Summer of the Gypsy Moths

Sara Pennypacker’s Summer of the Gypsy Moths is a story of belonging, of finding a family in an unexpected place, and of dreams.  Stella is living with her Great-Aunt Louise on the Cape Cod coast with another foster girl, named Angel.  The two girls are complete opposites and have no interest in being friends or even friendly with each other.  But when the unthinkable happens, Stella and Angel must band together to make everything work out for the better.

I enjoyed the coming of age aspect of this story, but the author went about the plot line in a way that was a little too farfetched for me to believe.  But, in reality, something like this could easily happen, where children are forced to take care of themselves with little or no parental supervision and often people just look the other way.  What I really liked about the story was how you learned more and more about the characters as the story unfolded.  It was as if you kept peeling away layers learning a little more each time.

The story also provides a look into the foster care system and the sad truth that older children are often bounced from home to home without any hope of being adopted into a family.  This story has a number of discussion points for children and adults to discuss making it a great book for a book discussion choice.  Learn more about Sara Pennypacker, by visiting her website.

Title: Summer of the Gypsy Moths
Author: Sara Pennypacker
Publisher: Balzar + Bray
Publication Date: 2012
Page Number: 275 pgs.