This is an atmospheric, beautiful story that truly brings the reader to the mountains. I loved the characters and the story. I would highly recommend this to readers that are looking for historic fiction!

I chose this book primarily for two reasons – I’m a teacher, and some of my ancestors are from Appalachia. It was interesting to think about the fact that some of the characters could have been my grandparents, great grandparents, and great-great grandparents. I smiled often as I read the dialogue because I could easily hear the character speaking because I’d grown up hearing the dialect when we visited certain relatives.

As a teacher, reading and literacy are everything to me! I do have an inkling of how difficult it would be to be illiterate because I spent two years in a foreign country which has an alphabet entirely unlike English. I was functionally illiterate for those two years, needing to rely on others to help me navigate bills, taxes, and even simple shopping. I can appreciate what it means for a young man to stop schooling at the age of 12 or so because he’s needed to care for the farm at home, or for a young woman to stop schooling because she needed to care for her younger siblings or even her own children in the event of an early marriage.

The characters of this book were so believable. The description of the setting was entirely accurate. I’ve driven some of those “roads” and walked some of those “trails.” Having taught adult basic education, I could easily understand some of the reluctance that the adult had, but yet their burning desire to learn forced them to do whatever was necessary. One of my adult ed students came from this exact region of Kentucky. At 75, he retired from his job, and he came to the school where I taught so he could finally learn how to really read. It was both heartbreaking and so encouraging to see his passion for learning. He could easily have been one of the babies in this story.

Prior to reading this story, I had never heard of the Moonlight Schools. But since becoming aware of them, I’ve come across many references to them. I plan to research this more, thanks to this book. Overall, I felt like the book was a glimpse into my ancestors’ lives. It felt homey to me. It was a hope-filled coming of age, learning to see people differently, growing into romance book. I loved it.

I gratefully received an ARC from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for my unbiased review.

The Moonlight School is based on the real-life story of Cora Wilson Stewart. Cora worked to promote literacy in 1900s Kentucky. Her Moonlight School was established to teach illiterate adults how to read in the evenings after their daily chores were done. The supporting characters in this book are fictional, but Cora's impact on literacy is true and evident.

Lucy is one of those fictional characters in this book. She has traveled to work with her cousin, Cora, in the fight to improve literacy. Lucy is in for a culture shock as she has to learn the dialect and unique ways of the inhabitants of the mountains of Kentucky. Lucy has no idea what is in store for her and just how life-changing this trip will be.

Once again, Suzanne Woods Fisher has written an unforgettable read. This journey to the past is both educational and inspiring. I learned a lot about what it was like for people dealing with illiteracy. I also saw the lengths that Cora Wilson Stewart and others went to in order to make sure everyone had an education. A person is never too old to learn.

I know I say this in every review about Suzanne Woods Fisher's books, but she is one of the best and I will continue to read everything she writes. Thank you so much for the chance to read and review this wonderful book!

Having recently finished "The Moonlight School" by Suzanne Woods Fisher, I am happy to have had the chance for the preview; thank you NetGalley and Revell.

Although this story was entertaining, I was expecting more Cora Wilson Stewart and "Moonlight-School Lady" moments. Instead I found myself following along with Lucy Wilson and her fictional story regarding a missing family member, jealousy, discovery and independence. This quote near the end of the book stood out, "... while reading historical fiction, a reader has every right to wonder where truth ends and fiction begins."
This story was entertaining as fiction, but the educational moments of history, and the mountain people of Rowan County, Kentucky and their journey to eliminate illiteracy seemed to play second fiddle.

***
I did appreciate the "So… What Happened Next? and Fact or Fiction?" chapters at the end of the book. They gave me the history I was initially anticipating.

Having been born and raised in southern Kentucky, reading this book was like coming home. From the accurate descriptions of the hollers, pride of the mountain people, and use of the KY slang, the author does an excellent job bring the story to line and making you feel as if you are living it.

While a fictional story, it has many factors that are true. Cora Wilson made great changes in both Rowan County and the United States. She was ahead of her time by being in such a place of power for a woman. She was a remodel for many women through the years. Without her visionary wisdom, I would hate to see where Kentucky would be today. This was captured so eloquently within the pages of this book.

I grew up saying many of the KY slang words myself as well as with family members who did not complete a high school education and have limited reading skills. I know first hand the struggles illiteracy presents as well as the pride carried by people to be their own person and their commitment to their ways of life. The depiction of that was very accurate.

This book is a must read for everyone. It tells of the strength and frailty of humanity regardless of social economic standing. It is an eye opening book to the challenges many still face today. It cause you to look at things in a different light and not take for granted what you have.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book from Revell through NetGalley. All opinions expressed are completely my own.

The Moonlight School
by Suzanne Woods Fisher
Revell
Christian | Historical Fiction | Women's Fiction
Pub Date 02 Feb 2021


I am reviewing a copy of The Moonlit School through Revell and Netgalley:


Lucy Wilson is haunted by her sisters disappearance when she arrives in Rowan County Kentucky, it’s was the spring of 1911 when Lucy goes to work for Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education. After Cora sends Lucy to the hills to act as a scribe for the mountain people and intellectual poverty she encounters. Few adults can read and write.


Cora, who was born in those hills knows the plague of illiteracy. So does Brother Wyatt, a singing schoolmaster who travels through the hills. She involves Lucy and Wyatt, Cora hatches a plan to open the schoolhouses to adults on moonlit nights. She believes the best way to combat poverty is eliminate illiteracy. But will help come?



As Lucy emerges from a life she felt had been lived in the shadows, she finds purpose or perhaps its purpose that finds her. With purpose comes answers to her questions, and something else she hadn't expected: love.



The Moonlight School brings to life the story that shocked the nation into taking adult literacy seriously.



I give The Moonlight School five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

RATING: 3.5 STARS
2021; Revell

The Moonlight School is based on a true story, but is a fictionalized account of it. The main character, Lucy is fictional, while her cousin Cora Wilson Stewart was real. The novel starts out with Lucy's younger sister going missing as Lucy was absorbed in her novel (Little Women- for those book addicts like me). Years later her father's marries a young woman in her graduating class. While there is no overt drama, there is some tension with the new bride being her peer. Lucy is sent out to help her cousin Cora, who is the first female superintendent of education, in Rowan County (1911). She is sent out to the hills to help folks read and write letters. As Lucy sees the place her own successful father came from, and how the people in the hills live, she starts to build a confidence of her own. I loved the characters in this book. Fisher does such a great job in bringing them to life and also letting us see the world around them.

I did rather the novel 3.5 stars though, so I did a two issues with the book. One, I did not care for a storyline that seemed a bit too forced. I was also torn about the outcome of what Lucy decides for this person. I was also disappointed with where the novel ended. I felt like that was when the novel started to get really interesting. I wanted to now more of what would happen with the Moonlight School. Fisher does give an afterwards on what was fact, and more on the Moonlight school, which I am grateful for. Yet, I would have rather read about it through the characters than just an afterwards. It would have been nice to have more of Cora's thoughts as well. I like the story but at times just felt like there was a bit something missing, and I wanted to hear more from other characters. I do think it is worth the read as it is an interesting tale.

***I received a complimentary copy of this trade paperback from the publisher. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

This book was good. While it is fiction, you call tell the author has based it on history. So it's historical fiction with a bit of romance. I really like how the author describes the people and places. It makes me feel as if I'm there with them all.

I 'knew' illiteracy was a bigger thing back then but I truly hadn't realized how widespread it was until this book. It was just something that I kind of realized had been an issue, but simply hadn't realized how much of an issue. The author is a wonderful storyteller and it kept my attention throughout.

4/5

Thank you to the author/publisher for the review copy via Celebrate Lit. I received this book in exchange for an honest review and the opinions stated above are 100% mine.

This was my first book by this author, It was pretty enjoyable. I would give this book a 3.5 star rating! It was a pretty Quick and easy read!

Whether is in her beautiful Amish tales or her fantastic contemporary romances, Suzanne Woods Fisher provers herself to be quite the talented storyteller no matter the genre of stories she writes! The Moonlight School proves this once again! This story is based on the true story of Cora Wilson Stewart and her mission to bring literacy to Appalachia, Rowan County, Kentucky. While I found it to be a bit different than other books I'd read by this author in the past, it was a truly enlightening read nonetheless. I don't know much about the true events on which this was based on, but the fictional take certainly had me wanting to learn more. Walking away from this book, I think we will all find ourselves feeling very grateful for the gift of literacy that I think we likely take for granted! A world without reading!? I couldn't imagine! Overall, a good read and one that fans of historical fiction will be sure to want to check out.

**I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher via Netgalley for consideration. All thoughts are my own.

Thanks to Netgalley and Revell for an egalley in exchange for an honest review.

Maybe you don't know this about me but I don't enjoy movies about teachers. I avoid them like the plague for the way they oversimplify my profession. On the other hand, I LOVE books that feature teachers.

This 2021 new release is on the creation of Kentucky's moonlight schools which helped improve literacy rates across the county and eventually the state. It is also the story of Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education whose drive to educate changed the way people thought of adult literacy. Contrary to popular beliefs of the time, it was indeed possible to read at ANY AGE.

Through the eyes of fictional characters who interact with Cora, we experience the beauty of rural Kentucky while also witnessing the primitive conditions and intellectual poverty of the early 20th century. Whether you're an adult or a teen, no doubt the characters will make you laugh and cry.

#erinrossreads2021 #readersofinstagram #teachersandbooks #goodreads #netgalley #revellpublishing

Goodreads and Instagram review published 07/04/21

If this book had been another 100 pages longer, I would have happily kept reading! I loved learning about the moonlight schools that were created by the real-life Cora Wilson Stewart, the superintendent of education of Rowan County, Kentucky. This book's theme about the illiteracy of Kentucky hit a place in my heart. Like the fictional characters in the book, my great-grandmother also grew up in Kentucky and only received a 3rd grade education. When she grew up, she instilled the importance of getting the education she lacked in her children. Because of her insistence of the importance of learning, my grandmother, mother, aunts, sister, and I would all grow up to become teachers, so that we too could educate and inspire. Therefore, reading about how Cora Wilson Stewart persistently and successfully created moonlight schools for adults was inspirational to me. As I was reading this book, I used her story to empower my own students and myself to not give up on trying to learn since we've had to get used to learning and teaching remotely because of the pandemic.

As a bonus to the historical parts of the story, I enjoyed reading about the fictional character Lucy Wilson who comes to help her aunt Cora. Lucy quickly becomes wrapped up in Cora's mission to educate the adults and children in the community. With the help of Brother Wyatt, a singing schoolmaster, she acquires data for Cora's plan to educate the adults in their community. Fin and Angie, two other fictional teenagers in the story, also add a bit of drama to the story as well. There is also an interesting plot line about Lucy's little sister being kidnapped at the beginning of the story. All in all, this book was a very enjoyable read. I thoroughly enjoyed the author's notes at the end of the novel. The only thing that kept me from giving this book a 5-star rating was that there wasn't a lot of time spent in the book with the moonlight schools actually being opened. The title of the book led me to believe that this book would be about adults learning in a moonlight school, but instead most of the story was about getting ready to open the moonlight schools. I had hoped for a little bit more of the story to have been set with the moonlight schools being opened and operational. Perhaps a sequel could quench this thirst for more information about the adults who learned in these moonlight schools. I would be first in line to read that kind of a book if it became available. Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

The best part of this book was learning about a pioneer of Adult education, Cora Wilson Stewart, and seeing how literacy can transform and empower people.
The main character of this book is not Cora, however, it is Lucy Wilson, a fictional neice of Cora's who is employed by her in her work educating people in rural Kentucky during the early 1900's. Lucy is timid, and she is haunted by the disappearance of her sister. Cora is strong willed and determined to break Lucy out of her comfort zone so that she can make her own way in life - apart from her domineering father. I did enjoy seeing Lucy interact with the people of rural Kentucky - especially the teenagers who struggle with wether or not schooling is worth it. Lucy also attracts some gentleman callers, and faces a lot of difficult decisions along the way. Still, some of her story seemed rather simplistic and the part that I enjoyed the most was seeing how the adults reacted once they were given the opportunity to attend the "moonlight schools" and learn to read and write for themselves. The idea is not met with open arms by all - but Lucy and company learn to lean on a higher power to give them strength as they work hard to make their dream a reality.
Fans of the stories mule-riding librarians will enjoy the similar themes in this story, along with some romance and some faith-filled soul searching.

This was a very good story. Suzanne did a great job laying the foundation for this book and the characters. I was interesting to be in the different point of views we got to be in.

It’s so hard to imagine not knowing how to read and how easily we take it for granted, but it really is a gift.

Lucy is a wonderful character so watch grow through her encounters with the mountain people.

I was also curious how things would work out for many of the characters and the romance that may or may not have been brewing.
.

A copy of this book was given to me through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

There aren't snough words for how much I loved this book. Based on the life of a real person, her passion. Is to bring literacy to the mountain folk of early 20th century Kentucky. Being a fan of Suzanne Woods Fisher, I'd heard about this book, but frankly thought it sounded fairly boring. I should have known Suzanne wouldnt let me down. A page turner from beginning to end. I couldn't put it down. This book was given to me by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, and I honestly LOVED this book!

The Moonlight School by Suzanne Woods Fisher is another example of why Fisher is one of the best. The story of Cora Wilson Stewart, who fought hard for adults to learn to read in the early nineteen hundreds, will grab you and keep hold. Stewart was the first woman superintendent in Kentucky and worked hard to prove that she could do what a man could. She cared about each of the students in her care and wanted them to learn to read. She believed that adults couldn't learn after a certain age, until an older lady from in the hills came to her and showed her how she had taught herself to read. After that, Cora knew that she and so many others were wrong. Adults could learn, or, to coin the phrase: you can teach an old dog new tricks. Thus, The Moonlight Schools were born. Fifty schools in rural Kentucky where adults of any age could learn to read and write, thus helping them more than any would realize. The book itself is told from the viewpoint of Stewart's fictional niece. We meet Lucy and grow with her as she learns to forgive and love herself, and as she learns to love the mountains and their people. A delightful story (as I knew it would be!). What are you waiting for? Time to read it!
Thanks to #NetGalley for the chance to read and review this book. All opinions are my own. #Bookstagram #all_the_pages

This book was amazing! For some reason, I kept putting this book off in favor of other books that sounded more exciting. But I'm sorry I didn't read it sooner! It has lovable characters, interesting plot lines, a bit of mystery and a light romance. Everything needed for an unforgettable novel.

The story centers around Lucy Wilson, a young woman lost in her grief and guilt about the past. She is hired as an assistant to her cousin, Cora Wilson Stewart. Cora has just been elected as Superintendent of Education; unheard of in her time! Cora basically strong arms Lucy into helping her with her mission to educate the illiterates of the Appalachian mountains. Together, they invent the idea to educate any person, regardless of age, in the evenings after chores are finished.

I was surprised at how much history the author was able to put into a good story. It is a work of fiction, but so much of it actually happened.
I recommend anyone who is a fan of historical fiction or Christian fiction to read this book. You won't be disappointed!

Picking up this read because of the interesting title and the lovely cover art, I was not expecting such an engaging and interesting read. This story is based on a true story and Ms. Fisher has certainly researched Cora Wilson Stewart and the events surrounding the midnight school concept. This reader was caught after the first chapter. Ms. Cora and her niece Lucy are strong characters and the setting is set by the trip up the mountain the first time Lucy makes her way up. It makes the reader jump into the world of the appalachian area in the early twentieth century. Learning that the entire story is based on true events made this read stick with this reader long after the last page was read.
The Moonlight School will satisfy any fan of historical fiction and strong female characters. It is a quick and enjoyable read that will make you want to go back for more. This is the first time I have read anything from Ms. Fisher but I will be checking out her other offerings. At the end of the book, Ms. Fisher includes the facts about the Moonlight schools and shares what she added to her story. There is also book discussion questions also included for book club discussions.
I received an ARC ebook from NetGalley and the publisher, Revell, in exchange for an honest review.

Steeped in the culture of eastern Kentucky, The Moonlight School is sure to please fans of historical fiction.

The characters are fun, especially Angie and Finley! Their interactions are hilarious and I found myself looking forward to their shenanigans. Brother Wyatt is lovely, Cora is a fireball, and Lucy's growth throughout the novel is substantial.

I found myself fired up and passionate about illiteracy in my region (as I am an eastern Kentucky girl), following the heart of Cora. Fisher does an excellent job of portraying the challenges AND the unique blessings of these Appalachian people and I truly appreciated it.

Overall, this book is a wonderful dedication to such a life-changing endeavor in our country.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel from the publisher. All expressed opinions belong to me.

As a retired teacher, this story became dear to my heart. By the time I finished this book, I was wishing that I could have been a teacher in one of the “Moonlight Schools”.

This book is set in the year 1911. It’s based on the real life story of Cora Wilson Stewart, who was the first female superintendent of education in the state of Kentucky. Cora had a deep love and burden for the people who lived in the mountains of Kentucky. Many of the adults had never had an opportunity to learn to read or write, and Cora was rightly convinced that they needed to be able to read well enough to write letters and communicate with loved ones; but also that no one could cheat them in any way when it came to land transactions. She realized that the adults could not attend school during the daytime with their children. So the “Moonlight School” concept was born—-the adults would walk in the moonlight to their local school building and learn reading, writing, math, and history. Cora’s idea caught on like wildfire, and made a difference in the quality of life for the mountain people.

But this book has some wonderful fictional characters, too. I enjoyed following Lucy Wilson’s journey as she came to know and love the students she taught in the mountain school. Her struggles were both amusing and heartwarming. She has known heartbreak in the loss of her sister. Wyatt sees Lucy’s struggles, and extends not only friendship but helps her see her need to on God to carry her through life’s struggles. There’s several other characters in this book that became “real” to me as I got to know them on these pages, and I almost hated to finish the book and leave them behind.

If you liked Catherine Marshall’s “Christy”, you’ll also enjoy this book.
I always love learning something new when I read historical fiction, and I’ll always remember this story about the Moonlight Schools.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher. All opinions are my own.