Shooting the Moon Frances O'Roark DowellIt's the summer before 8th grade. Jamie's two best friends have both moved away (which happens a lot when you live on an army base. Either they're moving, or you are) and her older brother has just shipped out to Vietnam.
Jamie and her brother have always loved playing war and she's disappointed when his letters home aren't about the smells and sights of battle. But, with every letter, he sends Jamie a roll of film to develop. Jamie's days are spent volunteering at the rec center, playing gin rummy with Private Hollister, and developing film. Through TJ's photos, she sees a reality of war that she never expected and discovers new talents within herself.
This is a short, slight book. It's quiet, but it stays with you. Not a lot happens. It's summer, Jamie plays cards and develops film. She flashes back to when her brother enlisted up until the day he shipped out. Despite the lack of plot, we see a lot of growth in Jamie, and how she views the her father, her brother, the army, and war.
This is the hardcover cover, which I like better, which the picture of the moon on it, but I think that the paperback cover (above) has more kid appeal and captures more of the book's spirit, with the little green army men. The "Shooting the Moon" of the title refers to TJ's habit of taking pictures of the moon, both at home before he ships out, but also in Vietnam. Book Provided by... my local library
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2 comments:
sounds like a good one for the challenge...thanks for the review.
My daughter and I will be reading this together (hopefully soon) for the challenge.
We posted a clip of your review on War Through the Generations.
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