Reviews: (by author)

Farber, Erica and J.R. Sansevere. Islands of the Black Moon. Delacorte Press, 2002. $15.95. ISBN 0 385 32789 7

Lila da Gama's father has recited to her the same bedtime story every night up until his mysterious disappearance at sea. Believing that her father is still alive, Lila turns to science to satisfy her passion. As her 11th birthday comes, however, events occur that cannot be explained through science alone. Lila's great-aunt Athena bestows upon Lila her "inheritance"- a map and three glass bottles that hold a secret beyond our world. Lila accidentally travels to the Islands of the Black Moon, where she discovers that her father's bedtime story is real, and he is being held prisoner in this magical realm. Together with her new friend Deco, and the spirits of "good", Lila must battle against the evil Vulnyx and the sorceress Ione to win freedom for her father and to bring happiness back to the Islands of the Black Moon.

This book is aimed mainly toward adolescent and pre-adolescent females, with the elements of magic, butterflies, winged horses, and the moon prominent in it. Lila Da Gama is a positive model for young girls; she uses her knowledge of science to conquer evil and is driven by courage and family love. The book contains adventure, but little violence, making it enjoyable for young adolescents.

Recommended Reading Level: Age 9-13

Reviewed by Elizabeth Wade

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Farber, Erica and J.R. Sansevere. Islands of the Black Moon. New York: Delacorte, 2002. $15.95. ISBN 0-385-32789-7.

Islands of the Black Moon, co-written by Erica Farber and J.R. Sansevere, provides a new magical world in which the imagination has room to roam. The heroine, science-minded Lila da Gama, is a normal little girl whose only problem is beating the principal's son in the science fair. Yet her ordinary life begins to change when she receives an invitation to spend the summer with her father's Aunt Augusta. At Tiger Lily, her Aunt's home, she receives the inheritance left by her father before his disappearance: a map and three small bottles. With a spin of the blue bottle, Lila becomes the first da Gama in many generations to see the "signs" . Aunt Augusta leaves Lila with a mysterious warning not to open the bottle before Lila is ready and heads off to bed. Lila's impatience prompts her to open the bottle that night and she is suddenly launched into another world: the Islands of the Black Moon.

When Lila was young her father told her of a da Gama ancestor, a sea captain, who sailed so far that he found his way to the Islands of the Black Moon. The Keeper of the bottles gave da Gama three bottles and told him to return them when he saw the "signs." Lila quickly realizes that something is now wrong on the islands and that she must follow the signs to set things right again. One precarious situation after another presents itself as Lila explores the islands. With her new-found friend Deco in tow, Lila is able to withstand the crafty magic of the evil Ione, tame a winged horse, and use her sailing skills to avoid the deadly whirlpools as she follows the signs from island to island. Using her knowledge of science she defeat the evil Vulnyx and rescues the father she lost long ago.

Islands of the Black Moon, told in the first-person from Lila's point of view, is casual in tone. Full of informal language and contemporary clichés, the tale does a wonderful job of connecting the reader's own modern world to the magical islands, making it easy for the reader to believe in the possibility of magic.

Elizabeth Klug, October 2003