Johnson, Angela. A COOL MOONLIGHT. New York: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2003. ISBN 0803728468.
2. PLOT SUMMARY
Lila is about to turn nine, and she has never seen the sun. Born with xeroderma pigmentosum, a rare allergy to sunlight and certain types of artificial lights, Lila can never go outside during the day. However, two mysterious friends have given her cause to believe that when she turns nine, she will be able to go into the sun. So the three girls begin collecting items for the “sun bag” which will make it possible for Lila to dance in the sun. Finally, on the night of her birthday party, Lila and her family witness a miracle that helps Lila come to terms with her condition and realize “i’m [sic] really okay being a moon girl. there’s [sic] nothing wrong with moon girls.”
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
Angela Johnson presents a strong picture of family loyalty and obligations in this novel. The youngest member of the family of four has a serious condition that affects the entire family in ways that require much sacrifice by all, but they have banded together to do what is necessary so that they all have happy, fulfilled lives. The strength of the family is on every page of Johnson’s story, to a fault. Lila’s older sister has been helping with her younger sister’s care for nine years. Now 18, Monk tirelessly bakes cookies with Lila, and takes her little sister with her into the city after dark when she goes to meet friends or when she does her “secret shopper” job. Lila’s mom home schools her since she is unable to go outside to attend regular school, and her dad builds her a special clubhouse to play in after dark. The family takes “night vacations” and plans night birthday parties, inviting the whole neighborhood. There is no sign of struggle or frustration on the part of any of the family members, especially the teenage daughter. The family is too perfect; the relationships are unrealistic. However, the fantasy of a family who has and continues to deal with a devastating, degenerative disease without conflict is a happy fantasy to enter into, even though the reader will be conscious of the flaw in the story.
It is also difficult to discern what is real and what is fantasy in the story. One begins to think that Lila’s friends Alyssa and Elizabeth are make-believe, but it’s difficult to tell for sure when Lila seems to spot them on one of her secret shopping trips with Monk. When new friend Jackie enters the story, again the reader finds some confusion as to whether she is real. Finally, when the reader gets to the scene where Lila gets her opportunity to dance in the light while covered in fireflies, he may wonder if this is real or another fantasy. I found it hard to remain comfortable with fantasy versus reality throughout the story.
Johnson uses unconventional sentence structure – she does not use any capital letters. Punctuation is grammatically correct, so reading fluency is not an issue. The language is simple and flowing and pages contain lots of “white space.” Lines are widely spaced and margins are wide. Adult readers will find that they can read this novel in an hour or two, while younger readers will find this small book less intimidating than some.
Angela Johnson is a three-time Coretta Scott King Award winner for her novels Toning the Sweep, Heaven, and The First Part Last.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT
*Publishers Weekly: “Johnson raises intriguing themes of the supernatural, the lure of nighttime and the heroine's yearning for the sun, but despite her lyrical language, fantasy and reality elements sit uneasily together in her latest novel.”
*School Library Journal: “The writing is lyrical and fluid, and uses no capitalization, but captures a child's feelings. "i feel like i've been eight for practically a hundred years. if i stay eight any longer, i will have gray hair when i turn nine." This small, poetic book requires a special reader, but those who meet Lila are likely to remember her.”
*CCBC (Cooperative Children's Book Center): “Angela Johnson's memorable first-person narrative captures the complexities and maturity of a child who has had to acknowledge her own mortality, and then go on with living.”
*Kirkus: “Poignant, evocative, and as lingering as sunburn, Lila's story is one of courage, hope, and dreams.”
5. CONNECTIONS
• A Cool Moonlight would make a good read aloud. Its length would make it manageable in a fairly short amount of time, and the topics (family ties, illness, friendship, imaginary friends) which could be discussed in an interactive read aloud would interest students of all ages.
• Although Lila has a debilitating disease that prevents her from interacting with children her own age through the usual channels, she has friends and neighbors her age who interact with her as they would with a “normal” child. Discussing how David and Jackie are Lila’s friends as the story progresses, and comparing those relationships to relationships students may have at their school or in their neighborhood can help children think about how to treat those who are different.
• Students, especially older elementary writers, may enjoy playing with conventions such as not using capitals. Why did Johnson choose to write without capitalization? Experimenting with other unconventional ways of writing will help them see that professional writers deliberately choose to “make mistakes,” but that they do not affect the reader’s ability to understand. What happens when the writer does not use periods, writes sentence fragments, leaves out quotation marks in conversation, etc.? Is the writing still comprehensible? Can it add to the power and interest of the writing?
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