The End of the Sky

A Slice of the Moon #2

by Sandi Toksvig

11-year-old Slim Hannigan and her family left their home in Ireland to travel to America - in search of a better life. It has been so long and such a journey that Slim Hannigan and the rest of her family can't even imagine what home looks like anymore. And there are many, many miles across America for them to travel before they reach their destination.

Between them and the home of their uncle lie thousands of miles of dangerous land, wild animals and strangers who do not wish them well. Slim has to draw on bravery like she's never known to keep her family together and to keep them moving forward.

Genres: Childrens

486 pages, Hardcover

Published October 5, 2017

About the author

Danish/British writer, presenter, comedian, actress and producer on British radio and television. She currently presents The News Quiz on BBC Radio 4 and 1001 Things You Should Know on Channel 4. In October 2012 she succeeded Sheila Hancock as Chancellor of the University of Portsmouth.

Reviews

[MarkP · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've always liked Sandi Toksvig from programs like 'Whose Line is it Anyway','QI' and more recently from 'The Great British Bake-off' but am ashamed to say I never knew she wrote. I have to say that I really enjoyed this tale about an Irish family making the epic trip from Ireland to Oregon in the nineteenth century. It's a grueling journey almost from start to finish and it's clear that Toksvig did an enormous amount of research - I often found myself googling things from the book to find out more, or, I'm ashamed to say sometimes because I doubted the accuracy of what I was reading.

The characters are mostly really well drawn and believable and I found myself caring about their progress and wondering throughout what lay in store for them. There are some great supporting characters too with names like 'Nervous Bob' that add to the flavour of the adventure.

Well worth a read.

[Tina · Rating 4 out of 5]

The family travel the wagon trail to the Wild West, encountering various difficulties on the way. Great adventure, almost as engrossing as A Slice of the Moon. Look forward to the third instalment, which is hinted at!

[Sandrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really enjoyable read!

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually the sequel to A Slice of The Moon.
I didn’t know this was a sequel and it worked fine as a standalone. The ending seemed unnecessarily complicated and unlikely but I assume it was finishing off strands from the first book.
There was one glaring continuity error where Slim writes in a notebook given to her by someone she hasn’t met yet.

[Sudeshna Ghosh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy, fun read

[Karen · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like Sandi Toksvig, but why write this book? It is obviously a story and a people she knows nothing about. I was anxious to read this book because my family immigrated from Britain then 130 years later they followed the Oregon Trail to settle in Oregon. But it is so hard to read because it misses the facts, the social fabric and the geographical knowledge to do justice to the real people who made this trip. I understand it is a YA book and fictional. But the story deserves to be told with some degree of accuracy and understanding of the places, people and conditions the characters would have experienced. This book sounds like it was written by a Danish woman living in England and spinning a tale of what she thinks it might have been, boiled down from a bunch of factoids.
One of the most glaring facts, Portland,Or did not exist when the book takes place yet it figures prominently in the narrative. Every school kid knows Oregon City was the end of the Trail and still is today. My favorite is when Slim just happens to bump into a Choctaw native in Independence and shares her story with him, practically that would never have happened, it boggles the mind . It is important to describe native/ immigrant relationships correctly.
I was hoping for a cute story describing my ancestors journey but it so obviously written by someone that has little knowledge of the subject, time period or country that I just can not recommend the read. If you want to learn about the immigration of families across America there are many fictionalized YA books that tell a better tale.
Generously given 2 stars as at least it tells a story

[Mims Reilly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this sequel to ‘A Slice of the Moon’ by Sandi Toksvig and loved it. It’s packed full of adventure, highs and lows, epic physical and emotional journeys and characters which you really feel like you know by the end of it. Although it’s pitched towards the middle grade, I fully enjoyed it as an adult in my 30s, perhaps because of the nostalgia triggered from playing Oregon Trail during my 90s childhood! I couldn’t put it down and always found myself hungry for the next chapter. Sandi Toksvig vividly brings to life a period in history which I’ve not read about before. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!

[T · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to say Sandi Toksvig has an incredible way of story telling. This is the second book in the series following the Hannigan’s journey from Ireland to Oregon. This story left me wanting more, it has unexpected twists and turned. There are events which are terribly sad, but you get a sense for what happened during the time.

[Dave Unwin]

The End of the Sky Book1 (A Slice of the Moon Book 2)

Another superb story, so beautifully written, this book is riveting I couldn’t put it down, I can’t wait for book 3 🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟”Bagger Vance”