Bright Coin Moon

Gr 8 Up—"What kind of people are we?" Lindsey Allen wonders as she takes stock of her life midway through her senior year of high school. Lindsey is used to living precariously with her mother, who earns a living as a psychic, supplemented with a variety of other jobs, honest or otherwise. But the teen is disturbed when her mother forces her to flee their Oregon home in the middle of the night, changes Lindsey's name, and relocates to California, determined to finally make it big as a psychic to the stars. While Lindsey's mother's interest in the stars is astrological, Lindsey's interests lie with astronomy; an A student, she was hoping to attend college but now worries that her mother has put this dream in jeopardy. As Lindsey settles into a new life, she attracts the attention of Joan, a wealthy widow who sponsored her school scholarship, only to watch in horror as her mother eyes Joan up as her big mark, the one who will finally make her rich. Lopresti deftly portrays Lindsey's conflicted emotions as she attempts to maintain loyalty to her mother while despairing of the pain her mother's plans will cause her friends. In addition, the young woman struggles with the realization that her mother is not just a carefree spirit but may be mentally unstable. Readers will share Lindsey's anguish as she gathers the courage to discover that her identity is more than a name.