Sandra Kring

How High the Moon

A Target Breakout Book selection

In this tender novel set in 1955 Mill Town, Wisconsin, Sandra Kring explores the complicated bond between mothers and daughters, the pressure to conform, and the meaning of friendship and family.

Ten-year-old Isabella "Teaspoon" Marlene has been a handful ever since her mother, Catty, dumped her with an old boyfriend and ran off to Hollywood. Teaspoon fights, fibs, never stops singing, and is as unpredictable and fearless as a puppy off its leash. Still, Teddy Favors, a man who has taken his share of kicks, is determined to raise her right.

Teaspoon wants to be better for Teddy—even if that means agreeing to take part in a do-gooder mentorship program and being paired up with Brenda Bloom, the beautiful reigning Sweetheart of Mill Town. Against all odds, as the summer passes, this unlikely duo discover a special friendship as they face personal challenges, determined to follow their hearts instead of convention.

It’s while Brenda and Teaspoon are putting together the grandest show the Starlight Theater has ever seen that Catty returns to Mill Town, shattering illusions and testing loyalties. But by the final curtain call, one determined little girl shows an entire town the healing that can happen when you let your heart take center stage.

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"Sandra Kring never fails to impress me. I can't get enough of her humor and poignant characterizations. How High the Moon is a winner!."
-- Lesley Kagen, author of Tomorrow River, and the national bestseller, Whistling in the Dark

"Your heart, like mine, will go out to irrepressible Teaspoon in this bittersweet story of a young girl and her dreams, with a grand-slam ending. In this one, Sandra Kring hangs the moon."
-- Sandra Dallas, author of Tallgrass, and Prayers for Sale

"Sandra Kring has written a funny, deeply satisfying book; her characters finagle their way into your heart and when their story ends, you can't help but feel, 'ahhhh.'"
-- Lorna Landvik, author of Patty Jane's House of Curl, and The View from Mount Joy

"How High the Moon is flat out endearing. It’s about love, and life, and the mess we make of both. It’s about secrets, friendships, loyalty, hope, pain, betrayals, creating our own family, and the beautiful music we can hear in our hearts if we pause, for just a moment, to listen."
-- Cathy Lamb, author of Julia's Chocolates, and Henry's Sisters