Friday, October 12, 2007

Review: Journey to the Blue Moon by Rebecca Rupp

Book: Journey to the Blue Moon
Author: Rebecca Rupp
Published: 2006

Alex has a problem. More and more lately, he’s been obsessed with the idea of all the time that gets away from him while he sits through boring school classes and toils through chores. What’s the point of it all, really? Of course, his parents don’t see it that way.

Now he’s in even deeper trouble because he’s lost his grandfather’s watch. Fortunately, a weird little old lady at the library tells him there’s a way to get it back . . . go to the moon while it’s blue, which only happens once a century. This is where all the lost things reside. Lucky for Alex, the blue moon starts that very night. His way up lies with scavenging rats, a cobbled-together spaceship, and a token to ADMIT ONE. But Alex has to find his grandfather’s watch before the moon turns white again, or he’s trapped until the next time it turns blue.

I kept recalling The Phantom Tollbooth and Alice in Wonderland as I read this book. It has some of the same feel, a journey through a kooky and slightly dangerous land, with lots of linguistic treats (like the Cavern of Lost Tempers, where Alex and all his new friends wake up in very bad moods). Some parts verge on the didactic, but overall Rupp keeps it light. Check this out for a clever adventure story about all the things we lose, from hearts to ways to time.

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