Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
How High the Moon  By  cover art

How High the Moon

By: Karyn Parsons
Narrated by: Karyn Parsons, Sisi Aisha Johnson
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $19.48

Buy for $19.48

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

To Kill a Mockingbird meets One Crazy Summer in this powerful, bittersweet debut about one girl's journey to reconnect with her mother and learn the truth about her father in the tumultuous times of the Jim Crow South.

"Timely, captivating, and lovely. So glad this book is in the world." (Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming)

In the small town of Alcolu, South Carolina, in 1944, 12-year-old Ella spends her days fishing and running around with her best friend Henry and cousin Myrna. But life is not always so sunny for Ella, who gets bullied for her light skin tone, and whose mother is away pursuing a jazz singer dream in Boston.

So Ella is ecstatic when her mother invites her to visit for Christmas. Little does she expect the truths she will discover about her mother, the father she never knew, and her family's most unlikely history.

And after a life-changing month, she returns South and is shocked by the news that her schoolmate George has been arrested for the murder of two local white girls.

Bittersweet and eye-opening, How High the Moon is a timeless novel about a girl finding herself in a world all but determined to hold her down.

©2019 Karyn Parsons (P)2019 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"As compelling as Brown Girl Dreaming, as character-driven as One Crazy Summer, and as historically illuminating as Roll of Thunder, Hear Me Cry. A captivating novel that sheds new light on black childhood." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"....wonderful voices and character interactions, and an evocative cover will draw readers." (Booklist)

"...a welcome addition to middle school readers." (School Library Connection)

What listeners say about How High the Moon

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    5
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    11
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    1
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Amazing Story, Terrific Voice Artist

This was such a great listen. I judge a good book by how much I want to know what happened to the characters after the book ends, and I definitely felt that way after finishing How High the Moon! The characters are all people you come to quickly care about. The author Karyn Parsons manages to skillfully weave multiple story lines together as well as bits of history from a real life series of incidents. There is mystery, drama, and warmth. There are characters you'll root for. There is tragedy and yet hope. It was well done, and deeply moving. And I think it finds a way to honor George Stinney without forgetting Betty June Binnicker and Mary Emma Thames.

I also loved the reader Sisi Aisha Johnson. She was really good at creating voices for the different characters. Her interpretations of the voices of children were also wonderful and I was impressed at the convincing voices she managed for male characters (which I can't imagine is easy!). Her performance greatly added to my enjoyment of this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful