Scott Cramer

All Abbey wanted was her family to be together and her friends to live close by. All her brother, Jordan, wanted was the girl he liked to notice him and his parents to finally move in to the small island. And all little Toucan wanted was... well, she wanted cheerios. So at least one of them got their wish. Being young and naive was a definite plus in times like these.
When a purple comet passes by Earth, entrapping us in its tail with violet space dust floating in our atmosphere, people all show more over the world are entranced by the simple beauty of it all. It's the ending to a fairy tale and the beginning to a horror story.
Next morning, thirteen-year-old Abbey wakes up to the sound of someone brutally banging on her front door. Her father is nowhere in sight, there seems to be a collision outside her window, and no policemen have come to the accident yet... actually, no one has come to the accident yet. Why? Because no one is really left to take care of it. Anyone who has passed their puberty stage or has already entered it... is dead. Who's left? Kids who are barely out of middle school. Babies. Wild, ferocious coyotes. A bunch of dead adults and teenagers.
And if that's not nightmarish enough, Abby and many of the other growing tweens are faced with a danger far more horrendous. Puberty.
It's a countdown to the death. It's not the matter of if it will happen, just when.
But if a cure is found, an antibiotic, then maybe Abby and the rest have a chance. If they find it in time.
Night of the Purple Moon is a definite must read. Yes, I'll probably have nightmares for a couple of days, but it's sooo worth it! Cramer has dug deep into our subconscious and brought to life the horrors and ambitions we all once had as a child. A world without grownups... and with it, everything we yearned to do and hoped we would never have to. I got hooked immediately. It's refreshing on so many levels and I couldn't possibly stop without knowing what would happen to the characters. It's a thrilling novel that will have you at the edge of your seat.
The story is told in a couple of different POVs. Mainly Abby's, Jordan's, and Emily's (the girl Jordan likes).
Abby was an incredibly strong protagonist, especially for a thirteen-year-old. She took charge of the situation, even though all she wanted to do was breakdown and hide. I couldn't help but admire her bravery. She had something most of us didn't: a leveled head. I was shocked at how well she adapted to this sudden turn in events. There really wasn't anything I didn't like about her. She's someone I would definitely want to be or be with if something like this happened.
Abby's brother, Jordan (12 years old), wasn't as strong, but he was courageous just as well. He took on the hardest tasks and would not allow anyone to see him cry, which he failed at but at least he tried his best. It took him a while to adapt. At first, he acted on impulse rather than actually thinking things out, later on, he grew wiser. I got this sisterly love for him as I read through his POV. Actually, I got attached to most of the characters, it was impossible not to.
The plot was amazing. Even though the idea is a bit scary, Cramer has this way of writing that grabs your attention completely. Night of the Purple Moon is well-thought out and well-researched. There's a thrilling suspense throughout the book, a little bit of romance here and there, some humor to keep you amused, and a whole lot of twists. It's predictable at times, but there's enough to keep you hanging on.
In the end, I was completely satisfied. There were still some questions left unanswered, but this is one of those books that allows you to imagine the rest. And if there's a sequel then count me in!
Overall, I LOVED this book. Yes it's depressing time to time, but it got my heart pounding and my nails bitten to the quick. I recommend this one to everyone! show less

Scott Cramer packs a lot into 188 pages. I made the mistake of reading this right before bed last night and had serious trouble going to sleep. But that is a good thing. This book had my mind whirling with questions and left me with a lingering sense of sadness tinged with fear.
On a night when the moon and the world are cast into a lovely purple haze due to a comet’s passing a nightmare begins to unfold. Children around the world wake up to a world in which the adults have died. The show more obvious terror that this would cause is obvious. Cramer does an excellent job of putting that into words on paper.
It would be almost impossible to write this kind of a story without some hints of Lord of the Flies coming into play. I think almost every school child in America had to read that book. And while there are some allusions to perhaps the most well known children on their own novel, Cramer manages to weave them into his own story without letting them overwhelm. They stay as mere hints.
As an adult reading this book I feel quite certain I had a different reaction to many parts of it than a 12 or 15 year old would. The complete sense of helplessness this inspired when imagining my own niece and stepsons in this world is what kept me up. I would profoundly hope that they would be more like Abby and Jordan in their response to the catastrophe. I enjoyed that Cramer chose to portray how such a situation could let some of the best inner qualities of mankind shine. Compassion, caring and community.
Nothing is glossed over though. Some of the more awful realities and choices that could be made are present as well. This is definitely for the mature YA reader. While some 10 year olds would read and be able to handle the emotional complexity expressed I am sure there are many that would not. This book has the capability to really disturb someone because it causes deeper thought on things many would not want to dwell on.
The only weaknesses I found in the book were an occasional awkwardness in the description of romantic moments and that the switches between what character was narrating were not always clear immediately. But these are very small weaknesses in an otherwise excellent book.
I look forward to the next installment.

I was provided a free copy of this book for the purpose of reviewing it. show less

What would you do if you were a child and all the adults died? This book deals with the question using a small island and a couple dozen children.

The book caught and held my attention from the very first paragraph. Mr. Cramer made the situation and children seemed very real and believable. I only hope I would act the same if I found myself in that situation.

I really liked this book and didn't want it to end. I would like to see more books in this world and the children who inhabit it.

First of all, this book fills a much needed niche in YA literature. This is one of the few dystopian novels that is perfectly suited for Tween (10-13) readers. The book is great for tweens who want the post-apocalyptic stories without the violence of books like the Hunger games and Divergent. However, there still are some details that might disturb less mature readers on death and the consequences of a world with no adults.

Night of the Purple Moon packs quite a bit of story in just 188 show more pages. Cramer weaves a twisty little tale of a small island in New England dealing with the aftermath of the Earth being enveloped in a comets tail. The purple dust attacks the hormones of everyone who has hit puberty and the world is left with only pre-pubescent teens and children. Only a handful of adults remain and there is a race to find a cure before more tweens perish as they reach puberty.

Two families are thrown together in the aftermath and must work together to survive the sometimes harsh reality of their new world.

The book is told through multiple perspectives and invites the reader to think about what they would do in place of the characters. The book is well paced and the authors descriptions are spot on. The scenes with the fog rolling in from the sea were very chilling! I could picture the complete white-out conditions and the terror that the main characters felt.

The only minor flaw was the ending. It just happened way too fast and seemed more like a "okay, I can't give too much away for the next novel so I'll just end it here!". Other than that (and it's not a deal breaker for me) I would highly recommend this book to the tweens and teens that frequent the library where I work. In fact I am ordering a hard copy ASAP! show less