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    West of the Moon
    West of the Moon
    West of the Moon
    Audiobook4 hours

    West of the Moon

    Written by Margi Preus

    Narrated by Jessica Almasy

    4/5

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    About this audiobook

    Publisher Marketing: In "West of the Moon," award-winning and "New York Times" bestselling author Margi Preus expertly weaves original fiction with myth and folktale to tell the story of Astri, a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. She quickly retrieves her little sister, and, armed with a troll treasure, a book of spells and curses, and a possibly magic hairbrush, they set off for America. With a mysterious companion in tow and the malevolent "goatman" in pursuit, the girls head over the Norwegian mountains, through field and forest, and in and out of folktales and dreams as they steadily make their way east of the sun and west of the moon.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateMay 2, 2014
    ISBN9781490614786

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    Reviews for West of the Moon

    4/5

    90 ratings15 reviews

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    • 5/5
      A wonderful blend of fairy tale and history. Astri tells herself stories and tells us stories too, becoming a dauntless heroine who does terrible things to survive and yet gains our admiration for her spirit and her quick thinking, as any heroine might do. I love how the story ties into Margi Preus' family's history and I love the historical background that she gives us at the end. It's a book perfectly balanced between reality and fable, a triumph of writing, and weirdly amoral but extremely compassionate look at what it is to be human. I find children in general to be both amoral and compassionate, so it works for me.
    • 2/5
      I like the idea of a historical fiction story combined with folktales, but this book didnt pull that off. There were weird inconsistencies and logistical problems with the story and the writing wasn't very good. I didnt really like the main character and didnt understand her motivations and actions much of the time. Disappointed because this could have been a better book with a bit more work, and because I feel like this was a failure in editing not in creativity.
    • 4/5
      Children's historical fiction (19th century Norway) with fairytale/adventure elements. Lyrical and imaginative, a plucky heroine looks for her own happy ending and along the way must make choices (some decisions are more ethical than others) while looking after her younger sister. Note to parents: describes a "Black Book" with devilish characteristics, later dismissed by the parson's wife as mostly rubbish, with a few sensible things in it; the main character engages in trickery, dishonesty, violence (in self defense), thievery, and abandonment (later regretted) in order to make her escape. That said, it is a very rich story with a lot of intrigue so if you are not too concerned with morality (or have a strong enough compass to be able to withstand subjection to such examples) I would heartily recommend this adventure story.
    • 4/5
      Astri and her younger sister, Gerta, are living with their aunt and uncle in Norway after their mother has died and their father has gone to America. They are expecting him to send for them, but before that happens, Astri’s aunt and uncle sell her as a servant to a neighbour. While working there, she dreams of escape and running to America to find her dad. I really enjoyed this. It’s a bit simple at times and seems easy to get out of some of her predicaments, but it’s a kid’s book, so I can look past that. There aren’t a lot of illustrations in the book, but I loved the ones that were there! It’s historical fiction (set in the mid-1800s), so it was nice to see that historical note at the end. She based it on a diary of her ancestors who came across the ocean from Norway – they had met a girl on her own, so this story was to make up why that girl might be on her own. The note also described some of the medical conditions in the book and how they would have been dealt with at that time.
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book. It's one I found on a book exchange shelf, and consider myself lucky to have done so. It's a wonderful blend of story, myth, and folk-lore, weaving the three elements together pretty seamlessly. But the best part? At the end of the book, is an author's note, explaining that the idea from the story, and various bits and bobs within, came from a diary kept by her great-great-grandmother. How cool is that? Preus includes more notes from the diary, a photo of her great-great-grands, as well as some sketches. There's also a section with some further information on elements in the story, a glossary, and bibliography. My bookish heart is happy.From the publisher:Astri is a young Norwegian girl desperate to join her father in America. After being separated from her sister and sold to a cruel goat farmer, Astri makes a daring escape. She quickly retrieves her little sister, and, armed with a troll treasure, a book of spells and curses, and a possibly magic hairbrush, they set off for America. With a mysterious companion in tow and the malevolent “goatman” in pursuit, the girls head over the Norwegian mountains, through field and forest, and in and out of folktales and dreams as they steadily make their way east of the sun and west of the moon.
    • 3/5
      This is a well-researched story weaving together both folk tale and history. It takes place at a time when people were ruled by superstitions and legends. Astri the main character is caught in the cross-hares of folk tale and reality, and finds herself in some very difficult situations no thanks to the adults in her life. Sold into slavery by her Aunt she sees herself as the subject of "East of the Sun, West of the Moon," but instead of a kind Abjorsen, she is in the power of an abusive man who plans to force her into a marriage. She uses familiar folk tales to explain her situation to herself and to help her to decide what to do next, but ultimately has to deal with considerable guilt for the outcome of some of those decisions. The story has a fairy tale quality to it, much like the many folk tales that it references, but it also deals with some very real human struggles and situations.
    • 5/5
      See full review @ The Indigo Quill

      Do I sense a Newbery Award? I think so. Margi Preus has brought an exceptional piece of literature to the table in her new novel, West of the Moon. Norwegian sisters Astri and Greta are separated when Astri is sold to the local goat herder, Svaalberd. Their mother is passed and their father has made his getaway to America with the others caught in "America Fever." The idea is that he'd make a better living for his family and send for them when the time was right. Astri decides she can no longer settle for less than reuniting with their father, so she makes her escape, taking her sister and a mysterious quiet girl with her. After the initial track through a large forest while being chased by Svaalberd, they finally arrive at the ship headed to America. This is where the story shifts and proceeds with a new tone.

      To top off the adventure, Preus coalesces folklore and inspiration from her own ancestry to devise a Newbery-worthy novel. This book reminded me a lot of the old American girl books, especially my personal favorite, Kirsten. The journey you take with the characters isn't just interesting, but it can also open up the opportunity to learn about immigration; illnesses and illegal passengers included.

      I found this book in the Young Adult section at Barnes & Noble and immediately fell in love with the cover (I wish I could say I don't judge a book by its cover, but I'm a sucker for beautiful artwork!). I decided to go on a whim and purchase it, and I couldn't set it down until I was finished! I love those kinds of books.

      It was strange that I found it in the Young Adult books, because this is much more of a middle-grade book. I understand that there is one part where there's an implication of an adult theme, but it was very brief and if I were a kid, I probably wouldn't have caught it. Others have said they found it in the Children's section, so I guess different stores are categorizing it differently. It could go both ways, but it definitely looked out of place between all the books on vampires and teenage love-triangles.

      I can't wait for next year's awards, and I really hope this book either wins, or gets really close. It has all the makings of a Newbery, and it would make a wonderful embellishment of literature on anyone's bookshelf. I am so glad I randomly bought this (and judged this book by its cover)!
    • 4/5
      I really enjoyed this book! It was action packed, emotional, magical, terrifying, and heartwarming.
      However some of the subject matter (attempted sexual abuse, mutilation, general graphic violence) is a little too intense for kids, depending on their age and maturity level.
    • 4/5
      I'm a huge fan of the East of the Sun, West of the Moon and related fairy tales, and I liked this a lot once I started rolling with it. Two little girls are determined to emigrate from Norway to America in search of their father, and the older girl weaves in a series of Norwegian folk stories to provide some support for their journey. I loved how this is one of those books where nearly everything comes together in a satisfying way in the end.I was somewhat surprised that this was a little more explicitly dark than I was expecting, to which you are possibly thinking "WELL YOU KNOW, fairy tales ARE dark," which is true. One of things about the Lang retellings of these is that they can get darker as the reader brings more experience to them, while this, on the other hand, it was spelled out. Which is fine, but wouldn't have been the ideal choice for me.Tough call between three and four stars. It's really quite lovely writing.
    • 5/5
      A masterfully crafted work of historical fiction steeped in mysterious and enchanting folklore.
    • 4/5
      Beautifully written. The narrative structure makes it a little more challenging than the lexile would suggest. The man is a little scary, but not too bad. Fine for fifth grade on up.
    • 3/5
      I read this because it was on our school's summer reading list. This is good for 6th-8th graders, girls more likely than boys. It is about 2 sisters, one who was sold to a man by her aunt. They both end up making their way to the coast, so they can take a boat to America to be with their father. It was a good folktale type story.
    • 5/5
      In the old tales, a girl who is pure of heart can overcome obstacles and reach her goals with courage and hard work. In Astri's life, this has not proven to be the case. When she was a little child, she lived with her parents and little sister Greta, but now her mother is dead, her father is in America, and she and Greta are living with her aunt and uncle. When her aunt sells Astri to a smelly old goatherd who expects her to cook and clean for him now, and to marry him when she is a little older, Astri dreams of escaping the old man, finding her sister, and making her way to America, but she has no idea of the hardships in store for her when she sets her plan in motion. To get to safety, she is willing to lie, cheat, and steal . . . so, not very much like those pure-hearted fairy-tale maidens at all. Greta is still sweet and innocent, the kind of girl that everyone immediately loves, but pragmatic Astri can't afford to be so naive. Astri knows that there will be a price she has to pay to get herself and her sister safely to America -- but when the time comes, will she be able to pay it?I'm really impressed at this book: the setting, the characterization, the plot, the use of fairy tales to highlight the theme -- all done right. Astri isn't always likable, but somehow you find yourself pulling for her all the same. Part of it is Astri's voice: the story is told from her perspective, with a hearty helping of snark and sarcasm. This book is also quite dark in places, but written so that readers at different ages will understand what's happening in ways that they can handle. This is one of the best children's books I've read this year.
    • 2/5
      West of the Moon by Margi Preus is a fairy tale type fantasy novel about a girl on a journey to find family. Astri's aunt sells her to a goat farmer who doesn't allow her to wash her hair or clean up in any way. He claims they will marry, but Astri runs away. She first gets the other girl who was sold to the farmer. Astri calls her Spinning Girl. Spinning Girl says very little but is gifted at spinning. They run to get Astri's little sister. They all three trade and bargain their way as they travel. This is a journey story, so Astri meets different, unusual characters who thwart or help her as she tries to get to America to find her father.
    • 4/5
      In this children’s book, Preus has combined the myths and fables of Scandinavia in fairy tale form set in mid-nineteenth century Norway. The feisty young girl protagonist survives abandonment, cruelty and a passage to the new world.