Synopsis: Chris's Gran is starting to forget things. She's got Alzheimer's and it's hard for everyone. Chris hates going to see her in the old people's home. He wants to make things easier for her...what is the chocolate moon she keeps talking about, and can he help her to see it again?

Review: A book which tackles several issues which are important to teenagers, with a commendable directness and clarity of style. Barrington Stoke novels are aimed at reluctant teenage readers, and offer subject matter and format to suit a very specific readership using top authors who value the opportunity to distil their theme into a short, pithy publication. Chocolate Moon fulfils this remit admirably, highlighting an intergenerational relationship which transcends the restrictions of developing dementia and family friction.

Chris has tried to hide his beloved Gran's increasing mental and physical frailty from his family, and resents his father's decision to put her in a home. His own failing relationship with his father, stepmother and stepsister, exacerbated by problems at school, encourage him to defy his parents, and take his Gran to her birthplace in Ireland, hoping that this will reveal what she means when she talks about a 'chocolate moon'. When they arrive, it is a very different place from that of the stories she told him in the past but he learns a great deal which explains his father's attitudes and behaviour, and with which father and son can begin to build the bridges to a better relationship.

Arrigan treats these topics with sympathy and seriousness, confidently creating credible situations and characters within a few pages. Excellent for those who respond to quality short novels, with a larger, clearer typeface than commonly found. A valuable resource for PSCHE discussion on family relationships and social care from Key Stage 3 onwards.

2006-10-07