Short but not sweet. This is the story of Joe, whose big brother Ed is on death row in Texas who carry out their punishments at the 'Farm'. Joe has lived in a chaotic family, but one in which siblings loved one another as they survived without functioning parents. Joe felt the loss when his adored brother left, but at least he had his sister. But then Joe has to grow up when it's left to him to make the last visits to his brother. Along the way Joe finds friends and continues to be supported by some family.  A shocking storyline but still full of hope. Sarah Crossan has done it again, managing to nail so much feeling in so few words.

Another outstanding book from Sarah Crossan., which is so moving, but never manipulative.  It's almost too easy to read, and it's only on reflection that you realise the skill employed to weave such a heartbreaking story.  Just as with 'One', I'll be putting this book into the hands of so many different readers - it will work for our book-loving gifted students as well as for our reluctant readers who are scared by full pages of closely knitted text.  I know it is billed as YA but I see no reason why this isn't an 'adult' book too (not that YA in general isn't for adults too, obviously!).  I think anyone with a heart could be hooked on this book.

An incredibly moving, terribly sad and beautifully written story about a brother trying his best to make the most of the time he has left with his big brother. His big brother who is on Death Row, and the date is set for his execution. 

Joe is a really great protagonist because he is so very human - and normal. He doesn't inherently believe his brother is innocent of the murder he is accused of. In fact, he questions him even though his loyalty would remain unwavering. This really struck me as very honest and I loved the way Crossan has created Joe. The story is written in verse, but not lyrical, so you will speed through it in a matter of hours; this is also clever because it feels like you're actually living out Joe's thoughts and memories.

The topic itself is really thought-provoking. To see what it might be like for the families of those accused of an unforgivable crime in this way was refreshing. The media are really great at making the criminal the face of the news story, but actually I've often forgotten to explore the bigger picture. What must it be like if you are wrongly accused? How do you make the most of your last moments? What would it be like to know you have so little time to say goodbye to someone who means everything to you, regardless of whether they have been rightly or wrongly accused. Family, and loyalty, stretches far beyond the justice system and I think that Crossan really shows that off beautifully. It didn't matter to Joe, he just wanted to know the truth, he still would have loved his brother regardless. He still would feel the same gravity of loss.

A really powerful, cleverly written book that I wouldn't hesitate to recommend.

3.75/5 stars. Heart-breaking, insightful and brilliantly executed. 
I went into this novel completely blind, knowing only that it was written by Sarah Crossan. Sarah Crossan is an author that I trust wholly, who never neglects to make my heart ache and my tears flow. In Moonrise, her writing is unfailingly beautiful, and her story told through a cast of unusually lovable characters.
Every aspect of this novel appealed to me, As a highly opinionated individual with eyes open to the world around me, I really appreciated Sarah's exploration of the American justice system and its failings. I enjoyed seeing a family dynamic where all the family were present in the narrative, if not directly on the page. Joe's family has fallen apart around him, and still he persists in trying his hardest and not giving up. I loved Joe, and I would love to see more of him in the future (as unlikely as that is). 
I would recommend this novel to anyone who loves Sarah Crossan and fast, intoxicating reads.

By the time I was a quarter of the way through this book I found that neither the plot, the writing or the characters had engaged me so I gave up. I wasn't that it was bad in any of those elements but perhaps for idiosyncratic reasons, it just did not gain  or maintain my interest.

I never thought Sarah Crossan could have written a better book than 'One' but I think she has managed that amazing feat. Moonrise is poignant, sad, funny, heart breaking and uplifting all at once. Joe is the sort of character that everybody can relate to, and to see him suffer so much really opens the readers eyes. Who thinks of the families of criminals who are sentenced to death? Very few. But Crossan makes the reader pause and consider these facts.
Beautiful story, beautiful poetry, this book is flawless in my opinion. Every teenager who walks into my workplace will leave with this book!!

Every verse novel of Sarah Crossan’s has been getting better and better and this is no exception. She just picks the absolute best characters to write about and tells stories you don’t normally hear that mean you can’t put the book down until it’s done.

Moonrise tells the story of Joe, who’s brother, Ed, is on death row. He hasn’t seen him in ten years, and now that he’s been given a death date, he decides to move to Texas for the opportunity to reconnect with him, and get the truth about what happened the day he was arrested.

What I loved about the story was how unassuming it was. It could have been from Ed’s perspective, and been a huge mystery like The Life of David Gale, that film with Kevin Spacey and Kate Winslet. Instead, with the focus on Joe, there’s a stronger emphasis on strength and family and needing support. If you want to get angry about the justice system, watch the film instead, because while it does get mentioned, trying to save Ed is never at the heart of the book, it’s more about both brothers coming to terms with his fate.

My favourite moments of the book were Ed’s letters to Joe – the last one definitely had me tearing up – and when Nell turned up in Joe’s life because it was such a sweet and real relationship against a harsh reality that offered Joe some escape.

While the prospect of counting down the days until your brother dies sounds morbid, Moonrise strikes the perfect balance between touching and melancholy, never fully dipping into complete sadness, but never letting you forget that life is unfair sometimes.

Succinct and moving, I’m giving Moonrise 4 stars, and it’s definitely going to be something I’m thinking about for months to come!

This book was so sad. I expected it to be full of grief but it was just SO sad and lonesome. The premise itself was really unique and interesting and just heartbreaking, with the main character's brother on death row. But he was so alone throughout much of this and that really came through the poetry and the language. I like how the book wasn't a hundred percent about Joe's brother, that there were elements of life outside that, and there was a bit of a romance but not too much to detract from the heart of the book. My only niggle is I wanted justice for Ed, wanted the killer to answer for the crime, but I still like the ending. 

This book is so pure and sad and honest that it hurts.

Moonrise by Sarah Crossan tells the story of Ed Moon, who has been sent to Death Row with a conviction of murdering a cop. His brother, Joe Moon, goes to visit him before his upcoming execution date and does everything he can to save and comfort his brother in such a troubling time. 

I've read most of Sarah Crossan's other books including One, The Weight of Water and Apple and Rain, and Moonrise is definitely my favourite! It's great to read a YA book which focuses on the close ties in a family, especially with such a unique and challenging situation. I also really liked the various flashbacks to Ed and Joe's childhood which allowed us to gain a better insight into their relationship and personalities.

I'm not usually a huge fan of romance within a novel but I feel the relationship between Joe and Nell added an interesting aspect to the book which later raised the issues and morale of the death sentence, especially when there is a corrupt system in place and the difficulties this brings when trying to get justice. To get an insight into how complicated and hard it is to get the answers in the legal system, yet written beautifully in free verse which captures the emotions and turmoil surrounding the situation is an amazing feat!

Moonrise is a very moving, heartwarming read and Sarah Crossan never disappoints. A lyrical masterpiece that I highly recommend!

(Also this cover is gorgeous!) <3

Sarah doesn't disappoint with this novel. Joe's world comes to life as the story to's and fro's between past and present. We follow Joe as he reconnects with his brother Ed on Death Row. Moving at times and always the randomness of being accused of murder in the wrong state in the back of your mind.

Review	I've been thinking about this book a lot since I finished it yesterday. The story of Ed and Jo Moon and their family is very moving, well it would be, given Ed is on death row and due to execution in the very near future. Sadly the odds of saving Ed are stacked against him. Even though he didn't commit the crime that he is accused of and his lawyer is working hard to save him it doesn't seem like there is going to be a last minute reprieve. This is Joe's story, the story of how he deals with the horror of the looming death of his brother, how he relives the memories of his childhood with Ed in flashbacks. Joe has always looked up to Ed, the much older brother who was kind to him, a support for him while their mum was being flakey and someone to look up to. Now Joe is all alone in a prison town, he is drawn to be with Ed, he has no money and and he knows nobody in the town. Luckily for him he falls on his feet and even finds a kindred spirit. 

This is a wonderful book. A book that will stay with you and haunt you, it will make you consider the impact of the death sentence on those left behind. Those who physically put the person to death and all the people on the periphery. Sarah Crossan is a wonderful writer, the prose style makes this very easy to read and the language is perfect. An excellent book.

I love Sarah Crossan, the contribution she is making to YA is enormous, and I know I'll be discussing her for the rest of my career. To my mind, she's yet to surpass The Weight Of Water- it's perfection is in it's smallness. Moonrise is, like One, a big, American novel, tackling class and politics in a new way from a more confident author after her Carnegie win. It is a huge achievement, each word is delicately placed, especially in the flashbacks. I could have lost the romance, but that tethers the book in YA. I'd love to see her break into adult appeal but this grand story isn't the book. This is unputdownable, a thriller in verse, and hugely accessible.

I love this authors writing. Fell in love with it in "one" and again in " we come apart"

I was surprised that I didn't love this one quite as much as the other two.  The subject matter of a boy  awaiting the execution of his older brother on death row certainly had all the right ingredients. And the author certainly doesn't shy away from hitting us hard with the realities of life, which I hugely admire.

Maybe because of the previous 2 I read I knew this and thus the non happy endings are no longer the emotional shock. 

Regardless I still enjoyed and would recommend to all. Especially young adults in a powerful, brutal way of giving them access to the horrors of the penal system, and the devastation "justice" can serve on the families left behind, and the hidden victims.

Another winner from Sarah Crossan! This had me gripped all the way through the ticking down to the inevitable end.

Sarah Crossan has a proven record of writing things that break my heart a little bit. I can't walk past the bookshelf where Apple and Rain sits without having a little sniffle and please don't ever make me talk about One unless you're prepared to watch me rock gently and weep for several hours. Moonrise fits firmly into this tearjerker category, with the story of Joe's struggle to process his brother's fate creating plenty of pathos. 

As with One and Crossan's other verse novel, We Come Apart, the nature of the poetry in Moonrise only amplifies the emotive aspects of the story, particularly when Joe dwells on his ambivalent feelings towards Ed and the catastrophic effects of his arrest on the family as a whole. Just seventeen as his brother faces the lethal injection, Joe has had the kind of fictional life that might seem overly tragedy-filled, but which is dealt with in such a nuanced way here that the reader can only sympathise. 

I'm always interested in YA novels that deal with difficult or political issues, and Moonrise does both; through Ed's situation, Crossan questions the morality and logic of the death penalty as well as detailing some of the legal processes involved, with various appeals and reflections on Ed's initial arrest and court case.  Joe's family is just getting by financially, and so Crossan adds another layer of topical plotting here, subtly conveying the idea that, the poorer you are, the less likely you are to be able to pursue justice. 

 I thought Moonrise was really pretty stunning. It hit me in all the right places emotionally, it's realistic despite its often dreamy verse, and it's a story that's compelling, relevant and not often explored in YA. What impresses me with Crossan's writing is that she's able to upset and challenge her reader without her books being depressing or mawkish. Moonrise is no exception, and it's a book I absolutely recommend.

Review to be published at wildeonmyside.wordpress.com on publication date.

I really enjoyed 'One', but found this a bit lacking.  It wasn't a bad book, but it just didn't personally appeal to me in terms of its prose or characters.  A little disappointing.

I powered through this in less 24 hours despite being very busy at the time, sneaking in a few minutes reading it every chance I got. Powerful, sparse writing, emotionally wrenching

Joe's older brother Ed, arrested at eighteen, has been in jail since Joe was seven. An already tenuous family life - a shady neighbourhood, a dead drug dealing father - crumbled with Ed gone. Abandoned by an alcoholic mother who never showed she wanted them anyway, Joe and his sister Angela were left to either fend for themselves or be taken in by their religious Aunt Karen. Ed's kept in touch through letters from Texas, but now that he's been given a date of execution, Joe feels one of them must answer his request for a visit. At first, the person behind the glass seems like a stranger: ten years older, tattooed, hardened and bruised by his time in the prison system. Piece by piece, Joe finds that his brother is still his brother: he talks, he cares, he hopes. But his fate rests on a final series of appeals, and Joe can't yet bear to think beyond each visit.

Punchy, audacious and carefully constructed, Crossan's choice of characters - many flawed, others unlikeable - in this book aligns with her established narrative interest in outsiders. The fallout of Ed's sentence has created invisible casualties Joe and Angela, but the loyalty between them is persistent. She emphasises tremendous humanity while anticipating, and asking, questions of her audience. The minor characters are forgettable and it's not exactly an enjoyable read, but it's almost impossible not to get swept into Crossan's writing. For fans of particularly stunning poetry or twisty, complex plots, her unflashy verse ('like a rock into a river / she fell') may a little too close to functional here, but there is a whole story packed into its pages. There are hints of books like Ketchup Clouds by Annabel Pitcher and The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas to the subjects of Moonrise - social disintegration, family breakdown, corruption, injustice and capital punishment - but it's written in Crossan's unmistakable style.

A full version of this review will appear on my blog closer to publication.