I Am Margaret Moore

Gr 9 Up–Margaret Moore and her friends Flor, Nisreen, and Rose attend the Marshall Summer Naval School every summer. They are inseparable until the summer Margaret falls in love with a boy also attending Marshall. That summer, Margaret sneaks out of their dorm after curfew again and again to meet him. Toward the end of the summer, an incident occurs that pulls Margaret away from her friends, and she isn’t even allowed to say good-bye. She is back the following year to tell her friends what happened, but since, the boy that she loved drowned in the lake near the summer camp. Her friends start to disappear one at a time. This story is a complex contemporary thriller with poetic undertones. The insect motif at a summer camp seems quite normal initially as many summer camps involve pesky insects. However, Capin is very deliberate in using the mayfly and the dragonfly over and over in her story, and even names the parts of her book after the growth stages of these insects. Both of the creatures live tragic lives which sets the tone for Margaret’s tragedy. There are many times through the first half that the author’s purpose is obvious in the text. Once Margaret’s circumstances have been revealed, readers might find themselves going back to the beginning of her story with a new perspective. Beautifully written and haunting, this will definitely appeal to those who enjoy a good mystery.