Moon Shadow is a perfect book for middle school classrooms as Lucia is struggling to figure out the world just as all MSers are.

Loved this story!! The elements of fantasy and mystery blended in with realistic fiction and friendship make this a wonderful middle-grade fiction book. Highly recommended on goodreads account.

Moon Shadow was a lovely book capturing the struggles of middle school friendships, family challenges through many different lenses, and learning to understand other people on more than a selfish level. The author did an amazing job of taking the the major themes and tying them together with a magical, mystical element. The characters were people we all knew in middle school and were easy to relate to and connect with. Looking forward to more from Downing.

Very different and I loved it! This explored real life friendship issues, growing up, divorce, and a touch of magic! It made me want to Google the eclipse theories mentioned.

I had the opportunity to read a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley, and I'm really excited about this book. Moon Shadow has the perfect blend of magic and realistic fiction to make this a terrific middle grade novel. Lucia was born during a lunar eclipse thirteen years ago. The story opens on her birthday, and she's planning to celebrate by eating space-themed junk food with her friends and watching her birthday eclipse. Lucia is a quiet, shy girl who is often afraid to stand up for herself and tell people what she wants or how she feels. But on the night of her birthday eclipse, something strange happens. She finds herself having strange dreams about being the confident, outgoing person that she would like to be and then waking up to realize these "dreams" actually occurred. Lucia's thirteenth birthday turns out to be the start of things changing for her in dramatic, and sometimes scary, ways.

I think this will be a popular book among middle school aged children. Adolescents experience so much insecurity as they grow and change, and so they will definitely be able to relate to the same self doubts experienced by Lucia and her friends. I know that the idea of having a shadow self, that's not afraid to try new things and have difficult conversations is definitely appealing to me! I can think of several situations where that might be handy! Kids will also like that it's kind of a spooky book, without being too scary or inappropriate.

The cover of Erin Downing’s new book, Moon Shadow, was the first thing that caught my eye. It’s gorgeous. I know I’m not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but I do, and when I saw that NetGalley had this book available, I immediately requested it.

Thirteen-year-old Lucia Frank is struggling with the changes that have happened to her over the past few months. Her parents divorced and her mom has temporarily moved to Sweden to be with her new girlfriend. Her former best friend, Velvet, wants nothing to do with her, and refuses to let her hang out with their mutual friend, Will. Her old sister, Romy, is distant, and her Dad doesn’t want to go out anymore. Nothing is the same as it used to be.

Then Lucia’s thirteen birthday takes place the night of the lunar eclipse, and strange things start to happen. Lucia has these weird dreams where she imagines she’s someone she’s not…daring, bold, and outspoken. But Lucia soon discovers these may not actually be dreams, and the moon magic might be affecting her in unexpected ways. How can she get things back to normal again, and does she really want to?

I really enjoyed this book, and think it’s magical realism will appeal to many readers who like a “touch of magic” in the books they read. I like that Lucia learns what real friendship means, and discovers the power of her own voice.

My 7th grade daughter and I really enjoyed reading this book together. I liked watching the main character learn to value all the parts of herself and find strengths she didn't know she had. Also, learning the difference between people you might spend time with and real friends. That can be tricky at this age for kids.

I enjoyed watching Lucia evolve into a stronger more confident version of herself over the course of the story. Readers of this age have very little power over their circumstances, so I think they will connect with the characters in the story who also feel powerless--to stand up to bullies, to stand up to "friends", to change broken family dynamics, etc. I felt that Velvet was a bit stereotypical as the mean girl character, so that part felt a bit too familiar to other middle grade contemporary novels. Most of the magical elements worked to move the plot along. I think students will enjoy seeing Lucia discover the power she's had within herself all along.

Lucia's parents have recently gotten divorced and her mother has moved to Sweden. After a summer away, Lucia returns to discover that two of her friendships have begun to fade. Lucia's life becomes even more complicated when her dreams start to blend with real life and strange things that happen to her seem to be related to her moonstone. Reality is blended with fantasy in this novel that will keep readers interested in figuring out the mystery behind Lucia's dreams. This is a wonderful story about discovering what true friendship really means and having the courage to just be yourself.

Before I began reading this book I thought the story would be a high fantasy. I was pleasantly surprised to find it was a contemproary middle grade novel complete with imperfect parents and troubled friendships. I enjoyed the mystery of the eclipse that Lucia struggled with, but I really liked the voice of the novel a d how realistically portrayed the friendships were.

Moon Shadow is a story of Lucia who is considered a "moon child." During the night of her 13th birthday, trying to watch the eclipse, something happens that allows her to forget the things she had done. This story takes you through Lucia's troubles as a girl who lost her "best friend" Velvet (who was never a good friend at all), her oldest friend Will (who she wishes to have their friendship back so desperately), and gains two amazing friendships with Jonathan and Anji. Lucia's wishes start to happen during moments of incoherence due to the eclipse.

This is a story I so desperately wish I had read at age 13. A time where I didn't really know who I was on the outside, or how to be myself and accept that, but desperately wanting to find my place and not be "made fun of" for not following the popular crowd. Lucia's story is full of strength, courage, bravery, friendship, and love. One I will share with students for years to come.

This was kind of a "mean girl" coming-of-age novel, but at the same time it came at that topic as though it were a front for a story about magic and auras. I liked that it incorporated a magical element, though I'm certainly not a subscriber to that whole scene. The real focus in this was a girl who is used to living in someone else's shadow coming into her own. There is a fairly stereotypical shallow mean girl to overcome, and the main character spends a lot of time letting herself be trodden upon and brow-beaten, but by the end she finds inner strength, and without turning into a mean girl too, she stands up for herself and her new friends.

This is probably right for the middle school crowd, but I can see some upper elementary school students reading it as well. There is the subject of divorce and an immature parent who acts on whimsical notions that come off as profoundly idiotic, but the real root of everything is the timid main character finding a way to stand up for herself against a manipulative bullying girl and her followers. She is basically going through the stages of withdrawal from her friendship with the girl, and has to come to realize how unhealthy that relationship was even when it was thriving. It was an interesting read. It was well-executed and considering what the plot revolved around, it didn't feel as stale as story like this could have been. Well done.

This book was a great read and kept me wanting to know what was going to happen next. I liked the astrological and dream references that I think will intrigue students. I loved how the author took a look into the relationships between friends past and present of the main character. This is also quite relatable to the intended audience.

I like this coming of age book with some paranormal elements. I am also fascinated by eclipses, and so are some of my students, so that was also a strong element of the book. I also thought it would be a great recommendation for girls starting middle school to read for pleasure as many kids go through changes in friendships when middle school arrives. Lucia was a complex and relatable character, and I know many students who would enjoy this novel.