ELVIA And The GIFT Of PASSION: A Tale by Moons-Light Series, Book 3 by Ruthy Ballard – Science Fiction, Adventure, Middle-Grade

Ruthy Ballard’s latest middle-grade novel, Elvia and the Gift of Passion, takes us to another planet in a distant galaxy. But the journey begins grounded on Earth.

Elvia lives a dull-as-dishwater life with her boring parents, Sally and Earl Hill. She dreams of living in Tanzania (or on Mars) after a DNA test reveals she is 99.1% Zulu, with a dash of Irish to explain her red hair.

When her mother wins a safari in a work raffle, Elvia’s dreams start to materialize. As the stubborn and dissatisfied daughter of two overprotective parents, Elvia does what any child in her situation would do; she ditches them. In the meantime, her parents try to fit in some relaxation and see the sights without their daughter.

This trip becomes far stranger than Elvia could have imagined.

A lion named Prudence steals food from the kitchen, and Elvia’s red hair draws the attention of every medicine man in a fifty-mile radius. But these are acorns compared to the real event: a wormhole that opens to pull Elvia through, into a different world. The lion is blamed for eating her, then the witch doctors are blamed for stealing her and selling her red hair, but when neither of these theories pans out, Sally and Earl are left with no daughter, and only the office of “Parents of Swallowed Children” to provide solace.

Elvia arrives on a planet called Urth, and meets the uppies, guides for findlings (Earth children), who knew that a child with great passion would soon arrive. Elvia is paired with Lacie, the most beautiful fashionista on her planet, but also the most self-centered and irresponsible uppy. Lacie teaches Elvia about the craft of naming colors, like Deepsea Dive for blue, and White Water for white. Lacie melts the hearts of men wherever she goes, and she uses her powers to travel in style and solidify her name as a color-naming wizard.

But Lacie’s self-obsession turns dangerous comes when she abandons her post to attend the Wayrun Fashion Show. Elvia, renamed Alive, is left to fend for herself; trouble comes a-knockin’, and his name is Rats, who convinces her to stow away with him on a submarine. Lacie’s neglect allows the lighthouse beacon to go dark, causing that same submarine to lose its charted course and crash. She has no idea that Elvia had stowed away until she’s found alive, having escaped the sinking sub while rescuing Rats.

Ballard weaves a delicate tale, rich and unique.

Imagination runs wild in this adventure, filled with mishaps, misunderstandings, and huge mistakes. Ballard takes us to infinity and beyond and brings us back again with an Elvia who now understands her place in the world. This satisfying tale will have readers turning pages into the night to see what Elvia will do next, and where her journey will lead. Elvia and the Gift of Passion delivers excitement and surprise on every page.