This whimsical story follows two friends, Max and Ely, as they try to stop the passage of time so that Ely won’t have to go to the hospital. If they can stop the moon from moving, then they can stop time. They build a rocket ship for Ely’s wheelchair and try to lasso the moon, but nothing can stop the moon and eventually Ely has to leave. Max has to deal with his feelings of grief and his anger at the moon, but eventually he realizes that his memories of his friend are more precious than anything.

I love how this book takes a difficult subject like childhood cancer and creates a sweet story of healing. Even though the subject is serious, there are some light-hearted moments of fun. I love how imaginative the children are as they plot how to stop the moon from moving and how to build their rocket ship.
The characters are very kind to each other, working together to alleviate their fears. It’s really lovely to see how they connect and support each other.

I love the gentle writing style. It’s thoughtful and emotional, with just the right mood for each scene. It’s truly masterful story-telling.

The illustrations are beautiful! I love the fuzzy art style and the soft colors. Each illustration really captures the emotion of the scene and quietly leads the reader through the story.

This would be the perfect book to help start a dialogue about grief, and give some context and guidance to help make sense of the loss.

(In the ARC I read, there are a couple of places with some punctuation errors, but I’m assuming those will be corrected before the first edition is published.)

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.