A Place to Hang the Moon

Author: Kate Albus

Publisher:  Margaret Ferguson Books

Length: 320 pages

Reviewer: Laurie

Thank you to Edelweiss+ and the publisher for an eARC of this book. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

I had heard wonderful things about this book and honestly was hesitant to start to read it. Saving it for when I needed a book where I would become lost and immersed yet nervous that perhaps I would be the only one where the book didn’t fit me, or it wasn’t the right time. I was not disappointed, and I am confident to say that you will not be either!

Set in WWII, during the London bombings and children were evacuated to neighbouring small towns, we meet three children; Anna, 9, Edmund, 11, and William, 12, who live with their grandmother. When their grandmother passes with no legal guardian named, their solicitor suggests that the three children join a group of children relocating to a small town. Upon arrival, families will take them in and look after them until it is safe to return to London. While they are there, perhaps the family that takes them in will become their forever family. Money is not going to be a problem, but again the solicitor advises that they remain silent about their financial circumstances. The elderly housekeeper will act as the contact person, so children do not appear to be orphans.

Unfortunately, the children have many unpleasant encounters as they try to adjust to their new situation and end up in several homes, always looking for their forever family. Despite all the negatives, the three stick together, finding solace in the local library and the librarian, Mrs. Muller, ostracized by the community for reasons unknown yet, as they continue to look for their forever family.

Once I started the book, I lost all track of time and read until I fell asleep while reading, and when I woke up, I had to finish but at the same time, I did not want the story to end. I loved how all three children loved reading and books and found refugee from the unpleasantness they suffered in the library. I loved how the librarian, Mrs. Mueller took the three in, knew just what to do to make them feel at ease and comfortable and what book to hand them to read. It’s like Mrs. Albus is a librarian at heart, as she developed such a unique relationship between each of the children and Mrs. Mueller.

It is not just the relationship between the librarian and the children that make this story stand out. The relationship between the children themselves is open and honest, and one appreciates the realistic interactions between the three of them. Readers will identify with one of the children, whether it’s the responsible William, independent Edmund or the perceptive Anna. The supporting characters are just as memorable, even those who, despite their faults and unkind acts, you learn to empathize with them.

The emphasis on the learning and love of reading wasn’t just about books. Mx. Albus inserts specific vocabulary that Anna collected and tries to use what she knows to define them. It becomes part of the story, and I looked forward to coming across the next word, in turn, building readers’ vocabulary. For those interested in what the children read, all the books mentioned in the novel are in the back should readers want to read the books themselves.

 If you enjoyed Kimberly Brubaker Bradley’s The War that Saved My Life and The War I Finally Won,  then A Place to Hang the Moon is another book to savour and love.  A Place to Hang the Moon is that feel-good story that everyone needs, reminding us that family, no matter how that may look, is what makes life worth living. 

HIGHLY RECOMMEND: Gr. 5+