The Ebb and Flow of Moonrise

Our two novels this round were Ebb and Flow and Moonrise. Both books are written in a freeform poetic format, and tell engaging tales. 

Moonrise tells the tale of a young boy visiting his brother on Death Row. I’ll admit that the reason I read this book first is because the cover felt nice; a smooth velvety feel (YAY TEXTURES). The character is interesting and the story is made accessible despite covering some tough stuff. The main character does not come from a privileged background and is doing what he can to make it through. The novel also made me question my own preconceived notions, as the image of the character in my head was definitely based on stereotypes. 

Ebb and Flow is a much shorter read and only took a couple of hours to go through. It would be awesome from reluctant readers that can’t stay focused on a single book for long. Ebb and Flow tells the story of 11 year old Jett, that is visiting his Grandma after doing something bad. It takes a while to learn what the bad thing is; eventually you learn that Jett had done something to hurt a friend of his (who is an adult that is also a little boy). 

Overall both books are fairly good, however Moonrise was our pick as winner. As the story is much longer, the reader gets to know the characters better. The story was also more engaging for us as readers, as the subject matter is a little more interesting and has a focus on Social Justice issues (that being said, the subject matter of Ebb and Flow would be great for readers in a late elementary, or early Jr High level).