Man in the Moon Book

JANINE IS PREPARED for a sticky, boring summer on her family’s land in the middle of nowhere. Far from town and with only her ailing brother Ricky for company, Janine spends half her time stuck inside with him, wishing that their mother would let them out to play. But when Mr. Lunas—a mysterious man who saved Janine’s father’s life in the war— arrives through the cornfields, strange things begin happening. Ricky sets his heart on building a go-cart. Mr. Lunas eats them out of house and home, then suddenly stops eating at all. And then Ricky’s health takes a turn for the worse, and it looks like Janine’s world is about to spin out of control. Janine’s overprotective mom locks Ricky in his bedroom with her, and Janine is desperate to find a way to say goodbye. In the end, it’s Mr. Lunas who comes to her rescue, encouraging her to break Ricky free—and then giving them both an enormous gift. Thought-provoking and gracefully written, this short literary novel is a small gem.

Children's Literature

Janine is a little girl growing up in 1961 Texas. Her family's farm is far from town and all she has for company that long hot Texas summer is her sickly younger brother Ricky. Janine and Ricky are stuck playing inside most of the summer because of Ricky's poor health. One day a mysterious skinny man named Mr. Lunas walks out of the cornfield and into their lives. Janine learns that when her daddy was in the war, Mr. Lunas saved his life, so he is invited to stay. Mr. Lunas is a strange man and acts peculiar. He catches moonbeams in a jar, offers her a taste, and she finds that they taste like marshmallows! Mr. Lunas teaches Janine to believe that anything is possible. As a poor family, they have no money to take Ricky to a hospital when he becomes dangerously ill. Janine finds herself desperate to help Ricky to fulfill his dream of building a go-cart before he dies. In her determination to help her ailing brother, Janine discovers through the help of Mr. Lunas that anything is possible. The author, Dotti Enderle is a native Texan and has written many children's books, including the "Fortune Tellers Club Series." She and is a talented storyteller and has traveled the country entertaining and sharing her stories since 1993. The story is captivating, well written, and challenges the reader to think about life beyond what is seen. Reviewer: Melissa Stickles