Unhooking the Moon

September 2, 2013
Published in England in 2010 to acclaim and awards, Hughes’s quirky, poignant debut is narrated by nearly-13-year-old Bob, who lives in thrall to his 10-year-old sister, known as the Rat. Prone to seizures and visions, the Rat is obsessed with pedophiles and has a knack for wise, wry adages. The story opens in the siblings’ Winnipeg home, where the Rat’s offhand claim that their loving, but somewhat hapless widowed father will die quickly proves true; she then persuades Bob to travel to New York City to find their long-lost uncle, a purported drug dealer. A madcap road trip via bicycles and freight trains ensues, followed by relentless New York City adventures that include sleeping in Central Park, hustling tourists, and knocking on seedy building doors. From First Nation Natives in Winnipeg to gangsters and a rap star in Manhattan, Bob and the Rat interact with a predictably wild array of characters; readers will appreciate Bob’s seesawing between his determination to protect his “drama queen” of a sister and his frustration at her recklessness. Occasional dark undertones foreshadow the unexpectedly sad, yet realistic conclusion that skillfully avoids turning maudlin. Ages 9–12.

Two Canadian children take on the Big Apple in this deliciously unlikely, unbridled romp. Astonished to hear that their father had a drug-dealing brother in New York, newly orphaned Bob and his live-wire little sister, Marie Claire (aka Rat), hitchhike to the city from Winnipeg. For lack of a better plan, they wander Manhattan and the Bronx asking passersby if they know him. This strategy leads to encounters with a host of colorful city types, notably a pair of softhearted con men and a lonely rising rap star, plus plenty of terrific street theater and nights spent sleeping in, alternately, Central Park and a hyperluxurious apartment. And ultimately the children's search is successful! Their information about Uncle Jerome is even (more or less) accurate, as he turns out to be the CEO of a huge pharmaceutical company. Though many of Hughes' characters will sink emotional hooks into readers, Rat takes and earns center stage by glibly charming the pants off every adult, showing a winning mix of quick wits and vulnerability, and taking wild flights of imagination--her explanation of the (subtle) differences between a Windigo and a pedophile being a particular highlight. So appealing are they that when one of them suffers a tremendous blow, readers will feel it as intensely as the other characters. The dizzying highs intensify but also ameliorate that devastating low. Rousing adventures on the not-so-mean streets, with heart aplenty. (Fiction. 11-13) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

December 1, 2013

Gr 5-8-Determined not to be placed in foster care after their widowed father dies suddenly, 12-year-old Bob DeBillier and 10-year-old Marie Claire (aka "the Rat," her Indian name) hop a freight train in Winnipeg and head to New York in hopes of finding their long-lost Uncle Jerome, reputed to be a drug dealer. The colorful characters and exciting, often dangerous adventures along the way comprise the plot, but it is Rat's persona that drives the story. Clairvoyant, precocious, rambunctious, and the victim of mysterious seizures, she convinces Bob, who narrates from a years-later vantage point, that biking from Brooklyn to the Bronx, sleeping behind bushes in Central Park, scamming in Times Square with an aging con man, and intruding into the life of a famous rap star are all necessary to find Uncle Jerome. But when Rat disappears in midtown, things turn dark, and Bob must find the courage and help he needs to find her, plunging into a situation with violent consequences. While a good deal of the action and over-the-top characterizaion strain credibility, readers will be engrossed in the story right up to the unsettling conclusion. A strong dose of swearing, some foul language, and Rat's habit of bleeping out the ubiquitous f-word pepper the dialogue, and vivid descriptions of Winnipeg and New York City provide a strong, authentic sense of place. This title is fast-paced and entertaining.-Marie Orlando, formerly at Suffolk Cooperative Library System, Bellport, NY

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from November 1, 2013
Grades 6-10 *Starred Review* When 12-year-old Bob and his 12-year-old sister Rat's single-parent father dies unexpectedly, the two orphans hop a freight train from their Winnipeg home to Toronto. Their ultimate goal is New York, where they hope to find their uncle Jerome, reputedly the biggest drug dealer in the Big Apple. Along the way, they are helped by a clutch of unlikely, Damon Runyanesque characters: Joey, a young man who sells smuggled cigars; Tommy, a con man; and Ice, a famous rapper. They all lend a wonderful verisimilitude to the city setting, but it is Rat, a wannabe actress, who steals the show. Fearless and breezily brash in pursuit of her goals, she is the victim of nonepileptic seizures that lead to mysterious but often accurate visions of the future. She's a little strange, says Bob, who narrates the story. She says the spookiest things. Rat's improbable power of precognition demands a certain willing suspension of disbelief from the reader, as do a number of the kids' adventures. But if they are occasionally outrageous, they are also wonderfulbeautifully imagined and realized. Though not without the occasional contrivance and odd shift of tone at the end, this is an antic, swift-paced mini-epic filled with action and adventure. As a bemused Joey asks, Is there ever a dull moment around you kids? The answer, happily, is no. (Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)