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Children's Fiction General

Grandfather and the Moon

by (author) Stéphanie Lapointe

illustrated by Rogé

translated by Shelley Tanaka

Publisher
Groundwood Books Ltd
Initial publish date
May 2017
Category
General, Multigenerational, Emotions & Feelings
Recommended Age
10 to 13
Recommended Grade
5 to 8
Recommended Reading age
10 to 13
  • Hardback

    ISBN
    9781554989614
    Publish Date
    May 2017
    List Price
    $18.95
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781554989638
    Publish Date
    May 2017
    List Price
    $16.95

Classroom Resources

Where to buy it

Description

An award-winning graphic novel from Quebec — for fans of Jane, the Fox and Me and A Year Without Mom

This moving graphic novel tells the story of the affection between a girl and her grandfather. When the grandfather withdraws in grief after his wife dies, the girl is determined to live life fully herself and enters an extraordinary contest — the result is a sensitive portrayal of pursuing a dream.

Grandfather, a man of few words, is devastated when his beloved wife succumbs to cancer, and he sinks into depression. His granddaughter (“Mémère,” as he calls her) has a different response. She decides to enter the Who Will Go to the Moon Contest, and when she actually wins, she hopes that Grandfather will be proud of her. She embarks on the thrilling journey and at first it is wonderful, but just as she is about to reach the moon, her journey takes an unexpected turn.

Written by Stéphanie Lapointe and beautifully illustrated by Rogé, this imaginative graphic novel explores intergenerational relationships, love, death, dreams and illusions.

Correlates to the Common Core State Standards in English Language Arts:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.1
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RL.5.6
Describe how a narrator's or speaker's point of view influences how events are described.

About the authors

Author Stéphanie Lapointe is a jack-of-all-trades who loves to do everything - even the dishes because it relaxes her. When she sings, records, plays the piano, or plays characters in TV series or movies, she feels good. Even if she does not particularly like to get on a plane (especially not the little ones with doors through which the air from outside infiltrates), Stéphanie does it occasionally to go and shoot different documentary projects. It is thanks to one of her friends that Stéphanie embarked on the adventure of writing. She has won the Governor General’s Award for her book Grandfather and the Moon, as well as for the Fanny Cloutier series.

She is well-known in Canada as she is a singer, song writer, actress and humanitarian activist. She is known for winning the second season of the reality TV show Star Académie, winning the title of “next solo singing sensation”.

Today, Stéphanie lives in Montreal in a white and pink house she built with someone she loves.

Stéphanie Lapointe's profile page

Rog�
As a child, Rog� (Roger Girard) knew that he wanted to be an artist. After earning a degree in graphic design at Universit� Laval, he worked in advertising for five years before working in international cooperation in the Dominican Republic. While there, he created large murals in a local village. He returned to Montreal, changed by this experience, and decided to devote himself to illustration. Since then, his creations have illustrated ad campaigns, posters and magazines, but it is the world of children's literature and its lack of constraints that has given him the freedom to create, and develop his own style. He was a GG finalist in 2002. Rog� lives in Montreal.

Rogé's profile page

SHELLEY TANAKA is an award-winning author, translator and editor. She has written more than twenty books for children and young adults, winning the Orbis Pictus Award, the Mr. Christie’s Book Award, the Science in Society Book Award and the Information Book Award, and she has twice been nominated for the Deutsche Jugendliteraturpreis. Other honors include Texas Blue Bonnet runner-up, School Library Journal Best Books, ALA Notables and IRA Young Adults’ Choice. Her translation of Michel Noel’s Good for Nothing won the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People and was on the IBBY Honor List (Commended). Shelley teaches at Vermont College of Fine Arts, in the MFA Program in Writing for Children and Young Adults. She lives in Kingston, Ontario.

 

Shelley Tanaka's profile page

Awards

  • Commended, CCBC Best Books for Kids and Teens

Editorial Reviews

This is beautiful, bewitching stuff … the enigmatic symbolism, poetic language, and evocative artwork may utterly entrance the right reader.

Booklist

Lapointe's prose is lyrical, meditative, and observant, and the love between girl and grandfather feels very real, amid the story's fantastical twists.

Publishers Weekly, STARRED REVIEW

Roge's pictures stir big emotions out of the smallest gestures. … An undeniable if imperfect gem.

Kirkus Reviews

I have to tell you that this is not your normal, average, everyday, please everyone, children’s book. No, this is a book that might be a picture book, might be a middle grade short novel, might be for young adults, and could certainly be for adults as well. The best I can say is that it’s a short story, illustrated. And that you’ll never read anything quite like it this year. … it could be a perfect book discussion group for kids and teens of all ages.

School Library Journal

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