Luna: a novel

Peters, Julie Ann. Luna: a novel. Little, Brown and Company, 2004. ISBN 0-316-73369-5

Plot

Regan and Liam are sister and brother. This story is about both of them. In the past, Regan has helped Liam keep his feminine identity secret. She allows him to spend time in her bedroom at night so he can secretly try on dresses, wear a long wig, and apply makeup. Regan loves her brother. She realizes that she has always known he is different. Their mother is largely absent from her children's lives. She is caught up in her business as a wedding planner. Their father sees that his son is different but ignores this knowledge and encourages him to play sports. Regan struggles to keep up in school and have a social life despite being exhausted as Liam awakens her again and again during the night. Later, Regan is Liam's support as he practices appearing in public as a woman. He decides to tell his family and friends, notably a childhood friend, Aly, that he is a girl. He wants to become Luna full-time. Luna presents herself to Aly, and is pained by her rejection, and so is Regan, but Luna continues on the path toward coming out. On her eighteenth birthday Luna appears at the family breakfast table and tells her family that she is planning to have sex reassignment surgery. Her mother checks out. She ignores this change in her child's appearance as if she always knew it would happen, which she did. Her father is angry. He tells Luna that she is sick. Regan helps Luna in the final scenes of the story.

Critical Evaluation

The most affecting part of this story is the way in which the author communicates the tension between brother Liam and sister Regan as well as the tension between Liam and Luna. The difficulties of high school life are highlighted as Regan struggles to fit in and feel accepted at school. She worries about grades and friends in a heartbreaking way. On top of this she is concerned for her Liam/Luna and for herself as she struggles to be supportive to her sibling. Luna's struggle to come out and present herself in public is realistically portrayed in terms that older tween and teen readers can understand.

Annotations

Regan struggles to find her way through high school, homework, friends, and family troubles. All the while she is the de facto supporter and confidante of her brother, Liam, a transsexual who is coming out during his senior year of high school.

Author

Julie Ann Peters is the author of numerous titles for young adults and children. Her writing treats gender and queer issues with frankness and respect. Other books written by this author are Keeping You a Secret and Define "Normal" which is an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Her work is notable for its candid and relatable views into young people's inner struggles, family situations, and school lives.

Genre (see link under LIBR264 Group favorites)

Fiction -- Transgender

Curriculum Ties

English language arts – character study

Social Sciences – discrimination and acceptance of minorities

Booktalk Ideas

Discuss life in high school and the things that make it fun, challenging, and unforgettable. Relate the participants' responses to specifics from Regan's experience.

Reading Level/Interest Age

Grade 6 (age 12) and up. Although the book is classified as Young Adult at my library, younger patrons are reading it.

Challenge Issues and Defense

Frank depiction of transgender experience. Children defy parents. Occasional foul language.

National Book Award finalist and American Library Association Best Books for Young Adults.

Why is it here?

I talked with a sixth-grade student about the book after seeing her read it at school and wanted to know more.