04 Jan / Moo by Sharon Creech [in School Library Journal]
Twelve-year-old Reena’s outburst during a family conversation about parental careers, geography, and the future “ten years from now” catapults the family from a city of monuments, subways, and museums and lands them in rural Maine. Her expectations of her new home include lobsters, blueberries, beaches, and mountains, but what she and her 7-year-old brother Luke get most familiar with is Zora, an ornery cow. Thanks to their parents, who have volunteered the kids’ manual labor to their new neighbor Mrs. Falala (who just might be as cantankerous as her bovine resident), Reena and Luke have quite the “moo-ving” experience.
With appealing, youthful charm, Brittany Pressley voices Sharon Creech’s latest, finding a gentle, welcoming rhythm between the prose and verse of this hybrid text.
Verdict: Who doesn’t love a happy-ever-after story starring kids and unpredictable animals? Creech fans and newbies alike will eagerly embrace this irresistible read.
Review: “DVDs and Audio,” School Library Journal, January 1, 2017
Readers: Middle Grade
Published: 2016