West of the Moon – Margi Preus

This is a really sweet story, inspired by a note in the author’s great –grandmother’s diary from when she emigrated to America from Norway. Her husband had asked her to take on a young woman from the ship as a maid, because she was young, and on her own. The author’s invented a back story for her, using Scandinavian fairy tales as the back drop. It works really well.

Astri’s father has gone off to America, leaving her and her sister Greta behind with their aunt. The aunt sells Astri to the local goatman, so Astri steals back to the house to find Greta, and they’re off to America. What makes this story is the weaving in of fairy tales, as Astri tries to use them as inspiration when their path grows rough. It’s a really lovely way to tell this story – very sweetly done.