What the Moon Saw Book

Clara Luna's name means "clear moon" in Spanish. But lately, her head has felt anything but clear. One day a letter comes from Mexico, written in Spanish: Dear Clara, We invite you to our house for the summer. We will wait for you on the day of the full moon, in June, at the Oaxaca airport. Love, your grandparents.

Fourteen-year-old Clara has never met her father's parents. She knows he snuck over the border from Mexico as a teenager, but beyond that, she knows almost nothing about his childhood. When she agrees to go, she's stunned by her grandparents' life: they live in simple shacks in the mountains of southern Mexico, where most people speak not only Spanish, but an indigenous language, Mixteco.

The village of Yucuyoo holds other surprises, too— like the spirit waterfall, which is heard but never seen. And Pedro, an intriguing young goatherder who wants to help Clara find the waterfall. Hearing her grandmother’s adventurous tales of growing up as a healer awakens Clara to the magic in Yucuyoo, and in her own soul. What The Moon Saw is an enchanting story of discovering your true self in the most unexpected place.

Children's Literature

Clara Luna is fourteen and is experiencing discovered a feeling of unexplained restlessness. Clara's father came to the United States from Mexico as an illegal immigrant and while now a legal resident, he has never returned to his home country. Clara receives a letter from her father's parents inviting her to spend the summer. Because they sense Clara's restlessness her parents decide the best place for Clara to be for most of the summer is with her family in Mexico. Clara, who has no knowledge of her father's family, is excited to have the chance to learn more about his life before he arrived in the United States. She imagines what her grandparents and their home will be like and draws pictures in her sketchbook. What she draws are images she has of Mexico, the flowers, adobe homes, and bright, bright colors. What she finds are small buildings, what would be considered shacks in her hometown in suburban Maryland. Clara is horrified, but quickly learns how kind and hardworking her grandmother and grandfather are. She learns that her grandmother Helena is a healer, and that she "sees" things that others do not. Clara's negative attitude when she discovers that there will be no entertainment, telephone, or easy contact with her home disappears quickly as she learns more about the culture in Yucuyoo. She forms an unlikely friendship with Pedro, a goat herder as she learns more about the heritage she has embraced. The story is told in the voices of both Clara, recording her summer visit, and her abuelita Helena, talking of her life as a teenager and later as a healer in the village. Resau is very familiar with the culture described in this book, and while some may find it hard tobelieve that Clara accepts the changes in her life so easily, they may also see the simplicity of the life and understand why it might be appealing to a reader who is a product of the fast-paced world in which they live. The possibility that Clara may also have the ability to heal adds an additional dimension to the story.