The Half-a-Moon Inn

by Paul Fleischman, Kathryn Jacobi (Illustrator)

Aaron has never left alone before. He is mute, and depends on his mother for everything. But tomorrow Aaron will be twelve years old, old enough to stay home by himself while his mother goes to town. Everything will be fine, as long as he stays close to the house. And if there's trouble, Aaron can write what he needs to say. Trouble there is aplenty. When a terrible blizzard keeps his mother from returning home, Aaron sets out to search for her—but he stumbles upon the mysterious Half-a-Moon Inn, where the crafty Miss Grackle forces him to work for her. How can Aaron stop her from carrying out her devilish schemes—before it's too late?

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Fantasy, Childrens, Historical, Mystery, Juvenile

96 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1980

About the author

Paul Fleischman grew up in Santa Monica, California. The son of well-known children's novelist Sid Fleischman, Paul was in the unique position of having his famous father's books read out loud to him by the author as they were being written. This experience continued throughout his childhood.
Paul followed in his father's footsteps as an author of books for young readers, and in 1982 he released the book "Graven Images", which was awarded a Newbery Honor citation.
In 1988, Paul Fleischman came out with "Joyful Noise: Poems for Two Voices", an unusually unique collection of poetry from the perspective of insects. This book was awarded the 1989 John Newbery Medal. Factoring in Sid Fleischman's win of the John Newbery Medal in 1987 for his book "The Whipping Boy", Paul and Sid Fleischman became to this day the only father and son authors to both win the John Newbery Medal.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

An original adventure. Having the boy be mute, in a world where most adults cannot read his notes to them, gives the plot an interesting twist. There's no comic relief, and the other characters are bare sketches. Just a concise page-turner for reluctant readers and those who like the stories aimed at them.

[Elham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of a 12 years old mute boy who starts a trip (adventure) in his birthday to find his mother - like a real man. She left home two days before to go to another city and was supposed to come back yesterday. It is snowing outside and the weather is very cold. He packs his necessary things in his bag and goes to the jungle. Although he's very small, he knows well how to make fire and food for himself but he loses his way to a wrong direction that eventually leads him to a mysterious inn called "The Half-a-Moon Inn".
The story is suspenseful, beautiful and educational for a child.

[Benjamin Sobieck · Rating 5 out of 5]

No other book left a deeper impression on my youth than "The Half-a-Moon Inn." It ignited my passion for reading and writing. I don't think re-reading it as an adult leaves the same experience, but that doesn't mean it's any less important.

[Sophie_The_Jedi_Knight]

I read this AGES ago but I still remember many details. It was very good. I really liked Aaron; he was a great character. Ahh, memories.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

We read this story aloud. My kids were captivated and thrilled. They couldn’t wait till our next reading of the story.
A mute 12-year old young man is left alone for the first time. Even though his mom warned him not to leave the cabin, he did after she did not come home at the time and day she said she would. He was worried about her when the snow came earlier that year than usual. After being lost in the woods, he finally found Half a Moon Inn and hoped for help and shelter. What he got was imprisonment. Interesting story with some magical aspects.

[C. (Comment, never msg). · Rating 3 out of 5]

Parents say “The Half-A-Moon Inn” has an impact when read to children. A boy who can’t speak is left overnight. His Mom tries to impress on him that he should remain securely at home. If he should play, venturing into the forest is unquestionably out. He worries about his Mom needing assistance when she isn’t back the following day. I gave three-star feedback to Paul Fleischman’s tale because it is creative and there are two small components of magic. The rest is hard reality.

Two things I dislike in films and books were prevalent and hindered my enjoyment. In creating suspense, grimness is a given. It also makes sense that action entails danger or fright. What I don’t care for is a story that’s harsh through and through. There was too much of it and for the whole novel, it didn’t cease. I loathe stories in which everything goes wrong and there are no lucky breaks. They’re depressing and uncomfortable; excessively so. Moments of danger that give rise to hope, would have layered the emotional journey.

The second element I groan about in stories, is not if characters make a mistake or two. It again concerns overkill: if there is no relief in sight to making stupid choices and disobeying knowledge given to them. This boy should have waited for his Mother! Since he set out with the rag-picker, he should have at least stayed with him! In constant instances I cringed because Aaron could have escaped the inn, or sought help from many literate guests. That the rag-picker vacillated between accusing him of thievery and offering a glimmer of hope, was maddening. So was the idea of the only intelligent person being trapped and countless adults being useless. Nevertheless, I don’t doubt many would enjoy this more than I.

[میم صالحی فر · Rating 4 out of 5]

کتاب با چیزی که از فضای داستان در ذهنم ساخته بودم، با توجه به اسم و جلد کتاب، فرق زیادی داشت.
داستان از زبان پسری لال به نام آرون روایت میشد که توی برف و بوران، به دنبال مادرش که به شهر رفته و هنوز برنگشته میره، اما در راه گم میشه و سر از مسافرخانه ماه نصفه درمیاره. اونجا با خانم گراکل روبه رو میشه و به نوعی توی اون مسافرخونه‌ای عجیب ماندگار میشه تا....
حس رمان های قدیمی علمی و تخیلی دوران نوجوانی رو میداد و در عين حال هیجان خوبی رو منتقل می کرد و جذاب بود.
جالب بود که بی سوادی چیز رایجی در اون بود.
خیلی خوب و به جا در سیر داستان، اخلاق و رفتار خوب، تحسین به پیامد مثبت منجر میشد و اخلاق و رفتار بد تقبیح و به پیامد منفی میرسید.
خلاصه تفریح ذهنی کوتاه وخوبی بود.

[Zeinabimantalab · Rating 4 out of 5]

نمیدانم فلیشمن این داستان را به چه منظور نوشته اما به نظرم داستانی زیبا و تاثیرگذار برای ترغیب مردم به سواد‌آموزی😊 است. از لحاظ تاریخی داستان زمانی از آمریکا را روایت میکند که سواد خواندن و نوشتن بین آمریکاییها رواج چندانی نداشت.
مسافرخانه ماه نصفه هیجان انگیز بود ، داستانی درباره مسئولیت‌پذیری، شرافتمندی، صداقت،مهارت حل مسئله، زیرکی و هوشمندی است.

[Allie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A pleasantly creepy book for older elementary school aged children. Makes a good Halloween read-aloud.

[Matthew · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was throughly looking forward to this story and was drawn in by the illustrations. It started off wonderfully and I was extremely happy with the character development. However, I was disappointed in its quick conclusion and the fact that the main character Aaron was not the engineer of his own success in the story. Something I expected and was looking forward to.

One important note. The only character with a noted physical impairment (Aaron's muteness) uses his intellectual prowess by painting a help statement on the Inn's sign which Miss Grackle cannot read. However, the lack of being able to read or understand (evidenced by the inn's visitors and the Ragman)make a stunning understatement. Those with a disability which they cannot correct are hindered by those with a disability they could.

[Bahman Bahman · Rating 2 out of 5]

آرون لال است. مادر در آستانه دوازده سالگی برای اولین بار او را در خانه تنها می گذارد و برای تهیه آذوقه و هدیه ای برای او به شهر می رود. او پدر خود را در کودکی از دست داده است و با مادرش تنها زندگی می کند. روز بعد بوران و کولاک شروع می شود و همه جا را هم برف پوشانده است.


ضمنا این کتاب نوشته پل فلیش من است نه آنگونه که در عنوان اینجا نوشته شده، سوسن طاقدیس

[Danielle · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another okay children's book. I am reading a lot like this, trying to figure out which of a big batch someone gave me are worth keeping. I don't know if this one made the cut.

[Jody Kyburz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jim Trelease suggested this as a fast-paced short novel. I read it aloud to my class in four days and it was...okay. I don't think I'll ever read it again.

[Kelsy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is my husband's favorite book from childhood. I read it aloud to my students and we were all enthralled!

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Finished reading The Half-A-Moon-Inn by Paul Fleischman, published in 1980.

This is a very fast-paced and atmospheric suspense children's novel. It all takes place many hundreds of years ago, by the sea, when a mute boy named Aaron has left home alone, while his mother takes an overnight trip. When she doesn't arrive back home, Aaron sets out to find her.
Along the way, he stumbles across this Half-A-Moon Inn, in the middle of a terrible blizzard, and three is where the trouble begins. The inn is run by a very old and evil woman who enslaves poor Aaron and makes him do all the work and helps her pickpocket lodgers' money.

Will Aaron escape? Will anyone read his messages for help? Will anybody back in those days be able to read at all?

This was a very interesting story and help my interest. It's short and full of little twists and moments of suspense. As I was reading I couldn't help but think of Hansel and Gretal and just how the language was so flowing that this would be the perfect book to read aloud to a child. It really kept my interest.

It has a lot: old English setting, the seaside, snowstorms, mystery, old hags, evil thieves, crooks, and atmosphere. The Half-A-Moon Inn, by Paul Fleischman. My rating - 4/5

[C.J. Milbrandt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aaron has always lived with his mother in a seaside cottage. Once a month, they make the journey through the forest and into the city, but this time, one the eve of Aaron's twelfth birthday, his mother says he's old enough to stay home alone. It's only supposed to be for one day.

Looms and loneliness. Highwaymen and heroics. Snow storms and setting out. Grackles and grates. I enjoyed the fairy tale feel and the storytelling style. Interesting setting. Interesting characters. But a trifle static, with the character going there and back again without losing anything or learning anything. It's hard to explain, but the story just ended without any real sense of resolution. If Aaron gained anything from the experience, the reader never hears about it.

Age appropriate suspense. Main character is mute.

[Elza Kinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Aaron sets off to rescue his mother when a blizzard strands him home alone on his twelfth birthday. Unable to speak, Aaron soon finds himself stranded and at the mercy of a mercenary innkeeper.

Terrifying hags, highwaymen, and a helpless hero give The Half-A-Moon Inn all the flavor of old fashioned Gothic horror. This reads like the creepy cousin of a fairy tale, with heroes being rewarded for their clever wits and villains meeting with grim consequences.

Braver readers who enjoy classic writing will enjoy this short story, but beware! There are some unpleasant and unfair dealings that sensitive readers might not find so amusing. The book includes violent and mildly disturbing scenes, Aaron is whipped by the wicked innkeeper, and the villains are killed off at the end of the story

[Crystal · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is so boring. My 5th grader was assigned this book and they read it as a class. I read it so I can help. I’m an avid reader and have been since I was her age. This book has won awards, but left me feeling flat. I read a review saying that this book is good even for the most unenthusiastic reader. This is not true. This book would not inspire me to read. I’m disappointed that this book was chosen. I’m trying to inspire my child to read and this book is not the one to do that. I thought it was awful. It was well written, so I gave it 3 stars.

[Talya Boerner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Half-a-Moon Inn is a dark, atmospheric tale that reads like an old folktale. It follows Aaron, a mute boy who gets lost in the woods and stumbles into the sinister Half-a-Moon Inn, run by the cruel Widow Gluckel. Fleischman’s writing is spare but haunting, and the eerie setting lingers long after the last page. It’s a quick read, but the tension and sense of danger make it unforgettable—perfect for readers who enjoy mysterious, slightly spooky stories with the feel of classic lore.

I'm so glad I found this book in our Little Free Library!

[Amy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. For the entire middle of the book I was on the edge of my seat, so to speak, waiting eagerly to see how our hero would get out of the terrible situation in which he found himself. Although the ending was happy, something about it didn’t feel quite fully satisfying. Perhaps it was because I couldn’t understand why the fearsome criminal would stick around to freeze to death after he was freed from captivity, when he could have left by foot on or his horse . Still, it’s a good read overall, appropriate for most ages.

[Cynthia Egbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting little story that begs the question, who has the real handicap, the boy who cannot speak or the many people he encounters who cannot read? This one has the feel of a fairy tale, which I love and even had the fairy tale happy ending! There are a number of great morals to this story that would make for fabulous discussions in a family or classroom setting.

[Mrs. Nelson , VMS Library · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars. This reads like a cautionary fairy tale. The moral of the story? Listen to your mother or bad things will happen. All in all, there were some very interesting fantasy concepts. It's a very quick, clear-cut read.

Note: This is one of the 2022-23 Battle of the Books selections.

[Jena · Rating 3 out of 5]

You ever have a book you read as a child that's just nestled in the back of your brain? This one wedged itself in there until I finally remembered what it was called. I loved the shit out of this in 1998.

[Kate Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars. This reads like a cautionary fairy tale. The moral of the story? Listen to your mother or bad things will happen. All in all, there were some very interesting fantasy concepts. It's a very quick, clear-cut read.

[Dean Nelson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 3.5 stars. This reads like a cautionary fairy tale. The moral of the story? Listen to your mother or bad things will happen. All in all, there were some very interesting fantasy concepts. It's a very quick, clear-cut read.

Mom and I read this as a bedtime story in March 2023.

[Brianna Kolodziejski · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the only books i remember reading in elementary school. Very detailed story but simple enough for an elementary student to read and comprehend.

[Ogo atueyichukwu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved it

[Just a Girl Fighting Censorship · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved this wintery fairy tale and the subtle ways it values literacy.

[Deborah Canaday · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful tale of a boy's journey to find his mother and himself. The main character and the villain are both original and clever!

[Valerie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent! Gripping story.