Halo Moon by Sharon Cohen

The Blurb On The Back:

There’s a hundred ways to start this story, a hundred ways to tell it.

Each one is impossible.

Each one, unbelievable.

But it did all happen and I promise it’s all true.

In Ethiopia, Ageze has unearthed an ancient device that can make predictions. It tells him there is a date, there is a place, there is a moment when it will happen. A disaster that will change everything.

Halo Moon loves stars, and the night sky is full of them in her remote Yorkshire village. It’s a place where nothing interesting ever happens, let alone a catastrophe.

So when a stranger appears at the end of a near-impossible journey and tells her lives are at risk, she can barely believe it. But if she doesn’t help Ageze, everything and everyone she knows might disappear for ever …

( The Review (Cut For Spoilers): )

The Verdict:

Sharon Cohen’s standalone fantasy novel for children aged 9+ does well at showing the tensions in young friendship through the jealousy Jade has for Halo due to her friendship with Pedro and features a largely positive depiction of a modern Ethiopian child (albeit at times it strays towards the “Magical Negro” trope) and I liked Halo’s interest in astronomy but the story itself is quite pedestrian and never caught fire for me.

Thanks to the Amazon Vine Programme for the review copy of this book.