I read this book both on eBook and on audio book but I would still really love to read the hardback because I imagine it is beautiful. The reason I imagine this is because Sarah Crossan's writing is beautiful. She can take serious issues, such as those explored in this book and write about them so beautifully, you almost forget the issues that the characters are going through!



This book, like Sarah's last, is written in verse so each chapter and therefore each page is quite short. The audio book that I listened to was just under 4 hours long and yet the book has 400 pages, this gives you an idea of how the layout effects the length and the flow of the book. Some chapters have only a few words and some pages the same. This means that, yes it is quick to read, but also it means that you have time to take everything in and explore the enormity of what Joe is facing.



Now the subject matter of this book isn't easy and so you really do need to think about whether a book a about a boy who is facing the fact that his brother has been sentenced to death is your cup of tea or not. But if you are in any way on the fence then let me try and help you by stating that never is the issue forced upon you, this doesn't feel like and issues led book, and also the structure of the writing turns something completely terrible into something you can see as beautiful and in fact life affirming.



There were some points in this book where it felt fairly slow paced and I may have skimmed a few of the chapters but overall I enjoyed getting to know Joe. I wanted to rescue him and his family and somehow change their situation but alas, I can't jump into the book with them! As I say, consider the subject matter before picking this book up but let me reassure you that this is truly a beautiful read.

I read the book a while ago and do not remember much about it

Although this book was published in September, it took me a while to get around to reading it.  And I'm truly sad that I didn't read it sooner, because it is a truly brilliant read.  

The story had me gripped and the short chapters sped the narrative along.  Told by Joseph Moon, aged 17, the story tells how his brother, Edward, is on death row for the murder of a police office - a crime he claims he is isn't of. A topic not often covered, and with a teen narrator to boot, this was a unique tale that I engaged with more than I expected.

Joseph has travelled across the country in order to be closer to Edward for his last few weeks.  He has little money and no idea how to really communicate with a brother he hasn't seen in years.  Unsure of his brother's guilt or innocence, he is miles away from his sister and he might just be falling in love with a local girl.

Having read and enjoyed 'One', I knew Sarah Crossan was a skilled writer, but 'Moonrise' was definitely more than I expected and I definitely won't wait to read more from Crossan in future.

I didn't write a review for this book on my blog due to being busy at the time. Moonrise is again in free verse, in individualised titled poems and tells the story of a young man visiting his brother on Death Row. There's a bleakness to the verse which gives very little hope. As always, Sarah Crossan's writing is perfectly measured and emotive.

Book Review:

Moonrise was a book that I randomly picked a proof copy of at YALC and on a whim, I decided that I would read it and I don't regret this one bit. Moonrise was a poignant book that you will not forget months after reading it.

I had had some negative experiences with Sarah Crossan in the past as I didn't really love One which is her most famous book but this was not the case and I really loved Moonrise.

Moonrise follows two brothers as one of them is on death row and the other has gone to have a relationship with his brother before he dies. This story was very touching and even though you can expect the ending the story has a way of having hope as they try to get him out of prison.

The book is also written in verse which makes it even more powerful with one line pages that are quite poignant. This also makes it a lot easier to read and you can do read it quickly for better or for worse.

I really did love Moonrise which was a surprise and it did make an impression on me and was a really great book. I would highly recommend it.

The Verdict:

Moonrise is a wonderful and powerful read but get your tissues ready this one would definitely have you weeping.

In stories about murder, the focus tends to fall on the victim and those close to them. But what about the families of those accused of the crime?

This is essentially the question posed in Sarah Crossan’s latest novel Moonrise.

The story is about Joe. Joe was a young boy when his older brother Ed was accused of murder and was sentenced to death by execution. It is the story of how he and Ed reconnect during Ed’s last few months on death row.

It isn’t an easy book to read because anyone who reads it will go into the story with conviction of their beliefs. For me, I am against the death penalty. I have been since I was old enough to have a mature opinion about it and it is due to this opinion that I couldn’t help but feel that this story was harrowing. The magic of Sarah Crossan’s writing is that she says so much in so few words and that truly is a talent.


Moonrise is definitely a book to recommend to young readers or to help get a debate going.

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan is available now.

For more information regarding Sarah Crossan (@SarahCrossan) please visit www.sarahcrossan.com.

For more information regarding Bloomsbury Children’s Books (@KidsBloomsbury) please visit www.bloomsbury.com/childrens

After reading Sarah Crossan's 'One', I knew I wanted to read more of her writing. 'Moonrise' follows Joe, as he comes to terms with the fact that his brother, Ed, is on death row and seems to have no chance of survival.
Emotionally evocative, as you'd expect from Sarah, but it did feel as though it dragged a little at times. The outcome was predictable, but I wish the story had been a little longer so that we could have experienced more of the fallout. Definitely makes you think about the ethics (or lack of) behind the death penalty, especially when there's reasonable doubt of a convict's guilt.

*I received this ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

I really enjoy free-verse novels, and wish I read more of them, so I was pretty pleased when I found out this novel was in this format. It makes the story so much more meaningful and poignant, and I can definitely tell I enjoyed this format far more than if this same story had been written in the regular way.

Have previously enjoyed Sarah Crossan books but this one wasn't for me and I've had to DNF it. Didn't like the plot or characters and would rather spend my time reading something I'm interested in.

I love Sarah Crossan's writing and this is another excellent book, although a different style to the others. I enjoyed the very sad story which has stayed with me. I would recommend this book and this writer

Really enjoyed the set out of this book, it was something different and made for a quick read. The book is rather sad, but the way we're given 'mini titles', works really well! Really enjoyed reading it!

Such an emotional story. I really enjoyed the family connections between the characters and loved the main character and his development. There is also anger within the story, how the characters ended up in this situation to begin with and the fact that this actually happens today! You can't go wrong with Sarah Crossan. And the hardback cover is GORGEOUS!

A very sad and touching story, which can be read in just a few hours. I thin this book dealt with important issues in a very clever way that younger readers could relate to. The characters felt real and the story was gritty and didn't hold back. Very good!

A heart-breaking story about a boy, Joe, from New York, whose brother is on death row in Texas for a crime he swears he did not commit. Poignant, written in verse like One, this is another brilliant book by Sarah Crossan, which shows the inhumanity of the American penal system.

REVIEW
I have previously read a book by Sarah Crossan and loved that, so it was the authors name that initially caught my attention and made me want to learn more about the book. As soon as I read the blurb I decided I had to read the book!

The main colour of the cover is different shades of dark or muted blue, with the addition of a crescent moon so depicting the night time. There is a lone figure standing looking at the moon and stars. When you read the book you learn this is actually a scene described in the book, the lone figure being Joe. You'll know the scene when you get to it. Oh and have those tissues ready. The genre for this book has been classified as Literary,Teens & YA but to be honest I think it would appeal to a wider range of readers to include those who love contemporary and adults would also love this book.

The main character of this book is Joe Moon, who is just 7 years old when the book begins with a flashback. Joe is the only in the house to answer the telephone when it rings so naturally he answers it. The phone call is from his older brother Ed. Immediately Joe begins asking Ed when will he be home to play baseball but Ed has something very serious to tell Joe. Ed has been arrested and it's for something serious, people may start saying awful things about him and he needs Joe to know he didn't do it. As Ed is trying to explain to 7 year old Joe, their mother arrives home so Joe hands over the phone to his mom shouting "The police got Ed". Ed's mom is in a state of shock when she puts the telephone receiver down and tells Joe, the police have Ed and they are charging him with murder! Even with his mum telling him that Ed is in serious trouble, Joe still hopes that Ed will just walk through the door again soon.
Joe's main male figure has been his older brother Ed, he has been the one to make sure he got up in the morning and made it to school with some sandwiches for lunch time. Their mother was, well wasn't coping and had been turning to drink for quite some time. The person, Joe, Angela and Ed and also their mom rely on is Aunt Karen. So later as the book progresses when their mom literally goes out one day and doesn't come back it is Aunt Karen who tries her best to keep what is left of the family together.
Then the book jumps to present day where Joe has moved down to be near to Kirkland Farm where Ed is still on death row but has finally been given his date for execution! Though he is optimistic that there are a few options left before he will be executed. Angela who is Joe's older sister has a job and is saving hard to be able to take a trip to join Joe to see their brother Ed. Angela also has the task of attempting to find a lawyer they can afford to put across Ed's case of his innocence in a last ditch attempt to prevent him being executed.

The book follows Joe and Ed's brotherly relationship, separated when Joe was just 7 years old. Joe is in a strange place, in a grotty rented apartment with very little money to survive on. Joe has what little money he has earned from his job working with his friend Reed at Reed's Uncles garage. So when he is in the diner and hears there may be a job vacancy for a delivery driver, he jumps at the chance. Unfortunately there's a rather big hitch, the delivery driver needs his own transport as the delivery vehicle is broken down. Joe strikes a deal with Sammy the diner owner that if he can fix the car, he gets the job! Simple, right? Well not so simple but Joe is not a quitter and the food he is given whilst attempting to repair the vehicle solves his immediate money problem.

I absolutely adored the relationship between Joe and Ed. Ed has been both brother friend and father to Joe. Ed is also the one who attended all the parents evenings Joe can remember. Even though he has only just left school Joe bravely moves to Kirkland to be near his brother. In fact Ed has to apply for special permission for the under 18 year old Joe to even be allowed to visit him. Joe is in shock when he first visits Ed, he is totally out of his depth and stunned that there is thick glass separating them and that to speak and be heard by each other they have to used a telephone receiver. Joe is absolutely way out of his comfort zone which proves he would do anything he possibly can for his brother. Everything is a steep learning curve for Joe, never having lived alone, not knowing anyone other than the waitresses at the diner and no money for entertainment even if there were things to do in Kirkland. When Joe's older sister Angela rings for up dates, Joe hides how awful the apartment is, how he is "working" for just food. Money is tight for Angela as Aunt Karen has moved out and she is having to pay the full rent, meaning it will take her longer to save money to travel to Kirkland. It is no wonder Joe feels weighed down with responsibility.

As August the 18th draws closer Ed's case is reported on the TV which means people realise who Joe has been visiting. He has to put up with some rather verbal judgemental people in his face. The friends Joe has made rally round him. In fact one of the waitresses Sue tells Joe to just ignore them, as most people who live in Kirkland make a living doing a job that wouldn't exist if it wasn't for Kirkland Farm Prison. The other waitress Nell is younger, nearer Joe's age and does hang around with him, in fact they end up dating. However Joe eventually finds out why Nell is reluctant for her father to meet or even see Joe. It is another blow for an already emotional Joe. The cover depicts a beautiful scene from within the book, and yes it had me emotional, and eyes all bleary with tears. As I said in the Cover description you will need some tissues handy for a few places in this book. Your heart truly aches for Joe and Ed. I haven't really gone into whether Ed is guilty or not guilty or if he is executed as planned on the 18th August in the book as mentioning those would be too spoilery. There's a lot that goes on in the book that I am so limited on revealing as I don't want to give away spoilers. It is never my intention to over reveal,or over discuss in a way that would ruin someone discovering and reading the books themselves.

I really enjoyed reading this book and soon got into the flow of reading from the different perspectives. There's the present where Joe is in Kirkland and the past where Joe is telling us, the reader what has happened before he came to Kirkland. I really loved the use of the letters and telephone call's Ed makes to Joe. The descriptions are great for example when Aunt Karen's voice is described as "as hard as the stone in an apricot". You totally felt the mood of Joe's 11th birthday when he describes his cake, candles and the meal they ate as the cake was only for dessert. They way Joe reports that "dad was gone ten years and Ed was gone for." Joe obviously keeping a tally of the years his father and Ed have been gone.
I also adored the conversation between Angela and Joe, describing living with her Aunt Karen and her rules as being like being in the military. Yet at the same time they are both grateful for the plentiful supply of milk in the fridge as well as the clean clothes in the closets. Though young they both know that Aunt Karen is really only trying to do her best for them. Aunt Karen is the person you call for help, and she normally came through for you and sorted out the mess. I honestly feel I cannot praise this book enough and how much I totally loved reading it. Seriously I cannot recommend this book enough! If you loved Countless by Karen Gregory, This Is Not Forgiveness by Celia Rees, The Possible by Tara Altebrando or any of Lisa Heathfield books then this is a book you do not want to miss.

My immediate thoughts as I finished reading this book were that the book was a powerful, emotionally packed, amazing book. It has made me want to read more Sarah Crossan books soon.

Another change of direction for Sarah Crossan with this setting and her style of writing is still SO appealingly. Her great choice of words draws you in & you compulsively read paga after page.

Moonrise tells the story of Joe and his older brother Ed. Joe hasn’t seen Ed for ten years because for the last ten years Ed has been on death row in Texas.
Now Ed’s date of execution has come through and Joe knows there time together is limited.
Moonrise is a tale about the strong bonds of brotherly love but it is also a scathing condemnation of the whole premise of capital punishment. A topic that never fails to fascinate me because I just don’t understand how it still exists and is still considered to be a valid and humane punishment.
I liked the way the author uses Ed’s situation to highlight the arbitrary nature of capital punishment. For example:
“Ed was convicted of shooting a cop, a pretty ugly thing to do. But you don’t see every killer getting the gurney some guys get fifteen years. Others get life. So death for Ed but not for everyone. Cos it all depends on who you kill and where you kill them too.
Like don’t shoot a white cop in Walker County, Texas. If that’s your plan, do it in Arlington New York – no needles or electric chairs there. Just doesn’t seem fair to me. Just seems a bit fucking random.”
Sarah Crossan has a beautiful way of writing that absolutely shone through in Moonrise. The chapters in this book are clearly not just thrown together, they are carefully considered. The fact that it is written as verse adds a whole new level to it.
Joe is seven when he receives a phone call from Ed asking to speak to their sister Angela or their mom. Nobody is in so he tells Joe he has been arrested for murder.
‘They think I did something real bad.’
I pressed the receiver tight against my ear.
‘What do they think you done?’
‘They think I hurt someone. But I didn’t. You hear?’
‘Yeah’
‘I mean it. You hear me?
Cos people are going to be telling you all kinds of lies.
I need you to know the truth.’
His mom tells him not to call Ed back and not to expect to hear from him for a long time. Joe can remember thinking his mum would be wrong and Ed would be home soon but that didn’t happen.
A year later Ed was sentenced and a year after that Joe’s mom left Joe and Angela for good. She left them with their Aunt Karen who was determined to turn things around for the family.
“Karen knew how to save our souls from falling into the darkness that had carried off our brother, and the first part of her plan was never to mention Ed again.”
Ten years after the phone call from Ed Joe finds himself looking a crummy apartment in Kirkland Texas after Ed asks him to come and visit him because he has received his date of execution.
Joe has barely enough money to cover renting an apartment and no money to eat but there is no one he can ask for help because he is family to the criminal not the victim.
“No one cares whether or not we get to be with Jo at the end,
How poor or hungry we are
The cop’s widow though?
If she sets up a crowd-funding account to buy a black dress and a matching hat,
You’d have people donating big time…
But we aren’t her –
We’re not the victims here.
Instead we’re on the other side of right-
Players for Team Wrong.”
Ed was like Joe’s substitute parent, best friend and brother all in one. Joe idolised him growing up but he barely knows him now. Over the summer Joe and Ed try to get to know each other again whilst dealing with the fact that this may be their last summer together.
It is a testament to Crossan’s writing that I felt as though I was feeling everything Joe and his family felt to the point where I had been in tears several times before I finished Moonrise.
My favourite thing about Moonrise is its message that we are better than the sum of the worst things we have done.
Even if you don’t read any other part of the book you have to read the chapter ‘Time Travel Me’ because it was amazing.

Hard-hitting, gritty, no punches pulled, yet full of as much compassion as drama

Moonrise is the story of Joe, who moves to Texas to be near his big brother Ed, on Death Row for a crime he says he didn’t commit, in the weeks leading up to his execution date. Joe is the only member of his family who makes the trip from New York – his mum disappeared not long after Ed went to prison, his sister Angela is still trying to scrape the money together to get there, and his aunt believes Ed is guilty and wants nothing to do with him. Joe is 17, alone, and in a strange place with no money and we follow him as he tries to get by, and tries to get to know his brother again, in the worst circumstances possible.

First of all, I want to point out that when I say Moonrise isn’t my favourite Sarah Crossan book, it’s not really the book that’s the problem. My copy from Netgalley wasn’t formatted correctly, and told me it was only 50% through the book when it was actually at the end, so the ending seemed really sudden, and I know that’s coloured my perception of it. I was expecting another couple of hundred pages (although I don’t know what I thought was going to happen in them!), and then it just seemed to stop, which was disappointing. So that is absolutely nothing to do with the book, which is as beautifully written as any of Sarah’s works.

There’s a real sense of longing throughout the book. (Longing’s not quite the right word, but it gives you the gist.) Joe desperately wants Ed off Death Row and out of prison. He desperately wants the rest of his family to join him, so he’s not alone in Texas. He desperately wants to get to know Nell, a girl who lives in the small town he’s found himself in, better. He’s a 17 year old boy on his own with no money, and he hates it, and I thought this came across really well in the book. The present is interspersed with flashbacks to Joe’s childhood with Ed, and through these we also get to know him, and Angela and their Aunt Karen. The characterisation of all these people is wonderful and I really did feel like I knew them all by the end of the book.

Moonrise is not just about this family though. It’s also a condemnation of the death penalty and the circus that surrounds an execution. Sarah Crossan doesn’t pull any punches in examining the process and the effect it has on everyone involved, including the prison staff and the people who live in a town that essentially only exists because of the prison. I found it an interesting point of view to take, and I certainly feel like I have a better understanding of the system in the US.

I definitely recommend Moonrise to everyone. It’s a beautifully written, coming of age verse novel that packs a powerful punch and it’s out tomorrow, 7th September, in the UK.

Moonrise is the story of Joe Moon who moves to Texas to be near his brother Ed; Ed is on Death Row, convicted of a crime he admitted to but claims he did not commit. Ed has just received notice of his execution date. We spend most of the book wondering if Ed is guilty or not, but that's not the point with this story, his guilt or otherwise is a background element in a story about the process of Death Row, waiting to die, and the impact that it has on all those affected by it. The little details Sarah adds about the process make the story chilling: moving to the last cell to be nearer the chamber, the letter to the family to remind them to make arrangements for the body to be removed, even as there is still hope of an 11th hour stay of execution.
What I loved most about Moonrise was that it addressed the story from the perspectives of everyone, not just the convict and his family, the guards at the prison, their families and the people in the town around the prison. We see how people treat the family of the convicted, and although they have done nothing wrong, there is a sense of Joe and Angela being convicted too: they have to suffer along with Ed.
Moonrise also looks at the relationship between the guards and prisoners, which at times is almost friendly. We discover a lot about the prison warden and his feelings and beliefs. There is a real sense that people there are just doing their job, and unlike any other story I have read on this subject, you really do feel for the prison staff as much as the prisoners and their family. Sarah writes a lot about the unfairness of the system: other prisoners have been there longer but have not had their dates, people have been convicted of more severe crimes and received lesser sentences. There are comments on botched executions and the exorbitant cost "It costs around four million dollars to go through with an execution. that's eight times more money than to imprison someone for life".
Angela is a particlarly admirable character, showing such bravery in how she handles the situation. Their aunt, Karen, was the most interesting character for me. She is a background character for most of the story but we see the influence that she has had on the family, looking after them when their mother leaves, and there are gestures that she truly does care whilst she appears to be keeping her distance.
The story is as emotional as you would expect it to be given the subject matter, and Sarah writes about the subject beautifully. The chapters are quite short, keeping a fast pace to the novel. Sarah switches between the past and the present, which gives the reader some background to the family as well as a let-up in what would otherwise be relentlessly sad. There is an excellent twist; I did guess it, but it still had a big impact when it came and it adds a further dimension to the novel.
I am not a crier, but I think this would be a tear-jerker for most. It hurt my heart and I am still thinking about it long after I put it down.