Maggot Moon

Gardner, Sally. Maggot Moon. Candlewick, 2013.

Standish Treadwell lives in the Motherland, where everything is very tightly controlled. People live on the edge of poverty, and access to information is very limited.  Everyone is preparing for the lunar landing, when Standish and his friend find one of the moon men. What if everything they've been told their entire lives is a lie?

The narrative style and lack of background information in this book frustrated me.  I wanted to enjoy it and understand it better, but it was hard to get into.  I did enjoy the plot twists and the climax of the story, even if they were both pretty predictable.  I think it would have helped, with a setting so different from ours, if the author had spent more time world-building and introducing the characters before launching into the plot.  An interesting read, nonetheless.

Recommended for: teens, especially strong readers

Red Flags: none

Overall Rating: 3/5 stars