| Keeping the Moon | |
|---|---|
| Author(s) | Sarah Dessen |
| Cover artist | Linda McCarthy |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult novel |
| Publisher | Viking Press |
| Publication date | September 1, 1999 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 228 |
| ISBN | 978-0-14-240176-7 |
| OCLC Number | 55498486 |
Keeping the Moon is a young adult novel by author Sarah Dessen. It is her third novel and was first published in 1999.
Contents |
Nicole Sparks (Colie) and her mother used to be poor and moved often. They also were very overweight. That all changed when her mother started taking aerobics classes, which lead to both of them losing weight and her mother becoming a well known aerobics instructor. Eventually her mother had a line of fitness equipment, a television show and TV specials, improving their financial status greatly. Colie remains insecure, however, and alienated from other students at school.
When Colie's mother goes over to Europe for a tour of her new fitness line one summer, Colie spends the summer with her aunt Mira in Colby, North Carolina. She is in bad spirits when she arrives in Colby, NC. She meets her Aunt Mira and her hippie tenant Norman, characters who do not improve her first impression of Colby. She explores the town and arrives at the Last Chance Grill where she meets perfectionist Morgan and in-your-face Isabel, who immediately rejects Colie. Colie is convinced that no one in Colby will want her, similar to her life back home. Later, Morgan makes Isabel apologize for her rude commentary, and later Colie helps out at Last Chance when a tourist rush comes in and Isabel and Morgan are in need of an extra hand. She lands a job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill without even trying, and things change. Morgan and Isabel help Colie build confidence and start loving herself.
Colie endures the aftermath of “chick night” and enjoys her new found confidence. Her new friend Josh calls, and Norman gets jealous. Colie realizes that she has to mend their friendship, and asks Norman for a second shot at being in a portrait for his art school. Meanwhile Morgan decides to go to Durham to surprise her fiance, Mark, which worries Isabel because of past problems with Mark. Morgan gets hit with reality when she finds Mark married to a pregnant stripper, and she takes it out on Isabel by locking her out of the house. Colie and Norman become more interested in each other while they are working on the portrait, and when the art sessions end, Norman invites Colie over for a date for the unveiling of Colie’s finished portrait.
Nicole “Colie” Sparks, the protagonist of the novel, is a 15-year-old teenage girl. When her mother became a famous exercise guru, she shed her weight, but not her insecurity. Her mom ships her off to her aunt’s house in Colby, NC for the summer, and the relationships and connections that she makes there help her realize that she is actually worth something, and help her gain self-confidence.
Mira Sparks - Mira is Colie's aunt. She is overweight and very kind. She makes cards that are for people that have lost their loved ones. She buys a lot of sugared cereal and enjoys eating the grilled chicken salad at Last Chance. Mira is also friends with Morgan and Isabel. She lives with Norman and Colie and has a cat named Cat Norman (named after Norman).
Morgan - Morgan works at Last Chance with Isabel, Colie, and Norman. She has noted many times that she is engaged with a baseball player named Mark. Unfortunately, Morgan's fiancè cheats on her with a pregnant stripper whom Mark was married to. Morgan is very organized and straightforward about things. She has been friends with Isabel since high school and they are very close. She is said to be very tall, skinny, and has short dark brown hair.
Isabel - Isabel works at Last Chance with Morgan, Colie, and Norman. It is stated that lots of boys flirt with and hit on her. Isabel is very lazy and reads Vogue in her free time. She is best friends and roommates with Morgan. Isabel acts grumpy around Colie and is very judgmental. Colie sees a picture of a rather ugly girl in a green sweater and a frog necklace on Isabel's mirror. When she asks who it is, Isabel quickly explains it is her cousin. Later on, Colie discovers that the ugly girl was really Isabel, proving that she and Isabel have something in common. Isabel has long, blonde hair and blue eyes.
Norman - Norman is an "art freak." His father does not support the idea of him being an artist, so this resulted in fights. Norman moved out of the house when he was 17. He works with Morgan, Isabel, and Colie at Last Chance as a cook. He has a small crush on Colie and collects sunglasses. He has a whole series of paintings that have sunglasses.Norman is shy and kind. He lives with Mira and Colie because he has nowhere to go. In the end, he makes a painting of Colie and becomes Colie's boyfriend.
Kiki Sparks, a famous exercise guru, is Colie’s mother. She and Colie shared a period of their lives which they called the “Fat Years,” and during that time, she had to have the strength for the both of them. Throughout the story, she sometimes gets so caught up in her work, that she forgets that Colie is her daughter.
Caroline Dawes, a snobby girl from Colie’s school, is described as Colie’s worst enemy. She teased Colie when she was fat, and once she lost the weight, she kept the rumors about her circling the school. She is said to be tall, tan, and skinny with long black hair that she frequently swings around.
Josh, the cousin of Caroline Dawes, meets Colie at a fireworks show in Colby, NC. When he meets her, and when Caroline tells him things about her past leaves the beach, and does not say why.
Publishers Weekly claims that Colie “[learns] some pretty important lessons about friendship and learning to love herself.”[1] On the other hand, The Celebrity Café noted that the book deals with “teenage issues”[2] that Colie had to overcome. Although Publishers Weekly noted that Keeping The Moon was a “kind of Cinderella story”[1] Colie does “begin a happy metamorphosis” and makes “marvelously contentious friendship[s].”[3] It was a very well written book. Fun, sad, dramatic, and full of life lessons.
Publishers weekly described the dialogue as "snappy"[1] and complimented the "colorful episodes"[1] throughout the novel. They also praised the "unexpected pearls of wisdom."[1] Booklist, however criticized that "it's unfortunate this novel doesn't have something more original to say about the perpetually vexing problem of teen body image,"[4] and they also complained that it was "predictable."[4] The Kirkus Review noted that the book was a "life-altering experience"[3] and The Celebrity Cafe complimented the book's "entertaining yet touching portrait."[2]
Sarah Dessen is "an absolutely wonderful writer--stylish, smart, and funny" claims Michael Cart[4] Publishers Weekly also noted that Dessen's "ironic sense of humor and her knack for creating characters with quirky personalities and universal emotions set[s] her book apart [from others]."[1]
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