I can't remember the last time a book made me cry with joy. What a lovely, lovely story! A Place to Hang the Moon made me remember why I fell in love with books and reading as a young child.

The unique personalities of all three children were so well rounded out I felt as though I knew all of them. I found myself thinking "I bet William is going to grow up to be a fine man and a wonderful dad some day." and "I'll bet Edmund grows up to be a teacher." The three orphans are all book lovers and avid readers and there are plenty of references to the children's literature that I read as a child. As evacuees during the Blitz they're outsiders in the small country village they evacuate to, and to find a place that feels like 'home' to them they gravitate to the library. There they find and befriend the librarian, Mrs. Muller, herself an outsider for being married to a German man. I can't say more without spoiling the story...just that this was a breath of fresh air in the manner of the old-school Newbery winners of the 50's and 60's.

Well developed characters - 1 star
Literary children - 1 star
Hero/Librarian! - YES! 3 stars! ( )

age 9+
grade level: 4-7

Three children are left adrift with no home when their unloving grandmother dies. They saw her as unfeeling and cold, and they were correct. She didn't leave any instructions or plans for her grandchildren in her will. She did leave money, but no security. There was an uncle present at the gathering after the funeral, but that is the last he is mentioned.

Not only are they without anyone to care for them, but WWII hit England with a terror of bombs. It was difficult to find safe houses for one child let alone three children who wanted to stay together. Through their sheer determination, they remained together.

Their experiences were at times caring, but mainly cruel. They experienced a host of nasty occurrences, and were not loved until they found a wonderful librarian who wanted and loved them. ( )

This middle grade, historical fiction is a debut gem by Kate Albus. Three siblings are sent to the countryside at the beginning of the London Blitz—but no one knows they're orphans. They were raised by a cold-hearted grandmother after their parents died, and now she's deceased, too, leaving no other relatives and no one named in their grandmother's will to raise them. Since so many other children are being sent away from the city, the solicitor of the estate suggests the "preposterous plan" of having them join a group of evacuees and look for a family who might take them in forever, but without revealing their wealth.

The children face hardships with resilience, and often with humor, but each in their own way as 12-year-old William, 11-year-old Edmund, and 9-year-old Anna have distinct personalities. But what all three want most is just for someone to love them. Sounds a bit sappy when I say it, but Albus has written authentic dialogue and scenes true to the period.

Happily adding this to our grade 4/5 school library, but I'd encourage it as an adult read also. We all deserve to have someone in our lives who thinks we hang the moon. ( )

Set against the backdrop of World War II, Anna, Edmund, and William are evacuated from London to live in the countryside, bouncing from home to home in search of a permanent family. The children, while moving from one place to another, searching for a true family, suffer cruelty and hunger. They meet a woman named Nora, who is a librarian, and offers her cottage to the children. It is a place where someone thinks they all three hung the moon.
This book demonstrates the live of orphan children whose only hope and wish is to find a loving mother (and father). ( )