I wish there were more stars to give "I'll Watch the Moon". It was such a fantastic read! The main character says it is a "love story but not a romance". That is my favorite kind of book. One is being drawn into the story because of the wonderful characters and the story. Ann Tatlock has an amazing "voice" as a writer. I wish I was that kind of reviewer in order to convince everyone to read this book! It is definitely a TBR! ( )

In the summer of 1948, 9 year old Nova Teirney and her 13 year old brother Dewey are living a happy life. They are living with their widowed mother in Aunt Dortha's boarding house along with an interesting assortment of boarders.

Dewey loves astronomy, and dreams of someday walking on the moon. Along with Nova, they spend many summer nights looking at the night sky together with his telescope in the back yard. When Dewey is hospitalized, Nova promises to watch the moon for him until he is well.

Nova's mother Catherine, bitter over a childhood secret, her late husbands infidelity, and now her son's illness, turns her back on God and loses hope. That hope begins to renew again when she strikes up a friendship with one of the boarders, Josef, who is a survivor of Auschwitz. Meanwhile Nova, who dreams of having a father again, pins her hopes on Josef.

I loved this story; Ann Tatlock is an amazingly gifted writer. The first few chapters of this book did seem slow at first, but that background is an important setup to the rest of the story, and by the time you reach the end of the book, you will be glad you stuck with it. ( )