Looking at the Moon: 9

This novel--the continuing adventures of Norah, a prickly but engaging English girl--takes up nearly three years after the events chronicled in The Sky Is Falling. Norah and her younger brother Gavin continue to live in the home of wealthy Toronto matron Mrs. Ogilvie--with whom they are likely to remain until WW II comes to an end. Norah, now 13, is torn between wanting to grow up and wishing that she could remain a child; not even at Gairloch--the rambling summer dwelling shared by Mrs. Ogilvie's extended family--can Norah escape backwards into the unconflicted world of childhood. In fact, events at Gairloch push Norah even closer to adulthood: it is there that she first falls in love, with Mrs. Ogilvie's grand-nephew Andrew, 19. Narrated in language that is more sturdy than anything else, this coming-of-age story holds few surprises. With the exception of Norah, the characters are fairly wooden and one-dimensional. Pearson's real strength, however, lies in her ability to convey the texture of a specific time and place; Gairloch, in particular, is so vividly and lovingly evoked that it is almost possible to smell the pine trees. Ages 10-14. (June)