Over the Moon

Mallie lives with her family on Coal Top.  Boys go to work in the mines, and girls go into the valley to become servants for the wealthy.  It wasn't always this way.  Once the people of Coal Top new the magic of the stars, and they created beautiful things with glittery star patches.

Now the stars are gone, driven away by the dust that coats everything and drives out hope.  Instead of beautiful star patches falling from the sky, the people are at risk from dust blobs which will suck all the happiness out of you and leave you depressed.

Mallie doesn't want this to be her life, and he especially wants to save her younger brother Denver from a life in the mines where the dust seeps into the men's eyes and steals their voices.  When she sees a flyer asking for brave young men, she knows this is her chance.  She may not be a boy, but she's just as brave as anyone else on the mountain.

She will have to brave the monsters that live in the forest and impress Mortimer Good despite the fact that she's a girl and wears a popsnap in place of her missing arm.  At first, she wants to impress Mortimer.  He promises such riches she will be able to pay off her family's debt quickly, but observant Mallie begins to notice some things about Mortimer and the whole operation that just don't seem right.

Natalie Lloyd's new novel seems even more deeply rooted in fantasy than the previous two.  Though Coal Top is a fictional mountain, the story pays homage to the Appalachian mountains.  Mallie is a strong female character who doesn't let her physical differences get in the way of achieving her goals.  Lloyd also makes a clear point about the wealthy exploiting the impoverished for their own ends.  Fans of the previous books will enjoy this new addition!