{FTF Review} THE NEXT FULL MOON by Carolyn Turgeon

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O P E N I N G   H O O K:

IT STARTED WITH A FEATHER.  One little white rounded feather resting on her pillow.  Ava didn't think much of it, though, considering that it was a bright Sunday morning and there were only three weeks left of school and in just over a month she would turn thirteen and the whole summer stretched out like a long, shimmering gift.

(pg. 1, US Paperback Edition)

THE NEXT FULL MOON is Carolyn Turgeon's first non-adult novel.  Last year, I reviewed both MERMAID and GODMOTHER for Fairy Tale Fortnight, and Carolyn took the time to participate in a great interview.  I was so excited when she told us that she was about to publish her first middle-grade novel and have been looking forward to it ever since, because I loved her other two novels so much (And I STILL need to find a copy of RAIN VILLAGE, the only book I haven't read by her!).

While THE NEXT FULL MOON isn't a fairy tale retelling, it does follow the life of Ava, a girl whose mother is the swan maiden from the fairy tale you already know and love.  Ava doesn't know that her father fell in love with a swan maiden, however, and right before her thirteenth birthday, she starts sprouting wings.  At the beach.  In front of the boy she has a huuuuge crush on.  Talk about embarrassing!  She doesn't know what's going on or who to turn to, and stays home sick the next day.  Her father forces her back to school, and she wears long sleeves until she discovers that the feathers come off and form a sort of coat that will allow her to change form into a swan.  She finds out that there's so much more to herself and her mother than what initially meets the eye.

Turgeon impressively uses fantasy to explore issues that all pre-teens go through as their bodies begin changing.  This is such an emotional time in one's life, as everyone worries about worry about how different he/she is from peers and experiences the highs and lows of first crushes.  The story parallels this well.  Additionally, Turgeon weaves in deeper issues, such as never knowing a parent and the way that may shape someone.  She also delivers the message that it's okay to be yourself.  Maybe you didn't initially like who you are, but every person is unique, and it's okay to love yourself just the way you are, even if you're different.  You're still YOU, and there's nobody else quite like you--and that's okay!

~*~

C O V E R   D E S I G N:

It's SHIMMERY!  And in paperback.  I don't think I've seen a shimmery cover in paperback, only in hardback.  It's so pretty!  It gives the book a slight texture when running your fingers over it as well.

I love the way the gradient bringing the title from white to a dark pink doesn't precisely match any of the colors that stand out, but pull from the model's flesh and tank top/bra straps.  The white pulls from the feathers and clouds above.  It blends better than you would think and looks nice and intriguing.

I love the way the girl's hair is blowing everywhere, too. That alone would make me do a double-take at the store.

I also think the way feathers are flying everywhere shows that this story has something more going on, and really hints at what the novel's about!

  ~*~

O F F I C I A L   I N F O:

Title: THE NEXT FULL MOON

Author: Carolyn Turgeon

Release Date: Out March 13, 2012

Publisher: Downtown Bookworks

Received: Received for Review

SUMMARY:

This thoroughly compelling, gorgeously told tale, begins as the weather turns warm enough to swim in the local lake, twelve-year-old Ava is looking forward to a lazy summer, and her crush, Jeff is most definitely taking notice of her. Everything is going beautifully. Until Ava starts to grow feathers—all over her shoulders, arms, and back. Horrified, mortified, and clad in a hoodie, she hides out in her bedroom missing her dead mother and worrying about the summer, and the rest of her freakish life. Carolyn Turgeon has a gift for imagining magical worlds. In Ava’s case, this other-worldly place belongs to the Swan Maidens, one of whom is Ava’s mother. Ava goes back and forth between middle school and this magical realm taking the reader along for an exhilarating, extraordinary ride.