Blue Moon (Life at Sixteen Series #1) - Softcover

Grade 7-9?At 16, Dee is in the emotional throes of a friendship that she hopes will turn to romance. She and Michael have been good friends for years, but now he seems aloof and often angry. For the summer, Michael has taken it upon himself to care for his grandfather, who is suffering from Alzheimer's disease. While his intentions are good, the teen has yet to face the reality of Mr. Kolupa's declining condition, and he is valiant, if daunted, in his desire to preserve the man's dignity. Nonetheless, Michael suffers under the strain of caregiving. Dee, concerned and sympathetic, wants to help him, but when she tries, he becomes abrupt, deliberately keeping her at bay. His personal interest in Dee is colored by his situation and he misconstrues her attention as pity. Readers are given glimpses into both character's private thoughts through alternating journal entries that precede each chapter, thus clarifying their mixed signals of communication. Michael's bereavement as he watches his grandfather fade away is realistic and touching. However, inserts from Dee's great-great-great-grandmother's diary are unnecessary and distracting. Rather than underscoring the girl's feelings of futility, they disrupt the flow of the story. Stick with Norma Fox Mazer's After the Rain (Morrow, 1987) and Norma Klein's Going Backwards (Scholastic, 1986), which also address the effects of Alzheimer's disease on the family.?Alison Follos, North Country School, Lake Placid, NY
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