The New Moon: The Story of Dick Martin’s Courage, His Silver Sixpence, and His Friends in the New World by Cornelia Meigs. First published in 1924. Guest review by Terri Shown.

An orphaned boy, struggling in an overcrowded Ireland, embarks on a trip to the New World of America.
“What is a boy to do that has no kin or friends in all of Ireland?” he asked at the end of his tale. “Have you ever thought,” said the other slowly, “of sailing away to the Americas? There is a fair green country, so people tell me who have seen only the edge of it; and it has room, as it seems, for everyone.
After selling his home to a seasoned sailor, Dick Martin sets out on a coming-of-age story with his lucky sixpence in his pocket and his new best friend, Cormac, a loyal sheepdog.
He secures passage with a mysterious Captain Thomas Garrity by agreeing to care for the sheep on the trip across the Atlantic. Dick keeps in his heart a bit of advice the seasoned sailor gave him, “There is a thing you must remember when you are setting out for strange places—wherever you go—you must take your courage with you.” And indeed, Dick Martin does take his courage with him through many challenges in his new life.
I believe what made this book stand out to me was not just the adventure but the diversity of human character the author brought into the story. She contrasted many times the struggle between good and evil that exists in all cultures and how it takes courage and work to do the right thing. The first half of the story takes place in Ireland, and then sails on the Atlantic to the American colonies, then out to the western plains beyond the Mississippi. I became uncomfortable at the first mention of Indians because of the time period this was written. I held my breath waiting for the book to take a sharp racist turn but to my surprise, what I found was that Cornelia Meigs wrote about the Native Americans, not as ignorant savages, but as a unique, hardworking, smart people group who had much to teach Dick Martin as he was growing up. Here are a few quotes that capture the tone of respect for Indians in the story:

“Down the hillside, through the trees and underbrush, without a path or trail, came a slim, black horse at a headlong gallop. Upon his back was a lithe, dark-skinned rider, a boy of about Dick’s own age, who swayed easily with the plunging motion of the horse, as though the two were one. His black hair was flying, his brown hand held a lance with a fluttering pennon of scarlet feathers, while from his arm swung a round shield of painted buffalo hide. Save for his copper skin, he might have been one of the Irish heroes out of Thomas Garrity’s tales, an enchanted vision of the dim past.”
“To a dull or unpracticed eye, all Indians may seem to be alike, although they really vary quite as much as white people.”
“I think I have learned the most of friendship from the Indians themselves!”

Dick Martin develops deep mutual friendship with the Sac-and-Fox tribe, becoming exspecially close to a brother and sister, Katequa and Mateo.They each risk their lives to save the other. What is a stronger mark of love then to lay down ones life for the sake of another. While this fictional story wasn’t the reality for most pioneer and native interaction it gives readers a seed of what could have been and how we might be when we interact with strangers in our future.
As we are immersed in a world struggling with what to do with political correctness and old stereotypes, this book is not without some of these problems but you can undoubtedly tell that the author’s intention was one of respect for all mankind. This book should be used as it was intended as a work of fiction. It was never intended to be an anthropology book of history. This book gives children a picture of strong friendships to admire, hard work to aspire towards, and courage to stand up for what is right. I believe this is a book that should be raised out of the ashes of 1924 literature and be read once again to remind us, “Wherever you go, hold up your head and that will hold up your heart”.

The New Moon is not currently in print, but you can read it on Google books.