Music from a Place Called Half Moon

Oughton, J. (1995). Music from a place called half moon. Boston, MA: HMH Books For Young Readers.

Music from a Place Called Half Moon

By: Jerrie Oughton

                Summary: This is chapter book is about a small town that is rocked by a new idea.  Edie Jo Houp’s dad suggests that the Vine Street Baptist Church let the local Indian children attend their Vacation Bible School.  This idea was not well received by the people in the town of Half Moon, North Carolina.  Even Edie Jo at the age of 13 is not sure that her father has the best idea.  However, Edie Jo forms an unexpected friendship with the Indian boy named Cherokee Fish.  As their secret friendship begins to form Edie Jo starts to understand that friendships do not know color boundaries.  While Edie Jo is forming the friendship and developing deep feelings for Cherokee Fish, her town is in serious turmoil.  On top of learning the boundaries of friendship Edie Jo learns to deal with grief when Cherokee Fish is murdered by his brother.  The death of Cherokee Fish is related to the arson incident in Half Moon.

                Literary Terms: In Music from a Place Called Half Moon there is several places that the author uses foreshadowing.  Foreshadowing is when the author gives the reader a hint, or an idea, of an event to come in the story.  An example of foreshadowing in Music from a Place Called Half Moon, is when Gramma begins to talk about a time when an Indian came to their house to ask for work, and she latched the front door.  Edie Jo then goes to the porch and turns on the light earlier than normal.  The author says “she needed it” to “keep the dark from coming”.  Also, this book is a good example of a round character.  A round character is a character in a fiction work that is fully developed.  The reader knows the character’s personality, motives, and background.  Edie Jo is a round character in Music from a Place Called Half Moon.  Readers are able to understand Edie Jo’s deepest thoughts as we watch he go through several changes in the summer of 1956.  Readers see how her feelings and actions change through her friendship with Cherokee Fish, and the death of Cherokee Fish.

                Big Question: How did the friendship with Cherokee Fish change Edie Jo?

                Curriculum Activity: Students will use a Venn Diagram to compare and contrast Edie Jo’s fathers viewpoint on including the Indian children, and the towns people of Half Moon’s viewpoint on the inclusion of the Indian children.  You could extend on this activity by making students find specific events and dialogue that prove their answers.

                Curriculum Standard: CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.7.6 Analyze how an author develops and contrasts the points of view of different characters or narrators in a text.

            Thoughtful Question:  How could you use this book to help teach children to accept other’s differences?

How did Edie Jo handle grief? Is this appropriate for young children?