Happy Holidays, friends! I hope everyone has enjoyed their time with family, and recharging as we gear up for 2023. In the grand scheme of things, I’m aware the new year is just another day. But I like traditions, and I love lists and making goals. I like the idea of a fresh start and the chance for new opportunities. So it’s my hope for myself and for you, that we’ll all have an amazing new year, and maybe even meet at least one of our big goals. Meanwhile, I’m happy to share another book review (and share I met my Goodreads challenge!) for Lone Star Lit. Find the Moon by Beth Fehlbaum is an authentic, engaging, and challenging read. But more about my thoughts below 😉 For now, keep reading to learn more about the novel, and the special pre-order giveaway! 

FIND THE MOON

by BETH FEHLBAUM

Young Adult / Social Issues / Family Issues

Publisher: Progressive Rising Phoenix Press

Pages: 298 pages

Expected Publication Date: January 10, 2023

Scroll down for Giveaway!

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For as long as she can remember, Kylie Briscoe’s been searching for the moon even though she has no idea why it soothes her. Placed in an impossible situation by her mother, Kylie cries for help. It brings rescuers and a new life, but it feels more like a death sentence when she is separated from her three-year-old sister Aliza, the only person Kylie’s ever really loved.

Now she’s in tiny Patience, Texas, with her eccentric potty-mouthed grandmother, ever-patient stargazing grandfather, an uncle who reminds her a lot of a cop who terrified her during a drug bust, a herd of Norwegian Dwarf goats, their “guard donkeys,” and three canine roommates occupying Kylie’s former nursery.

When the authorities make a mistake that could cost her everything, Kylie must decide whether to tell the truth—all of it—in order to save herself and her sister.

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PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY FROM:

* Amazon * Barnes and Noble *

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AUTHOR’S GIVEAWAY!

Pre-order a copy of Find the Moon and enter the author’s giveaway!

Three lucky winners will win a $50 Amazon Gift Card, a signed set of THE PATIENCE TRILOGY, and a signed copy of BIG FAT DISASTER. Ends 12/30/2022. 

Visit Beth’s website for more information and to enter!

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Some books reach down inside to twist at the pieces you maybe hadn’t looked at before. Often sad, but also beautiful, these are the hard-to-read books, the ones that make you think and feel, even if you didn’t want to. Beth Fehlbaum’s Find the Moon is one of these books.

Teenaged Kylie and her three-year-old sister Aliza have been looking out for one another since always. Their mom is a no-show, but the rare times she shows bring chaos and pain. Kylie has spent most of her life in survival mode as a result, even when her mom forces her to do unspeakable things. Everything comes to a head not long after Mama finally shows up with her latest mistake. Only Kylie can’t keep quiet and push it all away like she usually does. This time, she fights back and cries for help. She just doesn’t expect that help to put their mom behind bars, or to separate Kylie from her sister. To her shock, she soon discovers their grandparents aren’t only alive but have been searching for Kylie for years, and they jump at the chance to bring their granddaughter home. 

It seems to me that while so many people today are encouraged to be open about trauma and pain, we also tend to shy away from thinking about it or dealing with it in our day-to-day. As we stay close to Kylie’s point of view, we also are brought along with her through the bad, the ugly, and the wonderful. As I said earlier, this book isn’t an easy read, especially if you’re a survivor of sexual abuse like Kylie. Some readers might be put off by the darker themes, or Kylie’s very typical fifteen-year-old language, but to me, it only made her character more authentic. My heart broke for Kylie and Aliza, but I also loved the way both sisters were given a second chance with family who loved them unconditionally in the way they were always meant to be nurtured and loved. 

So much of Beth Fehlbaum’s heartfelt and honest portrayal of overcoming trauma caught me unawares but in the best of ways. Now an adult and a parent, I’ve spent most of my life burying old pain and hurt, and only recently started to unpack early trauma so I can finally heal. I didn’t know I needed to read Find the Moon until I was halfway through it. Thanks so much to Beth for having the courage to write and give us Kylie and Aliza’s journey.

**I was provided a copy of Find the Moon by the publisher. These are my honest thoughts and opinions.**

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MEET BETH FEHLBAUM

Beth Fehlbaum is the author of the young adult novels Find the Moon, Big Fat Disaster (on the Spirit of Texas-High School Reading List, 2014-2015), Courage in Patience, Hope in Patience (A YALSA Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers), and Truth in Patience. With Dr. Matt E. Jaremko, Beth co-wrote the creative nonfiction book, Trauma Recovery: Sessions with Dr. Matt. She is a high school English teacher. 

Authenticity, calling out hypocrisy, and finding one’s voice are frequent themes in Beth’s work, and they are absolutely essential themes in her life, as well. Beth has a B.A. in English, a minor in secondary education, and an M.Ed. in reading. Beth is in-demand as an author-panelist, having presented/appeared at the Texas Library Association Annual Conference, the American Library Association’s annual conference, YALSA, N.C.T.E./ALAN, and numerous YA book festivals. She’s a member of The Author’s Guild, SCBWI, Romance Writers of America, and the Texas Federation of Teachers.  She loves doing school visits and meeting teens, teachers, and librarians! 

Beth lives in the woods of East Texas in a house on a slice of family acreage. The home was built by her family over one very hot humid summer, a task she wishes never to repeat again. This sanctuary-of-sorts is lined by pine trees, and the woods are inhabited by raccoons, possums, and feral cats. All of these creatures appear to consider Beth their cat-food-providing goddess. There is no place she would rather be.

Website  +  Facebook  +  Goodreads  +  Amazon Author Page

 

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