[Review: Graffiti Moon by Cath Crowley]

"Graffiti Moon"
Author: Cath Crowley
Series: None
Pages: 260
Genre: YA, Contemporary, Aussie YA
Date Published: February 14th, 2012
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers
Format Read: Hardback from the library

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Summary:

Senior year is over, and Lucy has the perfect way to celebrate: tonight, she's going to find Shadow, the mysterious graffiti artist whose work appears all over the city. He's out there somewhere—spraying color, spraying birds and blue sky on the night—and Lucy knows a guy who paints like Shadow is someone she could fall for. Really fall for. Instead, Lucy's stuck at a party with Ed, the guy she's managed to avoid since the most awkward date of her life. But when Ed tells her he knows where to find Shadow, they're suddenly on an all-night search around the city. And what Lucy can't see is the one thing that's right before her eyes.

-Goodreads

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My Thoughts:

An Open Letter To Graffiti Moon,

Thanks! Thanks for being a book full of wonder and street art and feisty characters. God knows that those are some of my favorite components to a book, and man, did you deliver in all the right ways. You gave me a story about growing up that was filled with delightful, gritty and whimsical truths that every teen faces. Plus, you made me wish that I had a plane ticket to Australia already in my hands, just so I can hike around and look at street art and think about this book more in it's raw setting.

-The White Unicorn

It may come as a surprise to you, but I'm a huge fan of street art, so when I heard that Graffiti Moon was all about street artists and was also written by an Aussie, I knew that I had to read it. Let me tell you, this book did not disappoint. In fact I can't wait to get my hands on Crowley's other work, just so I can dive back into her wonderful writing style. This book is the things that dreams are made of. It's whimsical and real at the same time and what's more perfect than that?

Crowley has managed to give us a book that takes place over one evening, and that's all she needs. Sure, as a reader I selfishly wanted this book to go on longer, but I'm glad that it ended where it did as well. There is an urgency in the story that would fade if we had more than one night to get to know the characters in this book, and to me, that would be a shame.

I adored Lucy and Ed. Their beginnings are hilarious and it's great to see them try to get over the fact that Lucy broke Ed's nose on their first date. It's a bridge that they need to cross and the journey getting there is so much fun. Crowley also gives us characters with interesting hobbies. Of course, Ed is a artist, but it's the added fact that Lucy is a glassblower that really adds some cool story elements. It puts both of the characters on the same playing field and gives us great insight into art that I've never paid much attention to before. These two are delightfully snarky and sensitive at the same time and I liked how they came from interesting family backgrounds and had both gone through some tough stuff in the past. Ed and Lucy are probably one of the most even romantic pairings that I've seen in YA lit in awhile.

I also want to give a shout out to Lucy's parents, because I thought that their unconventional, yet still loving relationship was a great touch to the novel. Crowley really outdid herself with these two parental figures and I felt like they were really honest and interesting. Ed's mom also played a part in the story and I was glad to see that parents were a part of the framework of this novel.

Where mystery and art are a huge part of this book, there are other elements incorporated as well. Crowley shows us a seeder side of Melbourne than we're used to, but I liked it. It made the story honest and real, where the art fed it a little magical realism. 

All in all, I have to say that highly suggest this book. It doesn't matter if you love art or not. This book is about so much more than that and I think it should immediately go on everyone's "to read" list!

Rating:

5 Unicorns = Get your hands on this NOW!