Chasing the Moon

by Penny Chamberlain

During the U.S. Prohibition of the 1920s, an illegal, one-way trade in alcohol arose. Canadian brews flowed south, and American dollars flowed north, creating fortunes that can still be seen in Canadian society today. Central to this trade were the rum-runners, their loaded boats speeding through dark waters, dodging pirates and the U.S. Coast Guard to bring their illegal cargo to thirsty Americans. In Chasing the Moon, Penny Chamberlain drops young, courageous Kit feet-first into this dangerous world. With her mother in a tuberculosis sanatorium, Kit must spend the summer with her estranged father, whose mysterious nighttime activities and free-spending habits arouse her suspicions. Then a strange carnival boy enters the picture. He has an eerie way with a tarot deck that shakes Kit to the core. Still, something about him engages Kit, and, together, they embark on a headlong journey that will carry them from the dark waters south of Victoria to the "blind pigs" of Seattle. On the way, Kit will discover depths of insight she did not know she possessed, and will win for herself one of her dearest wishes.

256 pages, Paperback

First published September 25, 2006

About the author

Penny Chamberlain loves hearing stories about real-life adventures. In her work as a physiotherapist she has met many people with fascinating tales to tell. One that she will always remember came from an elderly man who confessed to having been a rum-runner in the late 1920s. Inspired by the encounter, Penny learned everything she could about the daring lives of rum-runners, then began writing Chasing the Moon.

Penny was born in Nanaimo, British Columbia, and now lives in Victoria with her husband, Adrian, and their daughter Katie. She loves children's literature and her favourite pastime is reading and writing children's books.

Her first book, The Olden Days Locket, is also juvenile historical fiction. The Olden Days Locket was nominated for a Saskatchewan Young Readers' Choice Diamond Award, a Red Cedar Award, and a Chocolate Lily Award.

Reviews

[Loraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why is it that all the good books I get are given to me. My friends and relatives know what books i like better then I do!
Anyways, I thought this book was really good. Genuinely good. Strangely I could relate to the whole situation...

[Lehan]

good