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All the Blue Moons at the Wallace Hotel

A Novel by Phoebe Stone

"Eleven-year-old Fiona Hopper lives with her sad, withdrawn mother and lively sister, Wallace, in a once-magnificent mansion, a remnant of their formerly wealthy life. Fiona is a talented ballet dancer, but the family no longer has the money to spend on her dancing classes. As the story moves along, Fiona makes many oblique references to the incident that changed the family's fortune, finally revealing the nature of the tragedy in a brief but poignant scene. Through it all shines Fiona's love of the dance and of the father who encouraged her talent. In clear, luminous writing, Stone directs the plot toward a satisfying, happy conclusion as the Hoppers learn to open up and trust once more. A full cast of interesting secondary characters flesh out this moving, tender story of familial love." --Booklist

"Readers will drawn on by the mystery and in the process find themselves drawn to the novel's unselfconsciously plucky heroine." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"Stone creates memorable and real characters and does a good job maintaining tension throughout the book. A quirky and memorable book."
--Booksource

"Stone's eye for evocative images is unwavering. The author's ear for kid-speak is also wonderfully in key."
--Seven Days

"The Wallace Hotel is not a hotel at all but the affectionate name that fourteen-year-old Kip gives to the broken-down mansion where thirteen-year-old Fiona, nine-year-old Wallace, and their mother live. The focus of the story is on Fiona, who dreams of being a ballet dancer despite a terrible tragedy that seems to have crushed her mother's hopes and in turn her hopes for her daughters. As the story unfolds, the reader slowly begins to piece together clues as to what really happened in the once beautiful Wallace Hotel. Along the way a variety of quirky engaging characters are introduced such as exotic Cuban ballet teacher and Wallace's elderly friend Mrs. Braverman, who houses an atrium full of birds. The main characters also are very likable including the Wallace Hotel's namesake, who wears two dresses to school, hangs from trees, and is not afraid to be herself.

The entire narrative is lyrical and brings to mind the novel Belle Prater's Boy by Ruth White, which also slowly reveals several tragic secrets in almost song-like way. Like Belle, this book is very somber in tone but offers a hopeful ending. This novel is a worthy purchase for both school and public libraries." --VOYA