The Trouble with Half a Moon by Danette Vigilante was a sweet story. Looking back over the notes I wrote while reading this book, and just after, 'sweet' is the word that kept popping up.
Dellie is struggling with grief and guilt after the death of her younger brother. He died in an accident that she blames herself for. It's been a year since his death and her family is struggling. Her mom won't let her leave the house, except to go to school and then she insists on having Dellie's dad walk with her, to keep her safe.
Dellie struggles with this, but accepts this and watches the activities outside from her bedroom window. One day, a little boy knocks on Dellie's door, asking for food. His mother is neglectful and more interested in her boyfriend and (we assume) doing drugs that giving the 5 year old the care he needs. Corey reminds Dellie of her brother, and she tries to take care of him.
I loved Corey. He was my favorite character in this whole story. He's just the cutest little boy, and my heart broke a little watching the way his mother treated him and observing the pain he goes through daily. He attaches himself to Dellie quickly, and although she is scared to have someone depend on her again for fear she'll let them down, she loves him too.
Dellie learns a lot from her interactions with Corey, and those lessons become cemented in her mind and life with the help of Miss Shirley, the Jamaican woman who just moved into their apartment complex.
Although I rather liked Miss Shirley, I didn't love her inclusion in the story. She just happened to be the solution to every problem the characters faced, and I found myself watching instance after instance of 'Shirley ex machina', and it got a little old. It got to the point that I just waited for the characters to bump into Miss Shirley, because I knew it just had to be coming.
I also wish the story had a little more depth to it. It's a really big deal to be 13 and believe that you are the reason your brother is dead, and in the beginning of the story, Dellie comments that sometimes she wonders if her parents blame her but, we never hear about it again. That is a very important conversation to have. I don't think Dellie can forgive herself, even if she comes to realize it wasn't her fault if she wonders whether or not her parents blame her. It wasn't addressed as well or as thoroughly as I would have liked/thought was necessary.
There was also surprisingly little depth to most of the characters. I felt like we only got to see one side of each character and that was all we were given. Even the moments we caught a glimpse of something more within the characters, the author moved past the scene without expounding on anything. I felt that the story was too rushed, too quick for the story it told. This is a story I felt deserved more. It could have been great, but too much was glossed over or left entirely unexplored.
I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this book to someone, but I also wouldn't discourage anyone from reading it.
*Disclaimer: I received this book through Star Book Tours.