The Summer of Moonlight Secrets by Danette Haworth
Reviewed by AngieRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: One use of Diety and a couple instances of some very mild words — butt and idiot.
Violence: Mr. Smith grabs Allie Jo’s arm and digs his nails into her skin. Chase hurls himself at Mr. Smith and they both fall to the ground. Mr. Smith then slams Chase back down to the ground and Chase ends up with a concussion.
Sexual Content: Talk of lovebirds and “liking” other people. Two very innocent kisses. Chase thinks he would like to wrap his arms around Sophie to help her get warm.
Adult Themes: Chase tells the girls that his mom left when he was two. A story is told about the man who first owned the hotel — he ran a speakeasy and fell in love with another man’s wife. When the woman’s husband found out, he divorced her. Tara says she is a runaway.
Synopsis
Allie Jo lives at The Meriwether, the hotel that her father and mother run. She fears her summer will be boring with her best friend gone for several months, but is pleased when she makes friends with several other children who will be staying at the hotel for the summer. She meets Chase, a clumsy skateboarder, Sophie, who knits, and Tara, who likes to take moonlight swims fully clothed. Soon Allie Jo realizes there’s more than a bit of a mystery to Tara and she is determined to figure it out.
A fun and fast read. I liked that each chapter is told in a different voice (alternating between Allie Jo, Chase and Tara.) It’s clean and cute and would be enjoyable for as young as fourth or fifth grade readers.