LoveReading4Kids Says
LoveReading4Kids Says
Tender and true-to-life, Shirley Marr’s All Four Quarters of the Moon tells an honest, authentic story of an eleven-year-old’s struggles, fears, bravery and hopes when her family move to Australia. Perfectly-pitched for pre-teen readers who are beginning to question the world, but still occupy childhood territory, this tremendously engaging account of migrant experiences radiates the magic of sisterly bonds and friendship.
A sense of change and the shifting sands of childhood are perfectly expressed in the opening pages when Peijing wonders “why adults would tell others not to do a thing and do it themselves.” This astute thought pops into her head on the eve of her family’s move to Australia, where a new home, new school and new language await. On starting school, Peijing’s “greatest fear was that she would not fit in, that she would be picked on for looking different”. At the same time, her little sister is struggling with a new language, and Peijing steps in several times as a supportive, reassuring, confidence-boosting sister. She also makes friends with Joanna, a fellow outsider with a difficult home life that marks her out as being different.
Peijing’s navigation of all this change, including worrying about her elderly grandma, is beautifully tackled, and her story is a captivating, stirring joy.
Joanne Owen
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About
All Four Quarters of the Moon Synopsis
Everything so far, if Peijing had to sum it up, was a string of small awkward experiences that she hoped would end soon. The night of the Mid-Autumn festival, making mooncakes with Ah-Ma, was the last time Peijing remembers her life being the same.
Now facing a new home, a new school and a new language, everything is different.
Peijing thinks everything is going to turn out okay as long as they all have each other. But cracks are starting to appear in the family. Biju, lovable but annoying, needs Peijing to be the dependable big sister. Ah-Ma keeps forgetting who she is; and Ma Ma and Ba Ba are no longer themselves. Peijing has no idea how she's supposed to cope with the uncertainties of her own world while shouldering the burden of everyone else. If her family are the four quarters of the mooncake, where does she even fit in?
All Four Quarters of the Moon is a heartfelt story about family, resilience, and immigration, taken from Shirley Marr's own childhood experiences of being a first-generation migrant. Interwoven with gorgeous tales from Chinese mythology, fans of sisterhood stories will adore this enchanting and stunningly written story.
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781803704326 |
| Publication date: |
5th January 2023 |
| Author: |
Shirley Marr |
| Publisher: |
Usborne Publishing Ltd |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
333 pages |
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Press Reviews
Shirley Marr Press Reviews
'Fans of sisterhood stories are in for a heartfelt treat with this gentle novel centered around family, resilience, and immigration. Taken from the author's own experiences, the touching characters and relationships in this story will linger with readers for a long time.' - Booklist, starred review
'I absolutely love All Four Quarters of the Moon, it's beautiful and heartwarming, gentle yet powerful, truly a book to treasure.' - Sophie Anderson, author of The House with Chicken Legs
Author
About Shirley Marr
Shirley Marr is a first-generation Chinese-Australian author living in sunny Perth. Shirley describes herself as having a Western mind and an Eastern heart and likes to write in the space in the middle where both collide, basing her stories on her own personal experiences of migration and growing up. Arriving in mainland Australia from Christmas Island as a seven-year-old in the 1980s and experiencing the good, the bad and the wonder that comes with culture shock, Shirley has been in love with reading and writing from that early age.
Photo credit Emma Taylor Photography
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