Keeping the Moon

Infobox Book |
name = Keeping the Moon
title_orig =


image_caption =
translator =
author = Sarah Dessen
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
genre = Young adult novel
publisher = Viking Press
release_date = September 1, 1999
media_type = Print (Hardback & Paperback)
pages = 228 pp
isbn = 0-670-88549-5

"Keeping the Moon" is a novel by author Sarah Dessen. It is her third novel.

Plot Summary

Colie and her mother used to live out of their car, which caused them to be overweight. That all changed when her mother started taking aerobics classes. This lead to both of them losing weight and her mother becoming a well know aerobics instructor. Even though Colie lost the weight, she is still very insecure because people at her school teased her and she's never had any real friends. First, it was because she was fat. Then, when she lost the weight, people started calling her a slut, even though she's not one at all. When Colie's mother goes over to Europe for a tour in the summer, Colie spends her summer with her eccentric aunt Mira in Colby, North Carolina. Colie is convinced that no one in Colby will want her, similar to her life back home. But when she gets a job at the Last Chance Bar and Grill, this changes. She meets two waitresses who work at the restaurant, perfectionist Morgan and in-your-face Isabel, who are best friends and roommates. Morgan and Isabel help Colie build confidence and start loving herself. Colie also meets Norman, who lives with Mira, and the two eventually fall in love.

Main Characters

Nicole "Colie" Sparks - Colie is fifteen. She used to live with her mother in a car, which caused them to be overweight. While her mother is in Europe on tour, she is forced to live with her Aunt Mira. Colie is very quiet, and is somewhat self-concious. She works at the Last Chance Bar and Grill. At Last Chance she meets two waitresses, Morgan and Isabel. She also works with Norman, in which Mira lives with. She eventually becomes Norman's girlfriend.

Mira Sparks - Mira is Colie's aunt. She is overwieght and very kind. She makes cards that are for people that have lost their loved ones. She buys a lot of sugared cereal and enjoys eating the grilled chicken salad at Last Chance. Mira is also friends with Morgan and Isabel. She lives with Norman and Colie and has a cat named Cat Norman (named after Norman).

Morgan - Morgan works at Last Chance with Isabel, Colie, and Norman. She has noted many times that she is engaged with a baseball player named Mark. Unfortunately, Morgan's fianceè cheats on her with a stripper (and was pregnant) whom Mark was married to. Morgan is very organized and straight-forward about things. She is close with Isabel and is best friends with Isabel, She is said to be very skinny and has black hair.

Isabel - Isabel works at Last Chance with Morgan, Colie, and Norman. It is stated that lots of boys flirt and hit on her. Isabel is very lazy and reads "Vouge" in her free time. She is very close to Morgan and is best friends with her. Isabel also acts grumpy around Colie. She is also judgemental.

Norman - Norman is an "art freak." He ran away from home when he and his father had a fight on whether he should go to art school. He works with Morgan, Isabel, and Colie at Last Chance as a cook. He has a small crush on Colie and collects sunglasses. Norman is shy and kind. He lives with Mira and Colie because he has nowhere to go. In the end, he makes a painting of Colie and becomes Colie's boyfriend.

Caroline Dawes - Caroline is Colie's next door neighbor at home. It's revealed that she teased Colie with every fat name in the book until she lost the weight. She also calls Colie a slut and "Hole in One" based on the incident with Chase Mercer. She is tan, skinny, and has long black hair that she spends a lot of time swinging around. Caroline is also in Colby for the summer, and sees Colie at the Last Chance, making fun of her in front of Norman and Isabel. At the beach on the Fourth of July, Colie finally stands up to Caroline.