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A review by draconicdesmond
Turtles of the Midnight Moon by María José Fitzgerald
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
This book felt like a warm hug, a testament of friendship, and something that could be a child's loneliness at bay. The friendship between Barana and Abby felt genuine. It was clear that both girls bonded over a shared interest for animals and conservation. Abby shares a passion for photography while Barana shares a love for poetry and drawing. Different in creative pursuits, they both love animals, and the love that they felt for the sea turtles (especially Luna the sea turtle) was truly touching and heartwarming.
There where also small subtleties that helped amplify the book. The plastic that always ended up on the beach and how Tulu always cleaned it up and made creations out of it. How Barana always hated the plastic and how it washed ashore. Small subtilties such as this really help put it into perspective for the books designated audience.
The drifting apart between Abby and her best friend Fiana, who moved to England, was a topic that was handled very well. The awkward age of 12 is the point, I feel, where children start to understand that not every friendship is meant to last forever. In a lot of ways, Abby was dealing with the grief of losing her one and only friend who understood her. Fiana-like Abby-was biracial. Both of the girls understood the bullying that often accompanied from, as Abby put it, what it was like to have "different lunches" compared to the other kids, how they both felt as if they where "not enough" because they where "half of a whole". The whole arc between Abby and Fiana felt realistic, even if I wish there was more Abby reckoning with that grief.
But I will be honest, this is an aspect that I wish was explored more with Barana and Abby. I was hoping for a conversation between the two girls-how Abby felt as if she was not enough, how she was criticized for her spanish being "not good enough" or not being seen, and having Barana connect with that.
I suppose I wish the book was longer so that we could have explore so many more themes that where set up throughout the book: the gender roles between Tulu and Barana regarding caring for their younger sister, the friendship between Fiana and Abby and the grief that went along with it, the poachers themselves-what drove them to do it. Some of the things in the book didn't need an explanation-something the characters reflect on-and while I do agree with that, the things I listen would have enhanced the book even more if they where expanded upon. The characters needed to be expanded upon more than the Because of this lack of exploration, I can only give the book 4.25 stars instead of 4.5.
I loved the ending and I was sad to leave these characters behind. Rather than an ending, it felt like a new beginning for them. I really would love to see what the two could do together in the future. I also love how the author included ways to help out the leatherback sea turtles such as leaving resources you could donate too and small ways kids could help the turtles.
A worthwhile read that my inner child dearly enjoyed.
The reveal of the culprits behind the poaching was clever. At first, I honestly believed that it was someone from off shore, someone not from Pataya. But the deduction between the two girls (and eventually Barana's brother, Tulu, who joins the two of them in the investigation after a miscommunication when Abby and Barana thought he was one of the poachers) felt realistic. The entire time, the truth was right under the reader's nose-The cigarrettes that Matias was shown to have been smoking, the sound of Nati's boat motor, . The worst part was that the crime was not committed out of malicious intent, but out of desperation. Maria-the leader of the sea turtle project-was losing money since her husband got the bends from diving, leaving them without a source of income-and with a baby on the way? that is something that would only enhance the desperation. There is also the theme of forgiving. The quote of "the path to hell is paved with good intentions" comes to mind because of Maria's motivations behind the poaching.
There where also small subtleties that helped amplify the book. The plastic that always ended up on the beach and how Tulu always cleaned it up and made creations out of it. How Barana always hated the plastic and how it washed ashore. Small subtilties such as this really help put it into perspective for the books designated audience.
The drifting apart between Abby and her best friend Fiana, who moved to England, was a topic that was handled very well. The awkward age of 12 is the point, I feel, where children start to understand that not every friendship is meant to last forever. In a lot of ways, Abby was dealing with the grief of losing her one and only friend who understood her. Fiana-like Abby-was biracial. Both of the girls understood the bullying that often accompanied from, as Abby put it, what it was like to have "different lunches" compared to the other kids, how they both felt as if they where "not enough" because they where "half of a whole". The whole arc between Abby and Fiana felt realistic, even if I wish there was more Abby reckoning with that grief.
But I will be honest, this is an aspect that I wish was explored more with Barana and Abby. I was hoping for a conversation between the two girls-how Abby felt as if she was not enough, how she was criticized for her spanish being "not good enough" or not being seen, and having Barana connect with that.
I suppose I wish the book was longer so that we could have explore so many more themes that where set up throughout the book: the gender roles between Tulu and Barana regarding caring for their younger sister, the friendship between Fiana and Abby and the grief that went along with it, the poachers themselves-what drove them to do it. Some of the things in the book didn't need an explanation-something the characters reflect on-and while I do agree with that, the things I listen would have enhanced the book even more if they where expanded upon. The characters needed to be expanded upon more than the Because of this lack of exploration, I can only give the book 4.25 stars instead of 4.5.
I loved the ending and I was sad to leave these characters behind. Rather than an ending, it felt like a new beginning for them. I really would love to see what the two could do together in the future. I also love how the author included ways to help out the leatherback sea turtles such as leaving resources you could donate too and small ways kids could help the turtles.
A worthwhile read that my inner child dearly enjoyed.