Set during World War II, Raymon Royal Ross's story (Atheneum, 1993) of 12-year-old Harper and his loyalty to 17-year-old Moon unfolds in a small Pacific Northwest community. Read by the author, who gives each character tones and rhythms suited to narrative descriptions of their persons, the plot twists are caused by the deliberate revelations of the characters who people Harper's world, as well as by Harper's own self-realizations. Moon, five years Harper's senior, has always been clever with his hands while hampered in speech - and, some adults in the community believe, in his intellect. Without a family of his own, he is welcome in Harper's home, a warm place with an insightful mother, a wise father, and a hired man who is plain spoken but kind. This year, Harper and Moon have spent the summer camping in the mountains, under the care of Olinger, an old fellow who keeps a small store for passing sportsmen and travelers. When summer ends, Moon slips away and joins the Army, while Harper returns home and to school. In winter, Harper finds Olinger dead, wrapped in a quilt out in the snow, and a criminal investigation ensues when Moon reappears on the scene. More...