I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Rexall
by Kristene Fields
Published by Independently Published on May 25, 2025
Setting: Florida
Genres: Middle Grade Action and Adventure
Pages: 263
Format: Audible Audiobook, Kindle, Paperback
Source: the Author
Goodreads
Get Your Copy at: Amazon
"Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Rexall" follows the story of Scooter Finley, a thirteen-year-old boy who longs to make a film and is determined to enter a young filmmakers' contest. Living in a small, close-knit family with his mother, younger sister Kiki and grandparents, Teeny and Noni, Scooter grapples with feelings of inadequacy and frustration over their financial struggles. He hopes to persuade his mother to invest in filmmaking equipment for his birthday, but his attempts lead to conflict and disappointment. The story explores themes of ambition, family dynamics, and the challenges of growing up in a financially struggling household. As Scooter navigates his aspirations, he learns about the importance of communication, understanding, and resilience in the face of adversity.
Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Rexall by Kristene Fields is a coming-of-age story about John “Scooter” Finley.
Can Scooter get the film equipment he so desperately wants?
John David “Scooter” Finley is the oldest of the two Finley siblings and wants to become a film director one day. Well, that day is coming up fast since he saw the flyer for kids his age to make their own movie and turn it in. I wanted to love this story so much, but I was having a hard time connecting not only to Scooter but also to his little sister.
Scooter’s little sister, Kiki, is a big troublemaker since she believes that she can do no wrong. Kiki also thinks that she knows everything at the age of nine and wants to help her brother raise the money to buy his equipment. She plays like a sweet kid, but her attitude needs to be checked before she turns into a spoiled adult. Their mother allows this behaviour.
The Finley family consists of two siblings, a mom, and their paternal grandparents. They all live in the grandparents’ house since the mom can’t afford to live on her own with the two kids. At the same age that Kiki and Scooter were, I was growing up poor as well, and I don’t remember acting like them. It felt like a very unhappy story, and I don’t think these kids are going to make it without their grandparents to support them into adulthood.
Three Stars
My rating for Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Rexall by Kristene Fields is three stars. I don’t know if I would recommend this story, since I wasn’t sure whether the theme or moral actually came through. In my mind, the Finley siblings should have had more boundaries and consequences for their actions, which would have made it more rewarding.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Rexall by Kristene Fields.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
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About Kristene Fields
Whenever people ask about me I tell them I am a very boring person. During the day I am an English teacher for people who complain very loudly about how much I make them write. At night, I muse, think, read, listen, observe and figure out how to put all of the crazy directions my mind takes into characters in my stories and then I do the writing. With Moon Pies and RC Cola at the Drexall, it was the image of Scooter and his friends riding around in a golf cart with a lawnmower on the back. The whole story just fell into place after that. I live in Florida and when it’s really nice outside I get to move my writing to my porch and sit in the sun watching people pass by as I try to make my characters do what I want them to do. My children are grown and I don’t have any pets, but every now and then my grandson comes over and leaves sticky fingerprints everywhere and demands I make him oatmeal very early in the morning.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2026 Goodreads RC
- 2026 Middle Grade Reading Challenge
- 2026 Traveling the World
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