If you love to read

This site is for children who love to read, laugh, and think. It started with a true story about an American girl who goes to an English boarding school. Now there are also fairy tales (some famous, some not so famous), stories by E. Nesbit, stories by readers (these are new!), and instructions for cat's cradle.

I hope you'll email me and tell me what you think. If you do, I'll write back.

Partly because so many young readers DID write to me saying they liked it, my story about the girl at the boarding school was published as a book:

I wanted it to be the kind of book I like reading myself: one with real people, things that are funny enough to make you laugh out loud (though there had to be some sad parts, too, because there were in real life), and good conversations. Whether because of that or not, I don't know, but it has won 2 awards and I get emails almost every day from young readers who love it -- some are on this site and so are some reviews.

Here are the first six chapters and two of the boarding school chapters:

Chapter 1. News

Chapter 2. Telling Henry

Chapter 3. Two Tea Parties

Chapter 4. Bon Voyage

Chapter 5. Will You Miss Me?

Chapter 6. The Liberté

Chapter 14. Sibton Park and Chapter 15. Talking to a Real Horse

The whole story was first edited by a girl named Miranda who loves to read, too. She first read it when she was ten and has read it over and over since then.

I first wrote it with links to things you can do. When someone in the book taps on her desk in Morse code, the link shows YOU how to send Morse code. Or when the characters play cat's cradle

(I learned how to play cat's cradle at the boarding school), you can click to get instructions,* with pictures, for all the moves. When the characters sing, you can click to get the music and words.

If you write and tell me what you think of the story, I'll write back. My email is:

Libby.Koponen@gmail.com

Letters, Drawings, and Stories by Other Kids
(This is where I will put what you send me.)

Letters about Blow Out the Moon(and a picture of Drew Barrymore reading it!)

Stories by People aged 7 to 15 (new stories added October 6!)

I ALWAYS answer letters I get: if I don't, please check your spam folder or resend your email! My not answering means either your email didn't reach me or mine didn't reach you. The best address to use is:

Libby.Koponen@gmail.com
You can also use the email blowoutthemoon@aol.com

SNEAK PREVIEW

If you read the book, you’ll figure out what I was like — I’ll just say now that when my friends and I got caught doing something a mother usually said:

“I suppose you were the ringleader, Libby?”

I thought of this as a compliment. It wasn’t meant to be one, I know, but the word made me think of the circus and being in the center of all the excitement and fun.

Go to chapter one

Lots of libraries have Blow Out the Moon. If your library doesn't, they can probably order it for you.

Or you can get in a bookstore. You can also get it online from amazon, barnesandnoble, etc.

If you read it, please write and tell me what you think!

I usually wanted to keep reading when we got to the sight my parents wanted to see. If they made me get out of the car, this is what I usually did:

The back and one side of the boarding school:

Click to see more pictures of the boarding school
and the girls.

This is what an eighth-grader wrote about it in a kids-only paper called Just Books:

"This tale of a young girl's voyage to England and the total difference in life styles is fascinating. Libby doesn't want to move to England, she wants to stay with her friends, especially with Henry. Libby is fascinated by the long boat ride, but when she reaches England Libby isn't happy. She longs for the sunshine and her American life. The people at school aren't nice and Libby wants to leave, until she finds Sibton Park, an English boarding school for girls, and one boy. It offers horseback riding lessons, and to Libby's horror, table manners. Libby's joyous times at Sibton Park make you laugh out loud and her funny point of view is great. Sibton Park comes alive as you read this interesting, funny story of Libby Koponen's childhood." -- eighth grader writing in Just Books

If you HAVE already read the book, you might enjoy looking at some chapters that weren't in it, and pictures of Kenny, Peg, Pat, and Emmy. (Warning: These chapters are LONG and very detailed! Some people like them the best, some people hated them! See what you think -

The Adventure of the Very Loud Living Room (prequel, with links to other chapters not in the published book)

- and if you do read these chapters, please write and tell me if you think they should have been kept in or left out!

Your friend (and if you read and liked my book I am your friend),
Libby
Libby.Koponen@gmail.com

*I have temporarily disabled the links to The Treasure Seekers and the cat's cradle instructions, because so many people go there that I am getting charged for using extra bandwitdth! Most do it without reading my book; many copy pictures without asking, which is expensive for me. If you have read Blow Out the Moon and like it, email me and I will send you the links to other pages!

There and Back Again (memoir), Blow Out the Moon (novel), and ifyoulovetoread.com copyright © 1999, 2000, 2001 Libby Koponen. All rights reserved. No part of this work may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without permission in writing from the author.

To anyone who went to Sibton Park: I had to take the rest of the chapters down -- but I will be happy to email the Sibton Park chapters to you if you would like to see them.

If you find it in a bookstore, and it's on a shelf
with just its spine showing, PLEASE TURN IT so the cover shows!

If you DO turn it face out for me, thank you very much.

Reviews of Blow Out the Moon.

Libby's visits to schools.