I’m over the moon for OVER the MOON by the immensely talented Natalie Lloyd

OVER the MOON is Natalie Lloyd’s third sparkling middle grade novel, published in 2019 by Scholastic Press. How I missed it until now, I seriously don’t know. But now that I’ve discovered this wonderful book, I want to shout from the moon just how much I adore it.

Let me count SEVEN ways:
1) The 12-year-old main character’s name is Mallie Ramble. Need I say more?!?
2) Honeysuckle, her papa’s Dustflight, is “a tiny yellow bird they give to every miner from Coal Top”(page 3). But there’s more to this tiny ray of sunshine than meets the eye.
3)Mallie has the gumption, drive, and courage to protect her younger brother from being sent to the mine, despite having a fake arm and being a (gasp) girl.
4) The mystery surrounding the charismatic Mortimer Good will keep you feverishly turning pages. He alone can fight off the dust monsters. So of course when he offers salvation for young fellers brave enough to dream, who would doubt him?
5) Flying horses form magical, mystical bonds with children! Ooh!!
6) Iggy, the horse whisperer, is less than 3 feet tall. But she’s a force to be reckoned with.
7) Residents of Coal Top could weave starlight into cloth … before the dust came.

Now for the SUMMARY:
Mallie lives with her family in the mountain region of Coal Top, where a pervasive cloud of dust obscures all light from the sun, moon, or stars and renders it difficult to breathe. Coal Top residents have no choice but to submit to the will of the fortunate overseers who live down below. The overseers, ironically called Guardians, demand that men work the mine until it robs them of their eyesight, speech, or their very lives. Mallie’s dear father, has been robbed of both speech and eyesight, so it falls upon Mallie to help the family survive. The only path for girls is to work as maids for the wealthy few, and payment for the backbreaking work isn’t guaranteed, as Mallie sadly discovers herself.

Does mine work start at adulthood? Absolutely not. Guardians grab boys as young as six, the age of Mallie’s younger brother Denver. Where will her family find the money to keep Denver safe? Salvation arrives in the form of a dangerous invitation – offered by the charismatic and mysterious Mortimer Good. The invitation is for cocky young men, preferably those without family ties, but Mallie snags one for herself. To earn incredible monetary rewards, they must complete a series of increasingly dangerous tasks from atop flying horses. As thrilling as that is, these perilous tasks bring Mallie and the other adventurers close to the dust cloud that chokes Coal Top … and to dangers natural and human alike. Mallie makes a startling discovery when she flies over the dust cloud and for her bravery, becomes known throughout Coal Top as Mallie over the Moon, a champion and star.

THEMES Abound!
Over the Moon will inspire readers to hold onto their dreams, no matter how dismal life seems. It also reinforces the idea that you can’t judge others by their names, clothes, stations in life, or circumstances beyond their control. Readers will be inspired to become champions for justice and truth just like Mallie Ramble. I guarantee that if you read this delightfully daring middle grade adventure, you’ll be over the moon about Mallie, too.