Fourteen-year-old Jessica Maxwell lives alone with her alcoholic mother after her baby sister, older brother and father died years ago. John Garrett is the lone survivor of a horrific car accident that claimed the lives of his wife and toddler daughter months ago. John is Jessica’s ninth grade teacher and one day, early in the school year, noticing her declining grades, he reaches out as a mentor. After initially declining she eventually accepts, and soon finds his house is the only place she finds security and peace. After several months, John calls social service, concerned over Jessie’s mother’s obvious neglect. Jessica’s home situation improves, but then the unthinkable happens and John pursues custody of Jessie. But will he get it?
This is a powerful and moving story of living with grief and neglect, of survival, of acceptance, of the power of friendship and love between two very different people.
Plot/Idea: 7 out of 10
Originality: 8 out of 10
Prose: 7 out of 10
Character/Execution: 7 out of 10
Overall: 7.25 out of 10
Assessment:
Plot/Idea: To The Moon And Back is a YA/middle grade novel about the traumas Jessica Maxwell and her mentor, John Garrett, endure as their as their lives are shredded and then, over time, pieced back together like a mosaic.
Prose: Kotchi's prose is clear and understandable, and her characterizations are vivid, even as frequent time jumps can interfere with the overall flow of the storytelling.
Originality: There are many novels about coping with loss, but Jessica and John are singular, both previously wounded by their traumatic pasts and both desperate for their circumstances to improve even as they shy away from letting another person get close.
Character/Execution: Jessica and John are fully fleshed characters and the author lets the reader see their good points as well as their faults. Kotchi manages to make Jessica's abusive mother sympathetic, a particular feat for YA/Middle Grade, and the additional supporting characters ring true as well.
Date Submitted: July 09, 2024
