I: I’ll Watch the Moon by Ann Tatlock

   Ann Tatlock has woven an amazing story full of believable characters. I was drawn into the story from the first page, and I truly cared about the characters so much that I couldn't put it down. The story is told from the perspective of nine-year old Nova Tierney. She lives with her mother and her 14-year-old brother Dewey in a boarding house owned by her Aunt Dortha. The boarders and Mr. Diehl across the street form the remainder of the main cast of characters.

   The setting is 1948, when polio and influenza are running rampant and wreaking havoc across the nation. Nova's mother tries her best to protect her children, but polio catches up with Dewey when he and two friends disobey and go swimming one hot summer day. Nova and Dewey are extremely close and she usually tags along—hence her nickname "Tag"—but Dewey won't let her this time because of the danger. The consequences of the simple pleasure of swimming are severe, and we as readers follow the family as Dewey is hospitalized with polio.

   Several other sub-plots are sprinkled throughout the book, and the result is a dynamic story of a family struggling through heartache and learning to find happiness and peace in the midst of it all. You won't be disappointed with this book, I promise.