#16: Maggot Moon
I'm wondering what if.What if the football hadn't gone over the wall.What if Hector had never gone looking for it.What if he hadn't kept the dark secret to himself.What if ...
Maggot Moon
Sally Gardner
Illustrated by Julian Crouch
Year Published: 2012
Pages: 278
Genres: YA fiction, middle grade fiction, dystopia, alternative history
Topics: Dystopia, dyslexia, authority, authoritarian society, propaganda
Recognition
Summary
Fifteen-year-old Standish Treadwell can't spell his own name. He struggles to read and write, "imperfections" which, along with his different-colored eyes, make him a target of the ridicule of his classmates. But his friend Hector thinks Standish is a creative thinker, able to see through the propaganda of the Motherland, the totalitarian state that rules Standish's home country.
Standish's parents were "made nonexistent" by the state, leaving him and his grandfather alone in the only house standing on a bombed-out street. When he's not playing with Hector or dreaming of escaping his country, he's trying to avoid the attention of his brutal teacher Mr. Gunnell and headmaster Mr. Hellman; both are patriotic Motherland subjects, and both look forward to the impending mission to the moon, when the Motherland will prove its technological superiority to the rest of the world.
Behind Standish's house is a high wall, which no one is allowed to cross. But Standish has secretly discovered a passage beneath it, and what he and Hector discover behind it—and what comes through to them from the other side—explodes any propaganda-laced preconceptions they may have had about the Motherland.
Maggot Moon and Me
I was browsing Michael L. Printz Award winners and finalists, and Maggot Moon jumped out at me purely because of its title. It's evocative and a little unsettling, and I had no idea what kind of story might lie behind it, which is why I decided to read it.
I wish I had timed the reading of it better, because, coming right on the heels of another intense dystopian novel, I was a little worn out when it came to Maggot Moon. Maybe it's also a reflection of the current political climate, but I wasn't particularly in the mood to read about an authoritarian state peopled by cruel secret police and controlled by propaganda. This isn't to say that Maggot Moon is a bad book, although Gardner does make some strange, jarring choices, especially toward the end of the novel. I think it could be a good read for students interested in dystopias, alternative histories, or even World War II history. I just found it a little tiring. I also wonder—since Gardner is British and writes in a British idiom—if some students might struggle to understand Standish's way of speaking, particularly his malapropisms.
As I read Maggot Moon, I realized it was the only book I had read for this project that wasn't written by an American author. It made me wonder if I hadn't been missing out on adolescent literature written by authors from other countries. Going forward, I want to make sure I'm mindful of looking at books written by authors who aren't American.
Teaching Considerations
Late Middle Grade to Early Young Adult: Setting aside Standish's occasional linguistic inventiveness, Gardner's writing style is mostly straightforward, with short sentences and chapters. Standish is 15 years old, putting him in the late middle grade demographic, and despite its grim and sometimes violent subject matter, I think the ideal age range for this book would be 8th-10th grade (14-16 years old, maybe as young as 13).
Small Group or Individual Read: Although I think Maggot Moon could have a lot of value as a whole class text in a unit examining propaganda or authoritarian societies, its violence and language might make that difficult in the target age range. It might be an excellent choice, then, for a book club read while examining the same topic.
Totalitarianism Study: Maggot Moon is set in an alternative 1950s Britain that has been taken over by a foreign totalitarian nation—clearly an analogue of Nazi Germany or the Stalinist Soviet Union. Because it portrays a recognizably democratic country overtaken by totalitarianism, it could be an excellent novel to read in conjunction with a unit study of World War II or 20th-century totalitarian movements, giving students a framework to think about what living under that kind of society might look like.
Sensitive Content: Maggot Moon contains a few instances of graphic violence—including a particularly gruesome and disturbing one within the first third of the book—along with some profanity. The themes of government repression, secret police, and implied torture may disturb some readers as well.
Read-Aloud Passages
- Chapters Six and Seven: "Mr. Gunnell didn't like me. ... I was a mess." (pp. 13-18)
- Standish is bullied by Mr. Gunnell, who pulls his school tie undone and sends him to the headmaster's office. Standish worries about his friend Hector, who has disappeared. This is a good introduction to the brutal and vindictive Mr. Gunnell as well as Standish's relationship with Hector. It also ends with a strong metaphor that compares the school uniform tie to both camouflage and a noose.
- Chapter Eleven: "Gramps always made me feel safe. ... He'd kept that well hidden." (pp. 31-34)
- This chapter gives the reader some background on Standish's grandfather and the disappearance of his parents. It's also a quick introduction to their place in their society as "uncooperating" citizens potentially targeted by the authorities.
- Chapter Nineteen: "'Standish Treadwell.' ... 'No, sir, it is forbidden.'" (pp. 53-56)
- Standish speaks with a mysterious man in a black leather coat when he's called to the headmaster's office. This is a tense scene that gives the reader the first real look at the Motherland's secret police, and it gives a quick introduction to Standish's dyslexia and the proposed moon landing.
Liked Maggot Moon? Try These:
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
- The Maze Runner by James Dashner (2009)
- Outwalkers by Fiona Shaw (2018)
Hi Andy! I really enjoyed reading your blog on maggot moon. I didn't get to read many dystopian novels during this book club but this book is definitely on my YA list next! I appreciated how you put your input and context to when you were reading the book. When we read a book can totally change our outlook on the novel and might not give some of our novels the fighting change they deserve. You still did justice to this one. I also appreciated the applications for this novel. While reading this I thought about social justice lenses. It could be cool to have students think about these types of societies and what actions people can take to combat them. Taking things to the next level of what do with readings. Thanks for sharing!
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