Talking to the Moon

Iris is living with her grandmother, Mimi, while her room at home is being renovated. It should be fun, but her grandmother isn’t herself: she’s forgetting names and losing the thread of conversations. Iris writes notes to Mimi, to remind her of all the things, big and small, that she’s missing. And while Mimi talks to the moon, Iris sometimes talks to the irritating boy next door, who might become a friend.

But as some things are forgotten, others come to light. What really happened to Coral, the girl who was supposedly eaten by a sea monster? Why did Coral and her grandmother have matching bracelets?

Memory and history are explored in this moving story of friendship and love between grandparent and child, which is set by the sea. Iris is defensive, a child with too much on her shoulders, who is trying her best to protect her beloved grandmother from the brutal truths of dementia and aging. The book is written in glimpses of present-tense text that mimic the immediacy of memories. It would suit stronger readers who enjoy dramas about family relationships that tug at the heart-strings.