The Moonlight School

Title: The Moonlight School
Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher
Major Themes: Kentucky, Literacy, Cora Wilson Stewart
Synopsis: When Lucy went to the hills of Kentucky to help her cousin, she found herself in a completely different world than she had ever imagined.

Because I have enjoyed the historical fiction I have read by Suzanne Woods Fisher, I decided to request The Moonlight School for review. I was especially interested after I read several positive reviews of it. When I finally got around to reading it, I was certainly not disappointed! This was a book that I thoroughly enjoyed.

Lucy needed something worthwhile to fill her life. Or, maybe it was just that her father wanted to get her away from home so he could enjoy his new young wife by himself. Whatever the reason, she found herself traveling into the backwoods of Kentucky to where her cousin, Cora Wilson Stewart, was working. Her aunt needed a stenographer, and Lucy was excited about helping her. Then she found out what the job really consisted of. Going out into the mountains to filthy, smelly hovels, reading letters to illiterate adults, and writing down their replies, was not what Lucy had signed up for. How could she get out of it?

Cora was the superintendent of education in the county, and her focus, of course, was the children. Almost all the adults in the county were illiterate. What could be done to help them? Then, Cora got an idea! With help from Brother Wyatt, the local singing teacher, who had caught her vision as well, she set to work to wipe out illiteracy. Meanwhile, Lucy found some clues to what happened to her two-year-old sister, who went missing many years before. What should she do with the clues she found?

Though Lucy is a fictitious character, the story is based on fact. Cora Wilson Stewart was a real person, and she really did find ways to combat illiteracy.   I loved the way this answer took a historical event and turned it into a memorable story. The Moonlight School really brings to life the importance of literacy. I loved watching Lucy mature during the course of the story. She learned a lot about what was really important in life. I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical fiction.

I received a review copy of this book from NetGalley, and these are my honest thoughts about it.

WARNING: One character uses heck frequently. Another one uses dang once. There are a couple of kisses mentioned.