1. Summary

Norah is a war guest in Canada. Temporally, she and her brother lived with Mrs. Ogilvie. They came to Canada through the British evacuation plan in 1940. They just returned from a trip to British Columbia. They immediately went back "their" summer home where Norah met her friends, Mrs. Ogilvie's nieces. One day, Norah found out that Andrew, the cousin of her friends was coming to the cottage. She always heard tales about what great things he's done like swimming from the island to the mainland and back. So, she decided to hate him. Of course, when he arrived, she wasn't very happy to meet him at fist. Yet, after a couple of days, she began love him. Moreover, she began to study him. She was hiding on a high rock to spy on him.

One day, she learned how to drive a boat. The same day, Andrew had to go in town to pick up a pot. So Norah drove him there. They each had an ice cream and they met some friends of Andrew's. Norah was now sure that Andrew liked her.

One weekend, the adults had to go to a wedding. Meanwhile, the kids had a party. Norah was mad that Andrew didn't ask her to dance. So she decided to go out. After a while, she saw that Andrew was in his cabin with another girl. Now, she realised that he never was in love with her.

One night, Andrew and Norah were out on the island. He was struggling with a dilemma: should he go to war and become a general, or go back home to Saskatchewan and become what he really wanted, an actor? Norah made him promise to be an actor because it was what he wanted to be. But, unfortunately, he did not keep his promise.

2. Characters

Norah is a 13-year-old English girl. She has a younger brother, Gavin. She is born July 1930. She keeps contact with her parents. She misses them very much.

Andrew is a 19-year-old University student. He's a good storyteller and makes gestures while he talks. Every adult at the Summer Home believes that Andrew should become General in the war.

Florence Ogilvie is a rich, strict, and retired woman who lives in Toronto. Since Mrs. Ogilvie is the oldest, she is the Head of the clan. When Norah leaned she was the head, she immediately felt proud that she was living with her. Mrs. Ogilvie's husband died and her son died in World War 2. She always talks about how her son, Hugh, was very good at this and that. Mrs. Ogilvie also has a daughter, Mary Ogilvie.

Mary Ogilvie is a joyful and tolerant woman. Miss Ogilvie is a nice woman and she keeps secrets. She once had a close related boyfriend. If she married him, she would have to move to Saskatchewan. So she didn't marry him because she didn't want to leave her mother alone. Mrs. Ogilvie was too old and she didn't want to come with her to Saskatchewan.

3. Conflict/resolution

Norah fell in love with Andrew. She is happy that Andrew came to the cottage because she can have someone new in her life. But the war threatens to ruin her happiness because Andrew might go to war. Norah makes him promise that he wouldn't go to war. She also told him to make a small speech so he would convince the adults why he wouldn't do it. But on the last night when he was staying at the cottage, he came in the main lodge in a soldier's uniform. When Andrew came in, Norah was very mad to see that he decided to go to war because he broke his promise to her. Andrew tried to explain her and to convince her that it is his duty to go to war but she didn't change her mind.

4. Critique

Looking at the Moon is the second part in The Guests of War Trilogy. To me, this book was not very interesting because it was basically all about love. It also did not really have any climax in the plot. The author has the same good writing style but it did not catch my attention as the first book of the trilogy did. I also did not like very much the main character because she was too possessive: she wanted Andrew all to her-self. Norah was not too sure about the truth of her sentiments, however she would never give her boyfriend for anybody else. I would recommend the book special to teenager girls since, I guess, they could identify themselves to Norah's character.

This book is the winner of the Manitoba Young Reader's Choice Award.

5. About the author

Kit Pearson was born in Edmonton, Canada. She graduated in English at the University of Alberta before going on to get her MLS at the University of BC and an MA in children's literature at the Study of the Children's Literature, Simons College, Boston. She is a former librarian as well as a writer. Kit Pearson wrote two other books in the same series. Her latest book, Awake and Dreaming, won the Governor General's Award for Children's Literature.

She now lives in Vancouver B.C. with her 2 lively terriers. In all, he wrote seven books: This Land, Awake and Dreaming, The Sky is Falling, Looking at the Moon, The Lights go on Again, A Handful of Time, and The Daring Game.