Moon Eyes

by Josephine Poole, Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)

Kate, her father and little brother, 5-year-old Thomas, live in an impoverished state in a grand old house that has been in the family for generations. When her struggling artist father decides he needs to go away and paint, he leaves Kate and Thomas in the care of neighbor Mrs Beer and her husband. In the great old house, with only Thomas for company, Kate is terribly alone. So when Aunt Rhoda appears in the quiet village and introduces herself as a relative, Kate is more than happy to welcome her in. But too soon Kate begins to feel the menacing usurpation of Aunt Rhoda's presence, and senses the arrival of the great dog Moon Eyes. She has opened her home to something much greater. So begins a deadly struggle for possession—with Thomas as the prize.

Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Young Adult, Fantasy

150 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1965

About the author

Jane Penelope Josephine Helyar known by her nom de plume Josephine Poole is the renowned author of several books for children and young adults. Her first book was published in 1961, and she has also written extensively for television. She lives in Somerset.

https://whistlesinthewind.wordpress.c...

Reviews

[Capn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A classic tale of menace and suspense
She dreamt that she walked along dark passages in a house that she did not know. Each passage contained many doors, all closed, and she could hear Thomas crying. She walked faster and faster, and then began to run . . .
Kate's father has gone away for a time and left her to look after her little brother, Thomas. So when Aunt Rhoda appears, she gladly welcomes her in. But with her comes Moon Eyes, a great black dog with pale eyes, and soon Kate is desperate to be free of them both. So begins a deadly struggle for possession - with Thomas as the prize . . .
'sinister power is compellingly conveyed' - The Guardian

Selectively mute preschooler Thomas and his older sister Kate (15) are abandoned by their artist father for a few months as he struggles with motivation for his painting. Their mother had died soon after Thomas was born, and since the Pawleys have lived in the village for generations, the father has no qualms in dumping the responsibility for their safety on a nearby elderly couple of even longer-standing local stock who function as housekeepers and gardeners to the Pawleys, the Beers. In spite of Mrs Beer's warmth and kindness, Kate begins to grow lonely. And when Rhoda Cantrip, the pre-existing daughter of Kate's grandfather's second (and disasterous) marriage, reappears in the village, Kate dutifully welcomes her to stay with them at Hurst Camber.

So the widely known rule #1 about witches is already broken - never invite them in. (I just finished another book for much younger children, The Witch Rose by Annie Dalton, which also serves as a good primer for such folklore regarding witches, if you're looking for such a story).

Moon Eyes was not first published in the 21st century, as the GR info for this Hodder's Children's Book edition suggests, but in 1965. And truthfully, I spent the first slow and somewhat dull third of the book wondering why in the name of all that is captivating did Hodder choose to republish Moon Eyes when they could have done Billy Buck/The Visitor: A Story of Suspense by the same author (The Visitor is free to borrow on OpenLibrary!!!).

Reading further, discovering the Christian prayer and ecclesiastical undertones here, showed me why. Here's another creeping, insidious work of dread by Poole, but in spite of all the witchiness and demonic fear, (spoilers follow for app users) a church-based amulet and prayer effectively nullify all the forces of darkness. Kneeling Kate is at one point 'transfigured' in a sunbeam while offering up Thomas to God in the church, turning the tide of the story. And while there is nothing wrong with that, story-wise, I'm pretty sure it's what earned this particular story consideration for republication. Billy Buck, however, has no such reassuring message...

Another reviewer has suggested that this is 'too dark' for a child's book. But let us not forget that individual tastes vary also amongst the young. ;) I'll have to hyperlink the "What's the Name of That Book?!" discussion on what I have presumed to be Poole's The Lilywhite Boys here later (writing on app; EDIT: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...), because it appears that she had written a couple of adult books, that one being misfiled as juvenile in at least one major library, presumably by dint of its title as well as the author's publication history of spooky children's stories. I mention this because I'm not entirely convinced she did write that one 'for adults', and perhaps wary editors just pushed the manuscript a little higher along the scale for safety: Moon Eyes and Billy Buck are both "very creepy" for children's lit. If ever I find an affordable copy of The Lilywhite Boys...! But I digress.

While this book certainly has some memorable and scary scenes, I feel opportunities were wasted - and spoilers follow from here, so stop reading now if you care - Mrs. Beer has her dream-based premonitions. We could have used some reinforcement by having one of her dreams regarding Rhoda or Moon Eyes the dog relayed to Kate and Kate using that dream to her advantage. I also am unclear of the use of Thomas to Rhoda: we are told that it is because he is now the defacto master of the house in his father's absence, but that wasn't enough for me. The selective mutism was a nice touch, but why?! And what actually caused its resolution? Was this all fated to happen, and if so, why? Most disappointing to me, however, and for silly reasons, was Kate chancing upon the rhyme:

'Trefoil, vervain, John's Wort, dill
Hinder witches of their will'

, but then only needing one of these 4 plants to have an effect (St John's Wort). Nightshade and myrrh are used by Rhoda. I don't know - I wanted more of that "hedge magic" content, though I suppose the scraping of lead from the church window was meant to be as or more powerful. Again, I think the familiarity of the Christian church having power against the darkness in this story was what helped it be brought back to bookshelves. Nothing wrong with that at all, except that invoking the highest ultimate power sort of dwarves the individual struggles of Kate for me. There was also the character of Miss Byebegone, her schoolteacher. I felt that the awkward evening with Cantrip and Byebegone could have been better utilized (for example, Kate seeing one thing, her teacher another). Still, it was creepy and relatable enough that Miss Byebegone only saw a caring if not unusual spinster aunt in Cantrip.

So a creepy, black, silent wolf-like dog in Moon Eyes, who emerges from a magical pond, pentagrams scratched in the wall, and the ghostly inscription of

First we'll wait, then we'll whistle, then we'll dance

scratched through the lichen of a garden statue will probably stand out for me as being the eerie highlights in this story that just wasn't nearly as good as Billy Buck. ;)

Ah yes - this story is largely set in the springtime, around Easter. Did the wild garlic (ramsons) crushed underfoot in the woods play a protective role? I wasn't quite sure.

[Jennifer Heise · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just re-read this and while it's not quite as gripping as I remember it from adolescence, it's still a eerie English countryside magic story that lives up to Trina Schart Hyman's engrossing illustrations. One does wonder at all the hedge magic and casual accounts of local witchcraft going on, but feel is classic.

[Laurel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I first read this when I was about 10 or 11 and it scared me to death. I read it again a few years ago and it still creeps me out. Very well-written: evocative and atmospheric. Poole creates an ever-increasing sense of dread as Kate fights to understand what is happening to her life and her family: Who, or what, are Aunt Rhoda and Aunt Rhoda's great black dog Moon Eyes, and how can Kate save her little brother Thomas from falling under their spell forever?

[Alan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to spot this book at the old Schaberg Library where I grew up, and the haunting cover at stayed with me. Years later as an adult I tracked the book down. Glad I waited. Despite being marketed as a children's book, it is a very adult story, with two children, one too young to even understand, in great jeopardy. Not unlike Davis Grubb's similar "Night of the Hunter", but here the menace is truly supernatural and the forces of witchcraft all too real. The book evokes the cold, clammy feel of Ramsey Campbell's horror stories. An excellent read, but not for faint of heart...

[Tara ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

A gothic tale for children, full of mystery and suspense, this extraordinarily original story of a brother and sister in an old estate house in rural England set in a battle against an old evil is like nothing else I've ever read. My favorite childhood book, I would take it out of our small town library every summer and read it. Decades later, it still has the power to move and unsettle me while at the same time creating a world of wonder and unease.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an eerie tale, well told and suspenseful.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chilling story of a young girl's struggle to save her brother and her home from evil forces.

[Medea · Rating 5 out of 5]

wonderful. I remember this from childhood. Mind you this author is extremely hard to find. I'd recommend checking e-bay.

[R.L. Martinez · Rating 2 out of 5]

The beginning is super bogged down with description and awkward prose. Not sure it is worth paying for. If you can find it at your library, definitely do that.

[Kripa · Rating 4 out of 5]

So incredibly creepy yet I read it again and again as a young teen and still re-read it once every few years.

[Caden · Rating 5 out of 5]

Deliciously spooky along the vein of "Something Wicked This Way Comes."