Lumberjanes – The Moon Is Up

Mariko Tamaki's Lumberjanes - The Moon Is Up is a summer camp adventure for 8 year olds where the stars come out and something keeps stealing the cheese.

What happens

Roanoke cabin is back. April, Jo, Mal, Molly and Ripley, plus Bubbles the raccoon, who lives on Molly's head. This time the whole camp is gearing up for Galaxy Wars, four nights of space contests that their counsellor Jen has been planning for days.

There's a scavenger hunt for glowing planet orbs hidden all over camp. There's a cabin decorating contest. There's a cup for the winners, and April wants it VERY badly. (She keeps saying it's about having fun. It's mostly about winning.)

Meanwhile odd things keep happening. A pound of goat cheese vanishes from the kitchen. Something nibbles a bite the size of a plate out of the celebration pizza. And Jo is fairly sure she saw a moon-shaped craft land in the trees a few nights ago.

Jo has a bigger worry, though. A letter arrives offering her a place on a summer science programme with a famous professor. It starts in a week, which would mean leaving camp. She stuffs it in a pocket and tells nobody.

Reading it is like being in on the joke. The narrator keeps wandering off to explain things, like how the planets got their names or why your eyes can't really be bigger than your stomach. The planet puns never stop. And at one point Zodiac cabin gallops past on a moose!

There's real feeling under the silliness. Mal doesn't pass her accordion badge and goes quiet. Molly is so nervous before her music test that her knee won't stop shaking. Jo's letter nags at her right through the contests.

It's a lovely mix of characters. Jo has two dads, Mal and Molly are sweet on each other, and Barney from Zodiac cabin goes by they. It's all just part of camp life here.

Have you got a child who'd rather think than talk? They'll probably feel very seen by Jo. And if your reader loves a gang of friends with a bit of magic and a lot of noise, this one is easy to love.

What to read next

This is the second Lumberjanes book, and it mentions the cabin's earlier adventure in passing. If your reader hasn't met Roanoke yet, start them with Unicorn Power, where the five scouts head into the woods to finish a plant badge.