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The Moon Bridge is a tale of friendship set amidst the taunting and jeering of middle school children during World War II, particularly after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Ruthie Fox’s world is shaken when her best friend, Shirl, calls Mitzi Fujimoto a “Jap” and bullies her so no one will want to be friends with Mitzi. Ruthie does not think Shirl is right in taunting Mitzi and befriends her. But one day, Mitzi and her family are forced away into the internment camps. With no further correspondence, Ruthie wonders what her friend Mitzi is up to and how her life is. Near the end of the war, Ruthie and Mitzi arrange a day to meet but unsure if the friendship they had will propel them to show up at the Moon Bridge in Golden Gate Park.
Marcia Savin highlights the importance of friendship throughout the chaos of war and internment camps. She portrays the struggle for love and care from another human being, which is a prevalent theme in people’s lives everywhere. Mitzi does not contact Ruthie throughout those years because she believes that Ruthie can no longer relate to her troubles and Ruthie has no way of contacting Mitzi. However, with all the horrible way that war messes up people’s lives, Ruthie and Mitzi’s friendship prevails. The Moon Bridge is suitable for upper elementary school students to read. This book can be used to highlight themes that are still applicable today.