“The problem with science was that it explained how God worked but not how to work with God. The problem with the Holy Scriptures was that they didn’t teach a boy how to capture a Girl with Starlit Eyes.”

Whimsical, sometimes touching, and with a narrative that moves like summer fireflies too quick to catch, The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is filled with enough wonder and magic to capture the imagination of preteen and early teens. While it is clear from an adult standpoint that that is the audience at whom this wonderfully written fable is aimed, the lessons underscoring this account of Moojie’s life widen its appeal considerably.

The reader is an observer of this fantastic tale, but one invested in its outcome. In essence, the chapters are like slideshows of Moojie’s life. If there is a caveat — at least for an adult reader — it is that the swiftness at which the author shows us Moojie’s life and adventures — and misadventures — fly by so quickly, it leaves little time to appreciate the many imaginative trappings. It also makes it difficult at first to make an emotional connection with Moojie, who for the first quarter of the book is somewhat bratty. I suspect that young teens and preteens however, will love the blistering pace, and appreciate Moojie’s growth and confusion as he encounters a world filled with magical realism; which might be the key to finding love and family, the two things he most wants in the world.

It is obvious right away that there is magic that lurks within Moojie — including a very special power I won’t reveal. This is despite the fact that he is crippled, and has trouble speaking and writing. Though he is adopted, things are not all peaches and cream in Moojie’s life where love is concerned. Once Moojie loses someone — I won’t reveal who — his need for love and family increase, while the love around him decreases. But then he becomes involved with the Hostiles, who may not be hostile at all. This is when the narrative, already quickly flowing, takes wings.

The author creates a whimsical yet tender narrative filled with a plethora of detail, but because the story is told so well, it never bogs down. Moojie’s affection for Babylonia and how young love plays out is beautifully handled, as are the lessons about life and how we treat one another. Anything but heavy-handed, this book is like a light-show of Hostiles and Light Eaters, magic watermelons and Cave Dwellers, and lessons regarding how important it is to live by a moral code. In the end, it shows how important it is to find our place in the world, a place where we belong, and are loved — even if that place is not perfect.

Moojie’s life with his adoptive parents cover the first portion of the narrative, the time with his Pappy covering the middle of the book. The last third — and most exciting — has much action, and brings everything to a satisfying ending. It is this last third which will have teen and preteen readers racing to see how it all works out for Moojie. A life-altering decision he makes near the end, might come as a surprise. While it took me a while — as an adult — to make a connection, and I felt the first portion might have been better had it been trimmed a bit, the world created here, and the manner in which it is told, show a very talented and imaginative writer with a gift for storytelling. I definitely wouldn’t be surprised if this becomes a big deal over time, and leads to greater things for this author. ( )

A unique, layered novel by a gifted and imaginative writer. Does my heart good to read a coming of age book where the disabled child is a superhero amongst the pull of otherworldly beings against an oppressive home life. ( )

Moojie is a disabled, possibly autistic boy who is sent to live with his grandfather after his mother's death. Here he befriends the Light-Eaters (whom his racist grandfather Pappy refers to as Hostiles), and learns bit-by-bit about their culture and a prophecy that will have great affect on Moojie's world.

I can't tell you much more about the plot than that, because I couldn't make myself read more than a third of the book. I tried--twice, in fact--to no avail. The story is episodic, which slows down the plot considerably. The writing style is convoluted and tedious. Moojie is a hard character to care about. The Light-Eaters/Hostiles appear to be stand-ins for Native Americans, only magical, which is problematic. (As if actual Native Americans would not have existed in 1900s California where this story is supposedly set.) Mostly, I found the book in turns boring and insufferable.

I can only recommend this book to those with the patience of Job. ( )

Mystical lyricism; and a story worth sharing with my Grandchildren ( )

I should know better: don't even try magic realism. It just isn't something I can understand. ( )