review by Mel MathewsWhat a fabulous tale! The weekend was covered with a hefty to-do list, then I opened up Ramey Channell's Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge and everything else fell away. The woods around Moonlight Ridge are filled with magical secrets and possibilities and eight-year-old Lily Claire Nash and her cousin Willie T (both born on the very same day and at the very same time) are full of adventure.
Told from the point of view of Lily, Ramey Channell weaves magical realism so well into this clever novella that one would consider these mysteries as common everyday occurrences. For example: a mama possum with a bunch of baby possums hanging onto her back waddles through the crowd at a graveside funeral service—the baby possums singing a cantata to the dearly departed. And then there are the spots on a baby boy's tongue that soon turns into Lily and Willie T's sketched hidden treasure map. And that's just the beginning—wait till they find the treasure!
Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge is good clean fun, even if Lily Claire and Willie T break rules and are occasionally skinned up and tossed about by the elements. Ramey Channell is a gifted writer and masterful storyteller. Undoubtedly, she has tapped into her source and been filled with a magical spirit of her own—or perhaps, like Lily Claire Nash, she was born with it.
Highly recommended for adults, children, and public library collections.
Title: Sweet Music on Moonlight Ridge
Author: Ramey Channell
ISBN: 9780984083688
Publisher: Chalet Publishing
The Review, Mel Mathews is the author of several novels. His books are available from your local bookstore, a host of on-line booksellers, and you can order them directly from his website at: www.melmathews.com
© 2012 by Mel Mathews, permission to reprint is granted.
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