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Otters' Moon
Luke hates his life. His dad is busy with a shiny replacement family and his mum has insisted they spend their holiday on a remote Scottish island. Then Luke meets Meg, who lives with her grandfather in a boarded-up boat house on the beach. And when together they rescue an otter pup that they name Willow, a chink of light appears in Luke's dark and lonely days. But danger lurks behind the beauty of Puffin Bay and soon Luke must depend upon Willow for his very survival...
272 pages, Paperback
First published October 29, 2020
3 people are currently reading
114 people want to read
About the author
Susanna Bailey
12 books6 followersSue grew up in Northern England, close to purple moorland and long, silvery beaches. Books were her earliest friends. She learned the joy of ‘making things’ from her wonderfully creative mother, who was a great weaver of tales. She drew fabulous pictures to illustrate her ideas, and encouraged Sue to do the same. When small, Sue often made up stories and brought them to life, with paper people on cardboard theatre stages.
Sue has seen just how helpful stories – and animals – can be when children (and adults) are confused, sad, or afraid. She has learned about the healing power of nature; of wild, quiet, green spaces. Seven years ago, she decided to see if she could write about these things, and went to university to study creative writing. In 2016, Sue was awarded the Bath Spa University Undergraduate Prize for Writing for Young People. The following year, she graduated, with distinction, from Bath Spa’s wonderful MA Writing for Young People. Her MA Novel, Snow Foal, was shortlisted for the 2017 Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, and given ‘honourary mention’ in the United Agents/Bath Spa University Prize for the same year.
Sue now lectures part-time in Creative Writing.
Sue has seen just how helpful stories – and animals – can be when children (and adults) are confused, sad, or afraid. She has learned about the healing power of nature; of wild, quiet, green spaces. Seven years ago, she decided to see if she could write about these things, and went to university to study creative writing. In 2016, Sue was awarded the Bath Spa University Undergraduate Prize for Writing for Young People. The following year, she graduated, with distinction, from Bath Spa’s wonderful MA Writing for Young People. Her MA Novel, Snow Foal, was shortlisted for the 2017 Joan Aiken Future Classics Prize, and given ‘honourary mention’ in the United Agents/Bath Spa University Prize for the same year.
Sue now lectures part-time in Creative Writing.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
December 1, 2020
Book Reviewed on www.whisperingstories.com
Otters’ Moon is a beautiful middle-grade story about a boy called Luke who is on holiday with his mum on a remote Scottish island. His mum has taken them there from their home down south to try to cover from a darkness that has come over her since her husband left her for another woman and they have started a family together.
Luke is also angry about his dad leaving and him having a ‘shiny new family’ and a new half-sibling that he refuses to accept as being related to him. He isn’t happy to be on the island where the weather is poor, the people don’t seem to like outsiders, and it is dark by 3 pm.
Meg lives on the island with her Grandfather Seth who is suffering from what I would suspect is dementia. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her grandad being sick and she tries to look after her own.
The book is a meeting of two young people who each have their problems and are upset with the world and the way it has treated them. Meg is a conservationist after her parents who were tragically lost at sea. She has been cleaning the beaches and looking after a new family of otters that have appeared, though she doesn’t want anyone else to know about them as they will want to photograph them and see them which in turn could be bad for the family.
The plot is not an easy read with depression, dementia, hurt, betrayal, broken families, etc being at the forefront. However, it is a beautiful, poignant read which shares the joy of friendship even in its raw form. Although it has these hard-hitting subjects it is also an uplifting read and one that is emotional and gets to the core of those middle years of childhood which are quite often overlooked as eleven/twelve-year-olds are no longer little children but not quite teenagers yet.
The writing and tone of the book is spot on. It talks at the right level for middle-graders. For those children that may be experiencing firsthand their parents separating, this could be the key for them to realise that their feelings are valid and they would be able to emphasise with Luke.
It is gut-wrenching at times and such joy at others. It is a book that deals with not only human life but that of the animals and the environment too.
Otters’ Moon is a beautiful middle-grade story about a boy called Luke who is on holiday with his mum on a remote Scottish island. His mum has taken them there from their home down south to try to cover from a darkness that has come over her since her husband left her for another woman and they have started a family together.
Luke is also angry about his dad leaving and him having a ‘shiny new family’ and a new half-sibling that he refuses to accept as being related to him. He isn’t happy to be on the island where the weather is poor, the people don’t seem to like outsiders, and it is dark by 3 pm.
Meg lives on the island with her Grandfather Seth who is suffering from what I would suspect is dementia. She doesn’t want anyone to know about her grandad being sick and she tries to look after her own.
The book is a meeting of two young people who each have their problems and are upset with the world and the way it has treated them. Meg is a conservationist after her parents who were tragically lost at sea. She has been cleaning the beaches and looking after a new family of otters that have appeared, though she doesn’t want anyone else to know about them as they will want to photograph them and see them which in turn could be bad for the family.
The plot is not an easy read with depression, dementia, hurt, betrayal, broken families, etc being at the forefront. However, it is a beautiful, poignant read which shares the joy of friendship even in its raw form. Although it has these hard-hitting subjects it is also an uplifting read and one that is emotional and gets to the core of those middle years of childhood which are quite often overlooked as eleven/twelve-year-olds are no longer little children but not quite teenagers yet.
The writing and tone of the book is spot on. It talks at the right level for middle-graders. For those children that may be experiencing firsthand their parents separating, this could be the key for them to realise that their feelings are valid and they would be able to emphasise with Luke.
It is gut-wrenching at times and such joy at others. It is a book that deals with not only human life but that of the animals and the environment too.
January 8, 2021
This had such a sad tone at the start, but it quickly became a story of friendship, hope and healing. About the love between human and animal and how that can change both lives. I love it! 🖤🦫
June 6, 2024
This was such a lovely read!
November 12, 2024
Ez nem egy gyerekmese. Nagyon szíven ütött a történet és persze ezer helyen képes voltam kapcsolódni hozzá.
Valójában ez egy komplex családi dráma vagy/és fejlődésregény, amelyben a vidra motívuma csupán katalizátorként szolgál a mélyebb érzelmi folyamatok és traumák feldolgozásához.
A történet középpontjában olyan súlyos témák állnak, mint a családon belüli elhanyagolás, a depresszió, és az újszülöttek betegsége. A szereplők mindegyike valamilyen módon sérült, és saját belső küzdelmeivel néz szembe.
A vidra megmentése és gondozása szimbolikus jelentőséggel bír, csak egy mellékszál. Ez a törődés, a gyógyulás és az elfogadás folyamatáról szól A vidra jelenléte oldja a nyomasztó légkört és segít a szereplőknek kilépni saját elszigeteltségükből. Milyen fura is, hogy ehhez egy vidrára van szükség, amikor az emberek már feladták, hogy kommunikálni tudnak.
Olyan problémákat dolgoz fel, mint a válás és új család kialakításának hatásai a gyerekekre, a magány és elszigeteltség érzése, a kommunikáció hiánya és annak következményei, a traumák generációkon átívelő hatása. Ezek nagyon nehéz témák, amelyekhez próbál reményt társítani és a gyógyulás lehetőségét ígéri.
Szóval ez nem egy könnyed, gondtalan gyermekkönyv. Mindenképpen el kell beszélgetnem a gyerekeimmel, hogy mit értettek meg belőle, mert engem szétszaggatott.
Valójában ez egy komplex családi dráma vagy/és fejlődésregény, amelyben a vidra motívuma csupán katalizátorként szolgál a mélyebb érzelmi folyamatok és traumák feldolgozásához.
A történet középpontjában olyan súlyos témák állnak, mint a családon belüli elhanyagolás, a depresszió, és az újszülöttek betegsége. A szereplők mindegyike valamilyen módon sérült, és saját belső küzdelmeivel néz szembe.
A vidra megmentése és gondozása szimbolikus jelentőséggel bír, csak egy mellékszál. Ez a törődés, a gyógyulás és az elfogadás folyamatáról szól A vidra jelenléte oldja a nyomasztó légkört és segít a szereplőknek kilépni saját elszigeteltségükből. Milyen fura is, hogy ehhez egy vidrára van szükség, amikor az emberek már feladták, hogy kommunikálni tudnak.
Olyan problémákat dolgoz fel, mint a válás és új család kialakításának hatásai a gyerekekre, a magány és elszigeteltség érzése, a kommunikáció hiánya és annak következményei, a traumák generációkon átívelő hatása. Ezek nagyon nehéz témák, amelyekhez próbál reményt társítani és a gyógyulás lehetőségét ígéri.
Szóval ez nem egy könnyed, gondtalan gyermekkönyv. Mindenképpen el kell beszélgetnem a gyerekeimmel, hogy mit értettek meg belőle, mert engem szétszaggatott.
March 5, 2024
Fab book great story
I felt that one minute I was just starting next I was only one chapter left
I felt that one minute I was just starting next I was only one chapter left
December 8, 2020
I received a review copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. It has not affected my opinions.
Maybe if I liked animals more, this book would have been more engaging. If I was being non-objective, this books would have been a 1 or 2 star, but I can see why it's a good book for others, hence the 3 star rating. For me, I just am not an animal person, so a story built around an otter, aimed at children, is never going to capture me. Given how short the book is, this took me a very long time to read.
It also didn't help that there were a few glaring errors in the book. Like the first page saying that a Scottish Isle always had sudden, long nights, even in summer, when actually Scotland doesn't have a true solar night in the summer, but stays in solar twilight for at least three months of the year (depending on how far north the island is). Does these seem like a small detail? Yes - except it's a flaw that impacts a lot of the book. There are a lot of night sequences, and not being able to see is key there. It made the story very unbelievable for me because I know from experience that actually it'd be pretty bright.
On the non-animal side of the book, it does deal with some pretty big topics - depression, sickness in new-borns, family break up. It was well handled and powerfully done, and I think it's the best bit of the book - and important discussion about issues that do impact children. If I had been more engaged by the story premise and not distracted by the errors, I think I would be raving about these themes. However, I just could not focus enough on it to have had more than a passing impression of these aspects.
Maybe if I liked animals more, this book would have been more engaging. If I was being non-objective, this books would have been a 1 or 2 star, but I can see why it's a good book for others, hence the 3 star rating. For me, I just am not an animal person, so a story built around an otter, aimed at children, is never going to capture me. Given how short the book is, this took me a very long time to read.
It also didn't help that there were a few glaring errors in the book. Like the first page saying that a Scottish Isle always had sudden, long nights, even in summer, when actually Scotland doesn't have a true solar night in the summer, but stays in solar twilight for at least three months of the year (depending on how far north the island is). Does these seem like a small detail? Yes - except it's a flaw that impacts a lot of the book. There are a lot of night sequences, and not being able to see is key there. It made the story very unbelievable for me because I know from experience that actually it'd be pretty bright.
On the non-animal side of the book, it does deal with some pretty big topics - depression, sickness in new-borns, family break up. It was well handled and powerfully done, and I think it's the best bit of the book - and important discussion about issues that do impact children. If I had been more engaged by the story premise and not distracted by the errors, I think I would be raving about these themes. However, I just could not focus enough on it to have had more than a passing impression of these aspects.
January 31, 2021
3.5 ⭐️
Just finished reading is wonderful and stunning book Otter’s Moon 💓
Written by Susanna Bailey 🌙💕
-
A city boy, an island girl and a wild otter; this book was very enjoyable to read.💓 I love the relationships that bloom between all the characters and how and they begin to open up to each other about their life and their struggles💓
-
This story is a lot more then just about otters, it explores the breaks in family life and about finding friendship when you hit your lowest points and how to build back up, together!
The characters relationship with each other is a bit rough here and there, a bit like Puffin Bay, a place where Luke and Meg spend their summer! And where they find Willow, a otter pup that needs their help!
But maybe it’s Luke that needs Willow’s help instead 💓
-
This is a perfect christmas present for children 9+
Just finished reading is wonderful and stunning book Otter’s Moon 💓
Written by Susanna Bailey 🌙💕
-
A city boy, an island girl and a wild otter; this book was very enjoyable to read.💓 I love the relationships that bloom between all the characters and how and they begin to open up to each other about their life and their struggles💓
-
This story is a lot more then just about otters, it explores the breaks in family life and about finding friendship when you hit your lowest points and how to build back up, together!
The characters relationship with each other is a bit rough here and there, a bit like Puffin Bay, a place where Luke and Meg spend their summer! And where they find Willow, a otter pup that needs their help!
But maybe it’s Luke that needs Willow’s help instead 💓
-
This is a perfect christmas present for children 9+
April 29, 2023
5 stars. Lovely story, author has a real feel for families: Luke’s parents are in disarray, Meg’s grandad is having memory problems. The two become friends when they rescue an abandoned otter pup on a remote Scottish island. Friendships grow, storms threaten, and what exactly is the Otter Moon? Give to young animal book lovers, with a box of Kleenex!
November 6, 2024
Deals with some hard-hitting subjects including family break up, dementia, and depression. Good for animal lovers ages 9+.
January 26, 2025
Good book
February 15, 2021
I thoroughly enjoyed Susanna’s debut Snow Foal at the end of last year, so Otters’ Moon was a definite priority on my 2021 TBR, and I’m so glad I’ve read it because, like Snow Foal, it’s a beautiful story about family, friendship and how much of an impact the love of an animal can have on us. This focuses on Jake, who is being forced to spend his summer with his mum on a tiny island he thinks is deadly dull, until he meets Megan and gets caught up in her plan to save an otter pup whose mother has died. The friendship Jake and Meg share is very special, even though it takes a while to develop, and I loved how much they both adored Willow and wanted the best for her. The relationships they have with their respective families is also really interesting. Jake’s mum is suffering from depression and it’s heartbreaking to see him grapple with that and try his best to help her, and I felt equally synonymous towards Meg, whose grandfather is losing his memory and seems to be stuck in past traumatic memories, such as the death of her parents. Seeing the effect they have on each other and how much caring for Willow gives them a purpose and a bit of hope is so moving, and I loved the way the Otters’ Moon of the title was utilised in the plot. I obviously don’t want to give any spoilers, but the things that happen at the end of this made me cry (mostly for good reasons because I was happy, I hasten to add!) and Susanna Bailey is quickly becoming an auto buy author for me, after only two books.
August 20, 2022
This one took us so long to finish I think it didn't quite engage us like her others. Nonetheless still really beautifully written.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews