist, however criticized that "it's unfortunate this novel doesn't have something more original to say about the perpetually vexing problem of teen body image,"[4] and they also complained that it was "predictable."[4] The Kirkus Review noted that the book was a "life-altering experience"[3] and TheCelebrityCafe.com complimented the book's "entertaining yet touching portrait."[2]

Style

Sarah Dessen is "an absolutely wonderful writer--stylish, smart, and funny" claims Michael Cart[4] Publishers Weekly also noted that Dessen's "ironic sense of humor and her knack for creating characters with quirky personalities and universal emotions set[s] her book apart [from others]."[1]

Allusions to Other Books

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Roback, Diane; Brown, Jennifer M (20 September 1999). "Keeping the Moon". Publishers Weekly. p. 89. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  2. 1 2 Blackwell, Casey (28 June 2009). "Keeping the Moon". TheCelebrityCafe.com. Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  3. 1 2 "Keeping the Moon". Kirkus Review (Kirkus Review). Retrieved 9 March 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 Cart, Micheael (September 1, 1999). "keeping the moon". Booklist 96 (1): 123. ISSN 0006-7385. Retrieved March 9, 2011.
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