Unhooking the Moon

Unhooking the Moon

Juvenile
It's the rare book that takes a ragtag cast including two run
away orphans, a street hustler, a con artist, and a rapper and raises
their narrative to a fairy tale quest. Gregory Hughes does exactly
that with Unhooking the Moon. It's equal parts mean streets and magic
and very well worth reading.
Bob and his little sister, Rat (Marie Claire), come home from
school one day to find their single parent father dead on the kitchen
floor. Bob is afraid the authorities will put them in homes, maybe
even separate them. Rat may be in danger. She sometimes has
seizures. She always seems to be in a world of her own. Bob fears
that she'll end up in a psychiatric hospital.
There is one glimmer of hope. Their dad had a younger brother
who is believed to be a big city drug kingpin. Perhaps they can get
him to become their guardian. They have to overcome a number of
obstacles in their quest for family. First, they have to convince
adults in their town to help them bury their dad and refrain from
calling the authorities. Second, they have to travel primarily by
boxcar quite a distance to New York City. Since they live in Canada,
this (third) means covertly crossing the border. Fourth, when they
get to the Big Apple they have to find someone who may very well not
want to be found using only a name and a picture.
This is a truly transcendent narrative about the power of love.
Bob may find the Rat aggravating in the way of all or most siblings.
However, when he has to grow up very fast in a tragic situation he
finds himself capable of taking huge risks for the fragile being he
realizes he loves the most. Unhooking the Moon is a wonderfully
appropriate title because you know Bob will find a way to achieve even
that to gain Marie Claire's safety.
On a personal note, I have decided on quite the quest. Maybe no
rappers or con artists (except that I can be quite the little con
artist in service of my causes) will be involved. But it will take
quite a few people to pull this off. I am going to apply to
University of Maine to get started on my masters in education fall
semester 2015. The only way I can afford it is a teaching
assistantship which would be quite competitive. I've converted my
small savings account to be a grad school account. Not that there is
all that much. But it gives me hope.
A great big shout out goes out to all who dream big dreams and take
big risks in the service of love.
Julia Emily Hathaway



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