How High The Moon

How High The Moon

Summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of How High The Moon by Karyn Parsons, read by Sisi Aisha Jonshon.

It's 1944, and in a small Southern town, eleven-year-old Ella spends her summers running wild with her cousins and friends. But life isn't always so sunny. The deep racial tension that simmers beneath their town's peaceful facade never quite goes away, and Ella misses her mama - a beautiful jazz singer, who lives in Boston.

So when an invitation arrives to come to visit Boston Ella is ecstatic - and for the first time, Ella sees what life outside of segregation is like, and begins to dream of a very different future. But her happiness is shattered when she returns home to the news that her classmate has been arrested for the murder of two white girls - and nothing will ever be the same again.

Reviews

  • So many things about this book were brilliant. A beautiful, funny, dangerous tale of growing up in Jazz Age America, How High The Moon is essential reading, full of voices that must be heard. One of the best stories I've read in a long while
    Emma Carroll, author of Letters from the Lighthouse and Secrets of a Sun King

About the author

Karyn Parsons

Karyn Parsons is perhaps best known for her role as Will Smith's ditsy cousin Hilary Banks on NBC's The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. After leaving acting behind, Karyn went on to found and produce Sweet Blackberry, an award-winning series of children's animated films, to share stories about unsung black heroes in history, featuring narration from stars such as Alfre Woodard, Queen Latifah and Chris Rock. The serie has been screened on HBO and Netflix, and is enjoyed by schools and libraries across the USA. How High The Moon is Karyn's self-authored debut middle grade novel. She lives and works in New York.
Learn More

Sign up to the Puffin newsletter

Stories, ideas and giveaways to help you spark young imaginations