Moon Over Gloomsville.

The Ruby Gloom series are charming, humorous beginner reader’s chapter books about being oneself. Ruby Gloom, the happiest girl in the world, lives in a Victorian mansion with her friends, Iris, Skull Boy, Frank, Len, Poe, Scaredy Bat, Boo Boo, and Doom Kitty. When Poe tells them about a lunar eclipse that will change their personalities and that will occur the next day, Ruby and her friends decide not to heed Poe’s warnings of impeding doom and to climb Mount Morose to get a better look at the eclipse and its effect since they think it would be fun to be someone else. The lunar eclipse does have the effect that Poe warned them about, and the group of friends undergo some peculiar changes. Ruby and her friends soon find that they must rely on each other in new ways and battle a monster when Doom Kitty, Ruby’s best friend, goes missing. Scattered throughout the book are black and white illustrations. The illustrations are detailed and very expressive and add richness to the text. This easy to read, age-appropriate chapter book contains short chapters, and the font is of a good size that will appeal to children learning to read. However, it should be noted that children might not get all of the references (literature, film, history) contained in the book, but this could be a good way for them to learn about and be exposed to classical literature and history in a fun way. Moon over Gloomsville contains themes of friendship, mystery, and identity. Recommended.