West of the Moon

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Authors: Margi Preus

BOOK: West of the Moon
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Advance Praise for
West of the Moon

“A masterfully spun tale of perilous joy for any true story lover's greedy little heart. Savor.” —Rita Williams-Garcia, Newbery Honor–winning author of
One Crazy Summer

“I love this book!
West of the Moon
is compelling, enchanting, and honest, an astounding blend of fiction and folklore that celebrates the important things in life—loyalty, devotion, courage, and the magic of stories. I think you will love it, too.” —Karen Cushman, Newbery Medal–winning author of
The Midwife's Apprentice

“A gorgeous reminder that we all live and die by the stories we tell—and by the stories we choose to be in.” —William Alexander, National Book Award–winning author of
Goblin Secrets

“Margi Preus has produced a magical novel about a feisty young girl … Writing with great imagination and wit, she also shows how Astri creatively uses … Norwegian folk and fairy tales to ground herself and give herself hope.” —Jack Zipes, editor of
The Golden Age of Folk and Fairy Tales: From the Brothers Grimm to Andrew Lang

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Preus, Margi.
West of the moon / Margi Preus.
pages cm
Summary: In nineteenth-century Norway, fourteen-year-old Astri, whose cruel aunt sold her to a mean goatherder, dreams of joining her father in America.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN 978-1-4197-0896-1 (alk. paper)
[1. Human trafficking—Fiction. 2. Emigration and immigration—Fiction.
3. Norway—History—19th century—Fiction.] I. Title.
PZ7.P92434We 2014
[Fic]—dc23
2013023250

Text copyright © 2014 Margi Preus
Interior illustrations © 2014 Lilli Carré
Book design by Sara Corbett

Image on
this page
courtesy of Vesterheim Norwegian-American Museum, Decorah, Iowa. Images on
this page
and
this page
courtesy of Luther College Archives, Decorah, Iowa.

Published in 2014 by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS.
All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission from the publisher.

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CONTENTS

The Goat Farm

WHITE BEAR KING VALEMON

WORK

THE DROP OF TALLOW

STRAW INTO GOLD

WINTER

THE ASH LAD

TO THE
SETER

TREASURE

THE RING OF KEYS

RED AS BLOOD, WHITE AS SNOW

Flight

THE GOLDEN WREATH

THE BIRCH TREE

THE MAGIC BALL OF YARN

THE BRIDGE

SEVEN-LEAGUE BOOTS

THE SEVEN-HEADED TROLL

THE SPOT OF TALLOW

A FEAST

WE COME TO A CHURCH

TRIFLES

The
Columbus

THE WINDS

THE HALLING DANCE

THE PEST

THE POSTMASTER

THE BLACK BOOK

SORIA MORIA

ASTRI'S DREAM

GRACE

EAST OF THE SUN, WEST OF THE MOON

AUTHOR'S NOTE

GLOSSARY AND APPROXIMATE PRONUNCIATIONS

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY

Acknowledgments

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