A Place to Hang the Moon

by Kate Albus

Hardcover, 2021

Status

Available

Call number

813.00

Genres

Children's Books

All Topics

Fiction

Publication

Margaret Ferguson Books (2021), 320 pages

Description

In World War II England, orphaned siblings William, Edmund, and Anna are evacuated from London to live in the countryside, where they bounce from home to home in search of someone willing to adopt them permanently.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Lisa2013

This was so good I feel like crying. One for my favorites shelf!

Charming! Engaging. Three children, siblings each with a unique personality and all endearing. It’s a lovely story!

A page-turner!

Orphans. Check.
Characters who like books & reading, and literary references. Check.
Historical fiction.

Check. WWII era. Check.
England. Check.
Check. Check. Check.

There were some upsetting things but they were made a bit less upsetting to read because of the way the kids reacted. In one particular case the fact that the children involved were as upset as I was really helped the situation feel more endurable.

Some quotes that I loved (some in context):

“It is often the case that, at times of great anxiety, when the diversion of a good story should seem most welcome, one is least equipped to focus one’s mind on reading.”

“Fibs, you must know, are entirely acceptable when they serve the purpose of getting one to the library.”

“The librarian chuckled. “I suppose there are rather a lot of orphan stories out there.” “Why do grown-ups write so many of them?” William asked. “I hadn’t really thought about it,” Mrs. Müller confessed. “Perhaps they think children fancy the notion of living on their own, without adults to tell them what to do. It’s quite daft, if you think about it, isn’t it?””

““Besides which, I really ought to send her a book instead. Though she’s not much of a reader.” She paused. “Evidence as to her character.””

“The librarian took this all in, standing by the fire and observing the children for a while, letting the silence be. Somehow, it didn’t feel awkward, the way silences often do. Perhaps librarians are more used to quiet than most.”

There are two pages at the end with the list of books read by the children in the book, presented as book recommendations from William, Edmund, and Anna, the three children.

The two pages Acknowledgements section was touching.

Recommended for: all the usual suspects!!! I will be sending out recommendations. I suggest NOT reading the book description field before reading the book. *sigh* It’s not as though there are major spoilers but as I was reading I noticed that I wished I had gone into the book more blind than usual about what would happen. Not too far in it’s predictable what will happen at the end but it was lovely being absorbed in the story and waiting and seeing as events unfolded.

ETA: There is some wonderful humor also! I loved the vegetable gardening too. I’m so determined not to give any spoilers that I don’t want to say too much. Some readers might not appreciate the predictability that is there but it was fine with me.

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LibraryThing member deslivres5

Juvenile historical fiction with lots of heart!

WWII-era wealthy London siblings William, Edmund and Anna, twice orphaned (first their parents died, followed by the death of their grandmother seven years later) are evacuated to the English countryside with other children. Their secondary goal,

besides surviving the war, is to use the evacuation to possibly find a forever family to be their new guardians.

The children are met with various difficulties during their billeting in the countryside. Books play an important part of this comforting story.

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LibraryThing member skayw

My favorite middle grade fiction book I’ve read this year. So well written and such an engaging story. I was so excited to get to the end and I wanted it to go on forever.

LibraryThing member jennybeast

I like WWII books, so I was pleased to pick this one up. I think it's a relatively gentle addition to the ranks of books that cover the evacuation of children in Britain. There are some stark realities of small town life including bullying from the established children, shunning within their own

members, and a portrait of hunger and poverty in one household. There's never any real fear that they won't find a forever home, however, and when they do, the place is described as a cozy sort of nirvana, with no want for food. It has a fairy tale feeling to it. I enjoyed it. I would hands-down choose The War that Saved My Life or Goodnight, Mr. Tom over it for sheer emotional impact, but I did really enjoy it.

Advanced Reader's Copy provided by Edelweiss.

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LibraryThing member largeroomlibrary

William, Anna and Edmund are three children who lost their grandmother during World war two.
Now they have no parents or relative, just their house keeper Miss Collins. She sends them
to go with a school nearby for safety. The travel to find a perfect family is heart breaking. The
adventure is like

no adventure they have ever experienced. But its harder when they get
tangled up with Miss Griffith and feel the back breaking work of a poor family.This book is very
well done

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LibraryThing member Ms.Penniman

Retelling: 3 British children become orphans when their final living relative passes away. In an attempt to keep all three siblings together, the solicitor recommends they assume the false identity of evacuees and search for a good home among the families temporarily adopting children to support

the war effort. The author expertly paints the children's every thought and feeling and clearly describes their unique personalities as they search for the storybook family they've always wanted.

Thoughts and Feelings: My favorite thing about this book is the author's word choice! I've already returned it to the library so I don't have any examples here, but (similar to P.G. Woodhouse) the author, Kate Albus, aptly describes the children's naivete and uncertainty creating a kind of narrative tension that makes them seem so very real people.

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LibraryThing member bookworm12

Such a lovely book! A family of three are orphaned at the start of WWII and are evacuated to the countryside. I just loved the librarian, Mrs. Mueller. Responsible William, trying to care for his younger siblings even though he was only 12, broke my heart. This book is new, but feels like a

classic. You can’t help but root for the children as they search for a new family to care for them.

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LibraryThing member DonnaMarieMerritt

This middle grade, historical fiction is a debut gem by Kate Albus. Three siblings are sent to the countryside at the beginning of the London Blitz—but no one knows they're orphans. They were raised by a cold-hearted grandmother after their parents died, and now she's deceased, too, leaving no

other relatives and no one named in their grandmother's will to raise them. Since so many other children are being sent away from the city, the solicitor of the estate suggests the "preposterous plan" of having them join a group of evacuees and look for a family who might take them in forever, but without revealing their wealth.

The children face hardships with resilience, and often with humor, but each in their own way as 12-year-old William, 11-year-old Edmund, and 9-year-old Anna have distinct personalities. But what all three want most is just for someone to love them. Sounds a bit sappy when I say it, but Albus has written authentic dialogue and scenes true to the period.

Happily adding this to our grade 4/5 school library, but I'd encourage it as an adult read also. We all deserve to have someone in our lives who thinks we hang the moon.

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LibraryThing member Whisper1

Three children are left adrift with no home when their unloving grandmother dies. They saw her as unfeeling and cold, and they were correct. She didn't leave any instructions or plans for her grandchildren in her will. She did leave money, but no security. There was an uncle present at the

gathering after the funeral, but that is the last he is mentioned.

Not only are they without anyone to care for them, but WWII hit England with a terror of bombs. It was difficult to find safe houses for one child let alone three children who wanted to stay together. Through their sheer determination, they remained together.

Their experiences were at times caring, but mainly cruel. They experienced a host of nasty occurrences, and were not loved until they found a wonderful librarian who wanted and loved them.

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