Shadows on the Moon by Zoe Marriott

Walker Books, 2011. ISBN 9781406318159.
(Ages 14+) Highly recommended. Suzume is a shadow weaver and since her fourteenth birthday she has been anyone except herself, that was the day her father and cousin Aimi died. Her fathers oldest friend, Terayama-san, took her mother and her into his home after the deaths of their family but they could not tell anyone who they were, if they did they would all be killed. Suzume was sad about what had happened and it was worse that her mother didn't seem care. Eventually Suzume's mother married Terayama-san, and that made things worse and when Suzume learns Terayama-san's secret she will stop at nothing to get revenge.
Suzume's life was hard and sad and  through the book she changed as things got better and worse for her. It was that made her and the story seem more real. At the beginning she was a sweet, kind, innocent girl, but after the deaths of her father and Aimi she began to change and as she grew she became a completely different person and no one really saw the real her anymore not even herself. Only one person saw through her disguise and he loved her.
Shadows on the moon is set in a fairytale Japan and is sort of like Cinderella but full of hate and revenge. I really enjoyed it and loved getting to see Suzume change through the book, but this book was also very sad. I really felt sorry for Suzume; she suffered so much but it made her stronger and she never gave up. I would highly recommend this book. It is a great twist to a well known children's fairytale and even if you don't like Cinderella give this book a chance as you may like it.
Tahlia Kennewell (Student, Year 10)