The Moonlighters

Theo is twelve. After an incident involving a dare and dinosaur poo which went wrong, he feels he needs to run away from home. He does not appreciate his parents who moved him to a country village and a new school. Conveniently, he meets the strange and wizard-like Alistair Goodfellow, who promises him a home with other run-away children.

Who is Alistair really? What are they involved in? And how dangerous might it be for Theo?

In Newbery’s novel, we find echoes of Harry Potter. A stand-out difference, however, is Ziggy, the piano who plays himself, an extremely ingenious tone setter. The children, who are known as the Moonlighters, are sent on a dangerous quest for four powerful stones. The major thrust of the narrative is whether they will find the stones and what price they will pay for doing so.

Another unusual feature of Newbery’s work is that Alistair identifies as ‘they’. This is a bold and inclusive move in children’s fantasy, to help normalise people who don’t identify in a conventional manner. There is also a gay love story which is to be applauded.

This novel will appeal to any young reader who wants to escape from their reality for a while.