Flower Moon
Gina Linko, Sky Pony Press (JANUARY) Hardcover $15.99 (256pp), 978-1-5107-2274-3
Science and the supernatural collide and commingle in this unique exploration of impossible true things.
Spending summers with Pa Charlie’s traveling carnival has always been a highlight of the year for the Trimble sisters, but now a mysterious, growing energy threatens to pull them apart. Gina Linko’s Flower Moon is a captivating coming-ofage tale about trusting yourself, trusting others, and fighting for what you believe in.
Tempest and Tally Jo have always felt a special connection as mirror twins, inseparable best friends, and partners in all things adventurous. Whether they are cuddling wolf pups, learning to unicycle, sneaking out to set off fireworks, or eating fried chicken, the lights, sounds, and scents of summer surround Peachtree Carnival and its colorful inhabitants.
The cast includes enigmatic Aunt Grania with her lunar tattoos and a fellow summer carnival kid, and maybe more than just a friend, Digger Swanson. As Tempest and Tally’s thirteenth birthday approaches, though, it seems to Tally that her shy and brainy sister would rather tinker and experiment than spend time with her.
Beautifully descriptive and full of Southern charm and whimsy, Tally’s voice will resonate with elementary and middle grade students. She struggles to understand her evolving relationship with Tempest, who “was the butter on my toast, the sea to my shore, the stars in my night sky.” Themes of love, family, and friendship shine as both sisters learn to celebrate their individuality and differences while embracing the idea that, although it can be scary, not all change is bad.
Flashes of power, inexplicable forces of nature, and a touch of telepathy surround the approaching full moon, adding an alluring mystical element. Tally uncovers old letters and clues that point to a volatile family curse, while Tempest studies the effects of opposing magnets and rising tides. Science and the supernatural collide and commingle in a unique exploration of impossible true things and the magic inside of everyone.
Flower Moon is sure to enchant audiences as Tempest and Tally work through both the enigmas that surround them and the realities of growing up, apart, and into one’s own.