Knee-Deep in Thunder

Like the first reviewer for this book, I first read "Knee Deep In Thunder" in 5th grade. I've read it several times since after purchasing it from an online "out of print" bookseller. I cherish my copy although last night after pulling it from my daughter's bookshelf I was sad to see that the front cover is ripping off. The idea of finding the book dawned on me and I searched the house for it (even moaning loudly at one point thinking I may have let someone borrow it who did not return) because I'm bringing it with me to Alaska tomorrow to hopefully read to my dying mother who cannot read any more. Just like Maris's adventure, the story has come full circle because it was my mother, an elementary school librarian, who first introduced it to me. The poem on the front pages, "The Timid Folk Beseech Me..." was something that adorned our bathroom wall. I memorized it then, and I love it still. My mother is just about to walk the fields of clouds and follow vanished lighting and she'll be standing knee deep in thunder with her head against the sky.Sigh... It's just another one of those "must read" books.

When I was eight, I read this book for the first time. I read Knee-Deep in Thunder at least twice a year for the next ten years. Then the library closed down and sold off all their books. I don't know where this book went, but I missed it. For two years.Majesty, tragedy, myth, beauty, friendship and the eternal human search for meaning in a world gone mad power this book with an energy that I've never found elsewhere.A cast of bugs, accompanied by two ragtag young people, shouldn't feel as real as this does, but each character somehow rings true. If you have not read this book, you are missings out on a real experience."How many a man has measured a new passage in his life from the reading of a good book. -Henry David Thoreau

I read "KNEE-DEEP IN THUNDER" about 20-25 years ago, and loved it. It was the first book that i had ever read, that carried me along with the adventure. I could'nt put it down,and read it, untill I finished it (which was the first time that THAT had ever happened)! I was going to ask the librarian if I could buy the book, before summer break, I talked her into it, but the book was gone. About 10 years ago, I remembered the book, and started looking for it. I couldn't believe that it could not be ordered from the bookstores, so i started looking in second hand stores and yard sales. NO SUCH LUCK! I was THRILLED tonight to find it is in reprint.....I'm getting several copies, so that I can give my neices a copy, and let them take the adventure that has stayed in my mind, from so long ago. Thank you SHELIA MOON, for one of the best "mental adventures" that I still remember to this day. It played a BIG part of my interest in reading, and I haven't stopped yet. Thank You, -ken-

Like another reviewer, I read this book as a child (11). It was the first book I " wanted", and did read more than once. I believe the fact that I am 40, have not seen the book since grade school, yet clearly remember the title and authors name is a testament to the power of the characters and experiences they share. It is a moving story of unhappy girl, who retreats to a fantasy world. There she experiences great friendship, trials, tests of courage, endurance and grief. She evolves through this experience and finds strength to take back into her own "real" existence. Over the years, I have checked new and used book stores hoping to find it for my personal library. I am delighted to find it now.

I read this book over 20 years ago as a young teen. I found it at my local library. It was the first book I ever seriously considered stealing from the library (no, I didn't, despite the temptation). Several years later, I tried to buy a copy for myself, only to find it was out of print. More than any other book I've ever read, this book captures the uncertainty of female adolescence in a fantasy setting. Other writers, especially Andre Norton and Anne McCaffery have written novels that come close. But Knee Deep In Thunder challenged me as a teen, and continues to challenge me today. Maris, the protagonist, must overcome obstacles and win against the bad guys, just as in most other fantasy novels. But she has to deal with the cost of making decisions, both positive and negative. The imagery and construction of this book is compelling. Sheila Moon uses elements of Native American myths, along with classic fantasy components. Anyone interested in fantasy as a genre will enjoy this book. I recommend this book highly, particularly to young women. The fantasy field has few feminine role models. Maris should be known by a much wider audience.