The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon    by David Almond & Polly Dunbar Order:  USA  Can Candlewick, 2010 (2010) Hardcover     Reviewed by Hilary Williamson The Boy Who Climbed into the Moon by David Almond, and with beautiful illustrations by Polly Dunbar, is a strange but magical chapter book. It stars 'a rather lonely boy named Paul who lived in a city in the north of England.' One day Paul stays home from school (which he doesn't like) and decides that he will 'touch the sky'. He starts climbing up the floors of his building from his family's basement apartment, encountering strangers along the way - Harry the jogger, Clara and her dog Clarence, and eccentric Molly (who used to be Mabel) on the top floor. Molly opens her window so that Paul can touch the sky, and feeds him sausages. After Paul shares his strange idea (that the moon is really a hole in the sky) with Molly, they and his parents go on a quirky quest in Paul's dad's taxi to find Molly's 'glummest of the glum' brother Benjamin. Benjamin talks about war - Paul asserts that 'Sausages are better than war') - and they decide to prove Paul's theory about the moon, with a little help from 'friends and neighbours'. They end up on the roof of the apartment building, armed with a long ladder, which Paul uses to climb into the moon. There he finds 'Fortuna the Human Cannonball' and many things - and people - that can fly. After Paul descends once more (with a friend) the story aptly ends with sausage sandwiches - much better than war! Note: Opinions expressed in reviews and articles on this site are those of the author(s) and not necessarily those of BookLoons. Find more Kids books on our Shelves or in our book Reviews