Shooting the moon

Shooting The Moon by Frances O'Roark Dowell

This is one of the books I picked up from our book fair. I really enjoyed how the main character Jamie evolved from being an army brat to becoming a thoughtful, more realistic person ( I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense but when you read the story you'll understand.)

Here's the summary:

When twelve-year-old Jamie Dexter's brother joins the Army and is sent to Vietnam, Jamie is trilled. She can't wait to get letters from the front lines describing the excitement of real-life combat: the sound of helicopters, the smell of gunpowder, the exhileration of being right in the thick of it all. After all, they've both dreamed of following in the footsteps of their father, the Colonel.

But T.J's fist letter isn't a letter at all. It's a roll of undeveloped film, the first of many. What Jamie sees when she develops T.J.'s photographs reveals a whole new side of the war. Slowly the shine begins to fade off a Army life- and the Colonel. How can someone she's worshipped her entire life be just as helpless to save her brother as she is?

As one reviewer writes " Shooting the Moon will draw you in with it's simplicity and astound you with its powerful story."