When The Moon Was Ours - Publishers Weekly

bookBestsellersbookPW Best BookshomePublishers Weekly HomelockUse and Privacy Policies

bestsellers

best books

free newsletter

sign up nowBUY THIS BOOKWhen the Moon Was Ours

Anna-Marie McLemore. St. Martin’s/Dunne, $18.99 (288p) ISBN 978-1-250-05866-9

As she did in The Weight of Feathers, McElmore blends magical elements with a culturally vibrant cast to create a haunting modern fairy tale. At its heart are two best friends turned lovers: Miel, a girl rumored to be born of a water tower who grows roses from her forearms, and Sam who, in keeping with the Pakistani tradition of bacha posh, has been raised as a boy, and now has no interest in living as anything but. Magic, myth, and legend are woven into the fabric of their town, and Miel and Sam’s relationship is complicated when the four Bonner sisters, who are rumored to be witches, come to believe that Miel’s roses will help restore their influence over the town’s boys. Lush, reverential language remains a hallmark of McElmore’s work, and while the story’s momentum can suffer as a result, readers interested in gender identity and the pull of family and history will find this to be an engrossing exploration of these and other powerful themes. Ages 12–up. [em]Agent: Taylor Martindale Kean, Full Circle Literary. (Oct.) [/em]DETAILSshareBUY THIS BOOKcloseDetails

Reviewed on: 10/17/2016

Genre: Children's

MP3 CD - 978-1-5366-6151-4

Other - 288 pages - 978-1-4668-7324-7

Paperback - 288 pages - 978-1-250-16010-2

• Amazon
• Apple Books
• Bookshop

• Share
• Post
• Copy Link
• Print

More By and About this Authorchevron_right

Book ReviewsArticles

• The Weight of FeathersThe Weight of FeathersAnna-Marie McLemoreLike all Paloma girls, Lace was born with small escalas decorating her body, “a sprinkling of scales off a pale fish, a gift from the river goddess Apanchanej.” Life revolves around Continue reading »
• Wild BeautyWild BeautyAnna-Marie McLemoreNomeolvides women have the power to conjure flowers. They’re also cursed: whenever they fall in love, the object of their affection vanishes. The women strive for normalcy, channeling their magic Continue reading »
• Blanca & RojaBlanca & RojaAnna-Marie McLemoreMcLemore (Wild Beauty) offers another lushly written fairy tale retelling, this time intermingling hints of “Snow White” with “Swan Lake” and other classic tales of girls turned into swans. Continue reading »
• Our Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in AmericaOur Stories, Our Voices: 21 YA Authors Get Real About Injustice, Empowerment, and Growing Up Female in AmericaEllen Hopkins (et al.)Twenty-one female YA authors and selected unpublished writers reflect on social justice, feminism, and coming-of-age in the U.S. Brandy Colbert discusses the lessons she has learned about the erasure Continue reading »
• Hungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & LoveHungry Hearts: 13 Tales of Food & LoveSangu Mandanna (et al.)Contributed by a multicultural group of authors, including Jay Coles, Sara Farizan, and Sandhya Menon, and representing a blending of genres and cultures, this #OwnVoices anthology considers the ways Continue reading »
• Miss MeteorMiss MeteorAnna-Marie McLemore, Tehlor Kay MejiaMeteor Central High sophomores Estrellita “Lita” Perez and Chiquita “Chicky” Quintanilla are ex-best friends unexpectedly reunited for the same goal: winning the annual Miss Meteor beauty pageant in Continue reading »
• The Mirror SeasonThe Mirror SeasonAnna-Marie McLemoreFolding in elements of Andersen’s “The Snow Queen,” McLemore (Dark and Deepest Red) whips up a magical realist tale as spellbinding as the pan dulce creations described within this novel’s Continue reading »
• LakeloreLakeloreAnna-Marie McLemoreSeven years after their first meeting took them to a mystical world under body of water Lakelore, 16-year-old trans nonbinary, neurodivergent teens Lore Garcia and Bastián Silvano, both Mexican Continue reading »
• Self-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby RemixSelf-Made Boys: A Great Gatsby RemixAnna-Marie McLemoreTransgender Latinx 17-year-old Nicolás Caraveo has just left his rural Wisconsin hometown to work as a New York stock market mathematician in this tender, intelligent The Great Gatsby Continue reading »
• Venom & VowVenom & VowAnna-Marie McLemore, Elliott McLemoreMarried cowriters Anna-Marie (Lakelore) and debut author Elliott McLemore empathetically interrogate issues of self via dual-identity situations in an uplifting fantastical romance. After Continue reading »
• Flawless GirlsFlawless GirlsAnna-Marie McLemoreDetermined to turn them into polite society girls, the grandmother of Latina sisters Isla, 17, and Renata, 20, enrolls them at Alarie House, a prestigious finishing school. While Renata is impressed Continue reading »
• The InfluencersThe InfluencersAnna-Marie McLemoreIn YA author McLemore’s uneven adult debut (after Flawless Girls), a successful influencer becomes embroiled in scandal when her husband is murdered and her home set afire, most likely to Continue reading »

• Why YA?PW spoke with eight authors, both veterans and newcomers, about the joys and challenges of writing for Continue reading »

PW EDITORS’ PICKS FORTHE BEST NEW BOOKSSign UpPW EDITORS’ PICKS FOR THE BEST NEW BOOKSSign Up

Featured Children's Reviews

Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s VeteransHonor Flight: Celebrating America’s VeteransJeff GottesfeldA U.S. veteran narrates a once-in-a-lifetime visit to the military memorials of Washington, D.C., in a deeply felt picture book from the previous collaborators that highlights Continue reading »Houdini’s Library: How Books Created the World’s Greatest MagicianHoudini’s Library: How Books Created the World’s Greatest MagicianBarb RosenstockRosenstock and Delmar tie the magical prowess of Harry Houdini (1874–1926) to his fondness for books in this mesmerizing account of the escape artist’s accomplishments. Continue reading »How a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-PoohHow a Bear Became a Book: The Collaboration That Created Winnie-the-PoohAnnette Bay PimentelBay Pimentel and Pray highlight the importance of teamwork, pulling back the curtain on the creators who produced the Winnie-the-Pooh books. Omniscient narration unfolds in Continue reading »InbetweensInbetweensFaith Erin HicksIn 1999, two artists eager to pursue careers in animation must reckon with the reality of the dreams they once idealized in this bighearted graphic novel by former animator Continue reading »chevron_right

title

prompt