About the Book

Book: The Moonlight School

Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Revell

Release Date: February 2, 2021

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Publisher's Book Description

“Haunted by her sister’s mysterious disappearance, Lucy Wilson arrives in Rowan County, Kentucky, in the spring of 1911 to work for Cora Wilson Stewart, superintendent of education. When Cora sends Lucy into the hills to act as scribe for the mountain people, she is repelled by the primitive conditions and intellectual poverty she encounters. Few adults can read and write.

Born in those hills, Cora knows the plague of illiteracy. So does Brother Wyatt, a singing schoolmaster who travels through the hills. Involving Lucy and Wyatt, Cora hatches a plan to open the schoolhouses to adults on moonlit nights. The best way to combat poverty, she believes, is to eliminate illiteracy. But will the people come?

As Lucy emerges from a life in the shadows, she finds purpose; or maybe purpose finds her. With purpose comes answers to her questions, and something else she hadn’t expected: love.”

My Review

The Moonlight School, by Suzanne Woods Fisher, is a truly wonderful book. Rich in story, thoughtful, and uplifting, this remarkable novel overflows with warmth and heart. Page after page, Ms. Fisher gives life to a story that is uniquely memorable.

The Moonlight School is a novel that offers a touching story of loss, purpose, faith, tradition, love, and family. Rustic cabins, steep trails, rippling creeks, and wooded hillsides enable the story to develop naturally within the landscape of its rural Kentucky home. Pulsing with a life of its own, this mountainous setting buzzes with vivid significance in a story that is altogether special.

Throughout this book, Ms. Fisher has crafted characters who are genuinely endearing, surprising, authentic, and steadfast. Their beliefs, their needs, and their goals are wholly believable and inspiring. The circumstances, the uncertainties, the choices, and the struggles that the characters face are well-developed, and from them there unfolds a story that is both enriching and entertaining.

The Moonlight School is a novel that successfully balances hope and hurt, faithfulness and suspicion, perseverance and hesitation, and purpose and expectation. As these themes develop throughout the story they are supported by relevant moments of insight, grace, and compassion.

The Moonlight School is a special novel and a true pleasure to read. Abounding with history, sentiment, and inspiration, it is very engaging and thought-provoking. I recommend it wholeheartedly to all readers.

*I was given a copy of this novel by the publisher and CelebrateLit. A review was not required. The review I have written is voluntary and contains opinions that are entirely my own.

About the Author: Suzanne Woods Fisher

Carol award winner Suzanne Woods Fisher writes stories that take you to places you’ve never visited—one with characters that seem like old friends. But most of all, her books give you something to think about long after you’ve finished reading it. With over one million copies of her books sold worldwide, Suzanne is the best-selling author of more than thirty books, ranging from non-fiction books, to children’s books, to novels. She lives with her very big family in northern California.

More from Suzanne

"I’m Suzanne Woods Fisher, the author of The Moonlight School. This historical fiction will release on February 2, 2021, and is based on a true story featuring Cora Wilson Stewart, a Kentucky educator way ahead of her times. In 1911, Cora had a crazy idea—to open rural one-room schoolhouses in her county on moonlit nights to teach illiterate adults how to read and write.

So what happened next? Well, it’s so astonishing that you wouldn’t believe me if I told you. Instead, I hope you’ll read the book and find out for yourself.

In the meantime, this infographic provides a fascinating look at illiteracy THEN…and NOW. Makes you want to thank your teachers, doesn’t it?"