The Girl Who Chased the Moon. Sarah Addison Allen. Westminster, Md. : Books on Tape, 2010. ISBN: 9781415962190

Narrated by Rebecca Lowman

Seventeen-year-old Emily Benedict is thrust into Mullaby, North Carolina to live her grandfather after the death of her mother.  She is exposed to a world and a family she never new existed.  On top of being thrown into her new southern environment, Emily also begins to notice that Mullaby’s residents and town are  unlike anything she has  ever known to exist.  Her Grandpa Vance is an eight-foot-tall giant, there are strange lights outside in the woods behind her house, and her wallpaper in her room changes according to her mood.

Emily also uncovers that there is a lot of Mullaby history that involves her mother.  The type of information no one wants to tell her.  It seems like everyone knows about Emily and her past, that is, except Emily.  When Emily strikes up a casual friendship with Wynn Coffy, her world becomes even more complicated.  Wynn knows her history, as well as the fact they are not to associate with one another.  As Emily begins to learn about the residents of Mullaby she comes closer to uncovering the truth about the town and her mother’s past, but of course, all truths come with unforeseen consequences.

Emily is also not the only resident who is lost in the complications of Mullaby, there is also Julia Winterson.  She has inherited her father’s old BBQ Restaurant, and plans to run the operation just long enough to save enough money to get out of her old hometown.  Mullaby reminds Julia too much of the past. Julia tries to escape by avoiding the locals and baking cakes, with the strange intention that the smell of her sweet concoctions will resurrect someone from her past to come and find her.   The Girl Who Chased the Moon is a tale about no matter how hard one tries to avoid and forget the past, it will always catch up and find you.

Rebecca Lawson gives life to the tale of the The Girl Who Chased the Moon.  She is able to narrate with ease and give each character its own personality and distinction.  She tells the tale with thought and compassion, bringing the residents and magic of Mullaby, North Carolina to life.

Sarah Addison Allen is a New York Times bestselling author was also penned The Sugar Queen and Garden Spells.

–Melissa the Librarian