Mooncalf by Linda Zern
Over Olympia and Leah's heads, Americans race the Russians to the moon; on their television sets young men fight and struggle in the mud of Viet Nam; and America holds its breath between heartbreaking tragedies.
But on Miss Brinker's school bus, in the seat with the rip in the green plastic, Olympia and Leah fall in love, the way children do: immediately, completely, and without knowing or caring why they shouldn't. Olympia Crooms, with her happy hair, and Leah Breck, with her silly red dog, are two smart girls.
Olympia's father works other men's orange groves in rural Central Florida and tells his daughter that school is the best way to reach for the stars. Leah's father moves his family from the Space Coast to the country where she and her brother can climb orange trees, imagine lions in the tall grass, and learn to feed baby cows milk from a bottle.
At Evegan Elementary, two smart girls find each other and have to decide if they will learn the hardest lessons of all: the false traditions of their fathers.
EXCERPT
The bus engine growled, loud enough to rattle the windows. “Hey! There’s a big, red monkey riding on the roof of that car,” a girl sitting behind Leah hollered. “No, it’s a dog—a big, red dog. And it’s surfing right up on top of that roof.” Across the aisle from Leah, a boy with big horse teeth pointed, screaming with laughter. “That is so far out and gross!” someone else said. “Hey, green sweater girl!” One of the big kids in the back of the bus started yelling at one of the little kids sitting in the front of the bus. Leah was one of the kids sitting in the front of the bus, and she was little. She did not turn around. He couldn’t be yelling at her, not on her first day at a new school. He’s not. It was a mistake. Leah looked down at her green sweater and started to count the pearl buttons. Why couldn’t she be a turtle with no ears and disappear inside her green sweater shell? It was probably pretty quiet inside a turtle’s shell.
Praise for Mooncalf
"One of the most admirable things about Mooncalf is that it's difficult to find a single wasted word in the entire book. Granted the book is short; yet, it is very rare to find a book which treats with such delicacy the choosing of each word--each adjective, verb, and noun. Themes, motifs, and symbols are everywhere throughout Mooncalf, and most impressive of all none of it is discarded. Motifs and themes exist in big and small circles in Mooncalf, circling back in on themselves as well as intertwining themselves with the plot and the characters that inhabit it. And those motifs and themes, those messages and those symbols, don't go away once you've finished the book. They stick with you. It's hard to forget Mooncalf."" ~ The Thousander Club
"I never expected to be moved to tears by a book meant for adolescents. Buy it, read it, share it, and let yourself be changed by it." ~Lacey Smith
Author Linda Zern
Linda Zern is a native of Florida where she learned to be moonstruck.
She wrote her first children's chapter book, The Pocket Fairies of Middleburg, in 2005. Writer's Digest called "the perspective of these tiny beings [the pocket fairies] refreshing, enchanting, and intriguing."
Florida Publisher's Association was kind enough to award her little book the President's Book Award for best children's book of 2005.
Mrs. Zern has since published an inspirational book, The Long-Promised Song, serving as both writer and illustrator. Three collections of her humorous essays (ZippityZern’s Uncommon Nonsense) can be found at Smashwords.com, and her award winning essays have been recognized and published at HumorPress.com.
Her current project, Mooncalf, is her first work of historical fiction for Middle School readers. Set in rural Central Florida, the author tells the story of two misfit girls and the hard lessons they must learn about friendship and love from their friends, their families, and their world.
The mystical state of Florida remains an enchanted and delightsome place for both Mrs. Zern and her husband of thirty plus years, and so they continue to make their home among the palmettos and armadillos in the historic town of Saint Cloud.
PLEASE WELCOME LINDA TO BOOKHOUNDS ya
1. Do you have a secret talent?
Absolutely! But it’s secret. If you promise not to tell . . . Okay, I’m a member of the Osceola Volunteer Mounted Posse along with my horse Tracker. If you get lost in the woods we come and find you.
2. Is there a song that really reminds you of your book?
That’s a great question. Thanks for making me think about it. It’s a song by The Carpenters, “Bless the Beasts and the Children” from 1971. A great book and a touching movie, it was a story about children, adults, and how society often fails the rising generation. It was a story that left me shocked and shaken and changed. I hope Mooncalf does the same.
3. What was the easiest thing about writing this book?
The easiest thing about writing this book was drawing the pictures. :) The story isn’t an easy one: not to write or to read, but I want to believe that there is still a place in our society for little books like Mooncalf. Books that have serious ideas and themes underlying a seemingly simple story, about seemingly simple people—our children, and the children we used to be.
4. Is there a word you love to use?
Other than Mooncalf?
Ha! Yes, I love the word excellent. When anyone asks me, “How are you?” I always say, “Excellent” because saying “fine” just doesn’t cut it. I’ve discovered the secret of becoming excellent starts with the expectation of excellence. And responding with “excellent” startles the cashier at Walgreens into a smile. It’s fun.
5. Any real or imaginary pets?
Horses, dogs, cats, chickens, and one brilliant goat--all real.
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