Book & Author Info
Book Title: Moon Pie
Book Author: Simon Mason
Book Genre: Children’s Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Family, Coming Of Age
Moon Pie Plot
Moon Pie is a heartwarming and bittersweet novel about family, love, and pies. The story revolves around 11-year-old Martha who is used to being the responsible one in her family. Her little brother, Tug, is too small and her dad has been acting too strange. Martha takes on the role of the caregiver in the family, looking after both her brother and her father. However, as her father’s problems become too big for her to handle, she realizes that she can’t do it all by herself and there are people and places she can turn to for help.
Simon Mason, born on 5 February 1962 in Sheffield, Yorkshire, is an English author of children’s and adult books. He is best known for his Quigleys series for young readers. He studied English at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford, and currently splits his time between writing at home and a part-time editorial position with David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House and publisher of his 2011 children’s novel, Moon Pie.
Publisher Info
First published: 2011
Publisher: David Fickling Books, an imprint of Random House
ISBN: 9781446453322
Children’s Reviews
Livvie, aged 11
Review: “This book was good and had a fabulous storyline but a little bit hard to get into.” Rating: 3/5
Kimberley, aged 10
Review: “This book is really interesting and it is about a girl and her father and him being very strange. I could not put the book down at night because it is really sad and I wanted to know what would happen next. I would recommend this to any child over seven.” Rating: 4/5
Renee, aged 10
Review: “Moon Pie is a sad but fantastic book about a young girl called Martha who is worried about her dad and wants to know what’s wrong with him. She has to look after her little brother and even bathe him. I think it is an interesting book.” Rating: 4/5
Mariya, aged 10
Review: “It was interesting and hooked me in quickly. I thought it was a sad and mind-blowing book.” Rating: 4/5
Raheema, aged 10
Review: “I thought Moon Pie was great, it really hooked me in. My favorite character was the dad because he went crazy to see his children which was a bit funny. My favorite part was when Martha and her dad kept meeting up, and her dad told her that there was a show she could act in, but when she asked her Grandma, she says no, so Martha decided that she was going to go secretly with her father, and that was a happy part which made me happy because for once they were all together again.” Rating: 4/5
Rebekah, aged 10
Review: “I thought it was a great book. I would recommend it to all readers. It can be sad in some parts but it’s usually funny.” Rating: 4/5
Caitlin, aged 10
Review: “I really liked this book, although it has some sad moments, but it has happy moments as well. I think this is a good family book to read.” Rating: 4/5
Jasmine, aged 10
Review: “I found this book a little hard to get into. I recommend it to 9 and 8-year-olds.” Rating: 3/5
Rowan, aged 9
Review: “I thought it was an excellent book, and I would gladly read it again. It is very sad, and you feel empathetic for Martha when her dad starts relying on alcohol to live. Ever since Martha’s mum died, he had been acting weird. Then they found the bottles… I would recommend it for 9+!” Rating: 4/5
Alex, aged 10
Review: “It was hard to get into, but it was a kind of good book!” Rating: 3/5
Aliyha, aged 10
Review: “I thought Moon Pie was great, it really hooked me in. My favorite character was the dad because he went crazy to see his children which was a bit funny. My favorite part was when Martha and her dad kept meeting up, and her dad told her that there was a show she could act in, but when she asked her Grandma, she says no, so Martha decided that she was going to go secretly with her father, and that was a happy part which made me happy because for once they were all together again. I would give this book 9/10.” Rating: 4/5
Ellie, aged 10
Review: “The book was really good, the best book I have read so far.” Rating: 4/5
Amy Rose, aged 11
Review: “I think this book is amazing! I couldn’t take my head out of the book. I would recommend this to all readers. One thing that made me enjoy this book was that it’s a modern life problem. The main character has a disastrous life, read on to find out what happens…” Rating: 5/5
Moizz, aged 10
Review: “I did not like this because it wasn’t that good, but I would give eight out of ten (8/10).” Rating: 3/5
Rachael, aged 10
Review: “This book was a fantastic book. I would recommend it for older readers and rate it 1,000,000 out of 10.” Rating: 5/5
Katie, aged 11
Review: “I love this book! It has every element of a really good book. My favorite part has to be when Martha does her audition for the film, I was really hooked in! I give it a big 1,000,000 out of 10!” Rating: 5/5
Tamina, aged 10
Review: “Moon Pie is an OK book. It didn’t catch my attention. I got bored during half of it because it was hard to get into. It was sad during the middle. I would recommend this book for 9-year-olds. Out of ten I would give it 3!! Sorry Simon Mason.” Rating: 3/5
Harry, aged 11
Review: “The book ‘Moon Pie’ was a good book overall. However, I wouldn’t have said this at the start because I found it very boring and meaningless, but as the story progressed, I got into the character of Martha and understood her position. My favorite character was Martha because she was involved all the way through the book and tried to help her dad get out of his addiction and succeeded in the end. She was also very grown up and acted as if she was a mother to Tug and also her dad. I would rate the book 4 stars.” Rating: 4/5
Archie, aged 11
Review: “Moon Pie was the best FBA book I’ve read. It wasn’t too good at the beginning but got better with issues that didn’t go on and on. I liked Martha but preferred Tug. He was funny but didn’t destroy the tense feeling between Martha and her dad. It raised issues like alcoholism and the caring problems which brought in Social Services. Their grandma and grandpa were very stern, and I felt sorry for Martha having to be in that situation. I think Martha dealt well when her dad was an alcoholic. It had a perfect ending! Hollywood! I give 9/10!” Rating: 5/5
Hermione, aged Nine
Review: “I think that Moon Pie is a good book. It’s a sad book because Martha, who is the main character, has to look after her little brother Tug and her dad. Her dad has been acting strange because his wife has died. Martha is a little bossy but very gentle, Tug loves pies he said that his favorite pie is steak and kidney. Martha’s dad is very crazy, he climbs onto the house roof, locks himself out of the house, and doesn’t like to talk about his wife. My favorite character is Tug; he is funny, loud, and keeps the book interesting because I didn’t know what he would do next. I would definitely recommend this book to a friend. I hope I enjoy the next book I read as much as this one!” Rating: 4/5
Jack, aged 10
Review: “The Moon Pie is a brilliant book. I would rate it nine out of ten because it is very good. I would recommend it to the age group of over nine because it is quite emotional and upsetting for people of an age under this limit. I think my favorite person was Tug because he was unusual and did not like doing things the normal way. My least favorite person was Martha because she was boring and she kept looking at the moon. The strangest person in the story was Marcus. He was cool and smart; he was dramatic and theatrical.” Rating: 4/5
Abi and Eleanor, aged 10
Review: “We think that this book is upsetting, rude, and disturbing, the list goes on!” Rating: 2/5
Taiyba, aged 10
Review: “My favorite character was Tug because he had emotional feelings. The best bit was when they went to Marcus’s house, and he was saying Tug was strange, and that is true! I would give this book 3 stars out of 10. I would recommend this book for people aged 8-11. In this book, Martha and Tug get a surprise from their dad.” Rating: 3/5
Edward, aged 11
Review: “I loved it! It was a brilliantly written book. It was quite sad, but the ending was really happy. One of my favorite books!” Rating: 5/5
Emily, aged 10
Review: “I think it was a really good book because it was tense, exciting, sad, and happy, and a good book needs all those things, especially tension!!!!! :-)” Rating: 5/5
Millie, aged 10
Review: “I think it was really good because there were all sorts of emotions like happy, sad, etc. It was also really tense, very exciting, and very realistic! :D” Rating: 5/5
Hasnat, aged 11
Review: “It was an amazing book; I loved it. It was really funny but was extremely sad.” Rating: 5/5
Mollie, aged 10
Review: “I think Moon Pie was a fantastic book to read. It gave me a lot of description and detail about what was going on and happening in the story. It was just so superb. I think someday it could be a #1 bestseller book if other people like it like I do!!! It’s a very good story to write. I think the author did a brilliant job and should be proud of their work.” Rating: 5/5
Gurbir, aged 10
Review: “I think it was an amazing book because it caused a lot of atmosphere; it was like you couldn’t really wait, so you kept on reading. The thing I also liked about the book was that sometimes the dad was on the kids’ side, then he was drunk. The thing which was a bit sad for the kids was that he didn’t say that he was an alcoholic. I thought that Martha was acting like a really good grown-up because on one hand, she was looking after Tug, and then on the other hand, she was looking after her dad.” Rating: 4/5
Nimra, aged 9
Review: “This book was not good but also not bad. I would recommend this for ages 9 and over. I would like a book like this but adventurous because adventure books are mostly my type. I like this book a bit. I would give this book 7/10.” Rating: 3/5
Aamina, aged 10
Review: “Moon Pie was alright. It was not that exciting for me, but for other people, it might be exciting. Out of ten, I would give it 1/10. I would recommend this book to people who like big books like Harry Potter.” Rating: 2/5
Feedback Summary
The reviews for Moon Pie by Simon Mason are mixed, with most readers enjoying the book and finding it engaging and emotional. Many readers appreciate the complex themes the book explores, such as family dynamics, addiction, and resilience. The characters, particularly Martha and Tug, are well-liked for their relatable qualities and growth throughout the story. Some readers found the book a bit hard to get into or felt that it had sad moments, but overall, they still found it to be a good read. The book receives praise for its realistic portrayal of modern life issues and its ability to evoke different emotions. However, a few reviewers found the book either upsetting, boring, or not as exciting as they had hoped.