A Solitary Walk on the Moon by Hilde Hinton

Sometimes the people you overlook are the ones who can change your life.

For Evelyn, mornings pass as mornings always do. She ticks off the jobs at the laundromat and gives welcoming smiles to those who come in. If they've earned one.

Evelyn pays attention to her community. She sees the weariness in the frazzled shop owners, the woman with the nasty boyfriend, the nice man with the curly-topped dog, the car parking war and the forgetful man in a crumpled beige suit. The community might not notice Evelyn, because it's easy to overlook the seemingly ordinary. But Evelyn is far from ordinary. She isn't afriad to put things right and is always ready to find lost property or lost people - even if that means breaking the rules.

For a boy with a struggling mum and a lonely man with a smile in his eyes, Evelyn is going to make a difference, whether they like it or not. She will teach them that you don't have to be blood to be family. And they will remind her of what comes from loving someone. It is up to Evelyn if she can pay the price.

With a joyous and unique touch, Hinton's extraordinary novel A Solitary Walk on the Moon gives us insight into the people we pass on the street. In detailing their rich lives, she breaks then mends our hearts with her wisdom, her empathy and her unforgettable characters, who remind us what can happen if we stop and say hello.