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Cattail Moon
Julia Foster and her mother can't seem to agree about anything - Julia's friends, her clothes, and most of all, her consuming interest in music. Determined to be herself, not the "perfect" girl her mother hopes for, Julia chooses to live with her grandmother and her divorced father in a little town in the Cascade Mountains.
But tiny Moon Valley lacks the one thing Julia desperately craves: a good music teacher. When a girl dressed in white appears among the cattails, singing Puccini arias in a haunting voice, Julia knows she must meet her and find out where she studies. But the girl always manages to slip away and vanish among the trees. There are hints that the people of Moon Valley may have the answer to the mystery, and surely Luke Sutherland, Julia's silent, blue-eyed neighbor, knows more about this elusive person than he will admit.
With her latest novel, Cattail Moon, award-winning Jean Thesman has created a romance, a mystery, and an absorbing story of a young girl who is learning to claim her decisions and choices as her own.
But tiny Moon Valley lacks the one thing Julia desperately craves: a good music teacher. When a girl dressed in white appears among the cattails, singing Puccini arias in a haunting voice, Julia knows she must meet her and find out where she studies. But the girl always manages to slip away and vanish among the trees. There are hints that the people of Moon Valley may have the answer to the mystery, and surely Luke Sutherland, Julia's silent, blue-eyed neighbor, knows more about this elusive person than he will admit.
With her latest novel, Cattail Moon, award-winning Jean Thesman has created a romance, a mystery, and an absorbing story of a young girl who is learning to claim her decisions and choices as her own.
Hardcover
First published April 1, 1994
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47 people want to read
About the author
Jean Thesman
43 books48 followersJean Thesman was a widely read and award-winning American author known for her young adult fiction, with a career spanning over 25 years. Her novels often explored themes of family, identity, and belonging, frequently featuring heroines who find their place in the world by uncovering truths about their families and forming chosen connections. “I loved telling the story,” she once wrote, “because I really believed that families were made up of the people you wanted, not the people you were stuck with.”
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.
Born with a passion for storytelling and literacy, she learned to read before starting school and recalled having to wait until she was six years old before being allowed her first library card. Throughout her career, she authored around 40 books, most under her own name but a few under the pseudonym T.J. Bradstreet.
Thesman published a wide range of novels for teens and middle-grade readers, including stand-alone works such as The Rain Catchers, Calling the Swan, and Cattail Moon, as well as series like The Whitney Cousins, The Birthday Girls, and The Elliott Cousins. Her lyrical style, emotional depth, and strong female characters earned her a loyal readership. Notable works like The Ornament Tree and In the House of the Queen’s Beasts remain particularly admired for their nuanced storytelling and emotional resonance.
She was a longtime resident of Washington state and an active member of The Authors Guild and the Society for Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Jean Thesman passed away in 2016 at the age of 86, leaving behind a significant legacy in young adult literature.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 18, 2021
Probably unpopular opinion here, but.... Was it just me, or was Julia as big a snob as her mother? In a different way, of course. Mom was obsessed with popularity and fitting in and Julia didn't really want anything to do with anyone who wasn't in her Exclusive Music Friends Clique. Mom was shallow and snobby and Julia was pretentious and snobby. I see why those two characters clashed. They're WAY too alike to co-exist in the same room, much less the same planet. It's a wonder the book didn't explode for all their drama. So can't say I liked either character much.
LOVED Grandma, though! Absolutely LOVED her! I loved her individuality and her Gonna-Be-Me/Don't-Give-A-Crap-What-The-World-Thinks attitude. I love how she stood up for the people she cares about...even bratty Julia. I loved that she was such an Animal Person (I, too, am an Animal Person, although with cats, not dogs...but dogs are all right too). I wanna be like Grandma when I get to be an old lady!
Honestly, though, the whole ghost story bit with Christine and her ill-fated love affair with the Boy Next Door seemed kind of secondary to what was actually going on. It almost felt like the author had two separate stories she was trying to join together...and that mashup didn't work as well as she hoped. At least not for me. For me this was more of a Coming Of Age/Growing Up story than anything else. And the author should have spent A LOT more time developing Julia's (somewhat lacking) character arc than trying to fit ghosties and ghoulies into the narrative.
And the ending... Was it just me or did anyone else find it a bit too pat? I mean, the solution was too obvious. No lessons were learned, not for Julia or her mother. No mother-daughter reconciliation happened. In my opinion, there was no growth at all. Julia ended up right back where she started, maturity-wise...except she got what she wanted in the end (the moral seemed to be: Throw a tantrum, whine to Daddy, run away from home, mope about for the majority, and you'll get exactly what you want. Hmm). Truthfully, it felt to me like the author just wanted to be done with the story and the characters, so she ended it really quick and clean, not caring about the realistic element. And maybe she did. I know I wouldn't want to spend any more time with Julia than absolutely necessary.
This book was not the author's best.
LOVED Grandma, though! Absolutely LOVED her! I loved her individuality and her Gonna-Be-Me/Don't-Give-A-Crap-What-The-World-Thinks attitude. I love how she stood up for the people she cares about...even bratty Julia. I loved that she was such an Animal Person (I, too, am an Animal Person, although with cats, not dogs...but dogs are all right too). I wanna be like Grandma when I get to be an old lady!
Honestly, though, the whole ghost story bit with Christine and her ill-fated love affair with the Boy Next Door seemed kind of secondary to what was actually going on. It almost felt like the author had two separate stories she was trying to join together...and that mashup didn't work as well as she hoped. At least not for me. For me this was more of a Coming Of Age/Growing Up story than anything else. And the author should have spent A LOT more time developing Julia's (somewhat lacking) character arc than trying to fit ghosties and ghoulies into the narrative.
And the ending... Was it just me or did anyone else find it a bit too pat? I mean, the solution was too obvious. No lessons were learned, not for Julia or her mother. No mother-daughter reconciliation happened. In my opinion, there was no growth at all. Julia ended up right back where she started, maturity-wise...except she got what she wanted in the end (the moral seemed to be: Throw a tantrum, whine to Daddy, run away from home, mope about for the majority, and you'll get exactly what you want. Hmm). Truthfully, it felt to me like the author just wanted to be done with the story and the characters, so she ended it really quick and clean, not caring about the realistic element. And maybe she did. I know I wouldn't want to spend any more time with Julia than absolutely necessary.
This book was not the author's best.
May 6, 2021
One of my favorite from my teenage years.. it has a little bit of romance and mystery. It helps a young person connect to themes of not fitting in and starting over. Jean Thesman's books always have a little bit of sadness connected to them, which is something a moody teenager could easily connect to.
September 24, 2024
A great little book that is not very well known. A touch of mystery, a touch of romance. Oddly, when I read Twilight much later, it reminded me of this book. Possibly because it was about a girl moving to a similar small town... Don't take that the wrong way if you disapprove of Twilight-- this book is far better. Highly recommended. A very short read.
July 29, 2021
Found this one on my bookshelf and I'm not sure where I got it or how long I've had it. It wasn't bad, but I had a hard time becoming attached to any of the characters.
April 23, 2023
I started reading this book when I was in grade 8. It was just in the English class's book box. Something happened and I was never able to finish it. I always thought about it, so 20 years later I decided to look it up and finish it. (I actually hate not finishing books so this was another reason I was determined to find and finish it.)
Clearly I was reading it though much different eyes, but honestly I can still say it was decently written enough to get through it. I was often annoyed by Luke and his "mysteriousness." I found it to be pointless in the end. And, in the end, I was disappointed that I was left feeling underwhelmed by the solving of the mystery that is the theme of the entire book.
I am proud of Julia at the end though and think it's a really healthy and inspirational ending for teen girls. Kind of wish I could give it a 3.5
Clearly I was reading it though much different eyes, but honestly I can still say it was decently written enough to get through it. I was often annoyed by Luke and his "mysteriousness." I found it to be pointless in the end. And, in the end, I was disappointed that I was left feeling underwhelmed by the solving of the mystery that is the theme of the entire book.
I am proud of Julia at the end though and think it's a really healthy and inspirational ending for teen girls. Kind of wish I could give it a 3.5
May 2, 2008
I read this one when I was in grade school. I loved it then, and it stared my love for mystery books.
May 12, 2009
I like her writing style, but all her books are sad. Wasn't scary for having a ghost.
June 29, 2009
It was pretty good, but I hated the decition she made in the end, otherwise it would have been a four for me.
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March 17, 2009I liked it but the end made me mad! Why choose ANYTHING over true love?!
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews