Northward to the Moon

Starred review from January 4, 2010
This poignant sequel to Horvath's My One Hundred Adventures
continues to trace the physical and emotional journeys of Jane's unconventional family. The story begins in Saskatchewan, where Jane's new stepfather, Ned, has taken a position as a French teacher. When he's fired from his job (it turns out that he doesn't know French), Jane, her parents, and her younger siblings head west to visit one of Ned's friends, an elderly Native American woman. Then the family moves on to Vegas, trailing Ned's estranged brother, who, for unknown reasons, has left them a bag of money. For a while, it's fun for Jane, pretending they are outlaws on the run (“I imagine us all on horseback with masks, robbing trains and making our way to Mexico”), but when they settle in with Ned's mother on her remote horse ranch, Jane begins to long for Massachusetts, her home before Ned entered the picture. A dynamic montage of dark and light moments, this novel shows rather than tells Jane's changing moods, her ambivalent feelings about being uprooted, and her quiet observations of her unpredictable yet endearing family members. Ages 10–13.

March 1, 2010
Gr 4-7-Highly unusual situations and eccentric, individualistic characters fill this quirky sequel to "My One Hundred Adventures" (Random, 2008). Jane, the oldest of four children, narrates her family's escapades as they go off in search of their stepdad's long-lost brother. Because of Ned's job as a French teacher, the family was reluctantly transplanted from their seaside home in Massachusetts to Saskatchewan. As this story begins, Ned is fired when it is discovered that he doesn't know French. Jane's somewhat mature musings about family life and Horvath's rich prose and characterization breathe life into this humorous and poignant tale. Though basically irresponsible, Ned is likable in spite of his limited parenting skills. He has been out of touch with his own mother and sisters for 20 years. Maya, Jane's eight-year-old sister, suffers from the unstable family life, a problem that Jane seems to notice more than anyone else. Their mother is the epitome of patience and denial. When Ned is called to the bedside of Mary, an elderly Native American who helped him 20 years earlier, the family travels from Saskatchewan to New Brunswick. Ned discovers that his brother, a Las Vegas magician, has left a bag of money with her. Suspicions abound about its origins. Ned's quest to find his brother leads him to his mother's ranch in Nevada and myriad complications. Horvath once again writes with the humor, compassion, and sensitivity that keep readers turning pages. Underlying all the adventures is the longing for elusive true family life."Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2009
Grades 5-8 This sequel to My One Hundred Adventures (2008) picks up the story of Jane and her family a year later in Saskatchewan, as they prepare to move away, returning to Massachusetts by a roundabout route. Circumstances arise that lead Ned, Janes stepfather, to reconnect with women from his past: first, an elderly First Nations woman who took him in when he was young, and next, his estranged mother and sisters. His journey determines the familys destinations and parts of the plot. While Jane narrates the novel, much of it feels less like her story than in the previous book, though a particularly poignant subplot involves her enduring the hope and pain of a first, hopeless crush and the humiliation of realizing that everyone else knows. Many characters here are distinct, wonderfully idiosyncratic individuals, and Horvaths fine-tuned observations are conveyed with subtlety and precision. The open-ended conclusion seems to promise another sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)