The Sorrow of a Crescent Moon


Children - General
66 Pages
Reviewed on 04/20/2015
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

J Wagoner has been wandering around the high deserts of Nevada, roughly 8,000 miles (12,875 km) from where the author was born, for the past thirteen years.

J Wagoner was once on a quiet, lonely spot on the Rogue River in Southern Oregon, fly rod in hand. Upon hooking a fish and upon reeling it in, Wagoner saw that it was entirely made of gold. The fish said that if he were to be let go, he would grant the author three wishes. Wagoner first wished for the ability to make others happy. Wagoner then wished for the ability to make himself happy. Lastly, Wagoner wished to be allowed to work towards the first two wishes without the fish’s help. As the golden fish swam away, the author yelled, “Wait! Wait! I meant world peace! And a Tesla Model S!”

    Book Review

Reviewed by Mamta Madhavan for Readers' Favorite

The Sorrow of a Crescent Moon by J. Wagoner is a thought-provoking story about an eight-year-old boy, Jamie, and his trip with his family to New Orleans. The story takes an unexpected turn when Jamie is gifted with a unique worry stone. The stone has instruction to be kept under his pillow when he sleeps. With that, Jamie goes on an exciting journey and helps him discover New Orleans in an unusual manner, soaking up the essence of the place which is not that tangible to normal visitors. It's a story that teaches Jamie many lessons in life; that of fear, depression, anxiety, regret and emotional pain.

The book is deep and profound. Jamie meets the shadow version of everyone and he learns that each shadow has its own issues, troubles and emotional problems. As he gets into the emotional space of others, he also learns about his own issues. The book has many light and dark moments and I recommend this book for adults too. Jamie finds himself in different challenging situations every day, but realizes that whatever the problem and situation, there is always hope. The black and white sketches complement the story well. The author's depiction of New Orleans is interesting. The story, though written for kids, delves into deeper concepts like depression, pain and anxiety. The creepy hotel and the mysterious woman give a spooky vibe to the plot. The book ends on a positive note, in spite of all the challenges Jamie encounters.