Luna (National Book Award Finalist)

by Julie Anne Peters

Book Overview

A groundbreaking novel about a transgender teen, selected as a National Book Award Finalist.

Regan's brother Liam can't stand the person he is during the day. Like the moon from whom Liam has chosen his female name, his true self, Luna, only reveals herself at night. In the secrecy of his basement bedroom, Liam transforms into the beautiful girl he longs to be, with help from his sister's clothes and makeup. Now, everything is about to change: Luna is preparing to emerge from her cocoon. But are Liam's family and friends ready to welcome Luna into their lives?

Compelling and thought-provoking, this is an unforgettable novel about a transgender teen's struggle for self-identity and acceptance.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316011274
• ISBN13: 9780316011273
• Release Date: February 2006
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.55 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.3"
• Age Range: 14 to 17 years
• Grade Range: Grades 9 to 12

Customer Reviews

I loved this book.

I loved this book. It gave me so much courage to continue on my own mtf journey. I realize it is fiction, but it dealt with many issues I have to manage as well. Having a loving person in your life while transitioning is a blessing. I am alone in my journey, but I believe there are good, loving and supportive people all around us, like the boy's sister in this book.

This really made me feel too many things.

This book is absolutely amazing. It really does a good job presenting the struggles of a young trans woman trying to live as her true self. But on the flip side, it also did a good job of explaining the struggles of people to understand... It was respectful, especially for the early 2000s. As a trans person myself, this really touched a chord deep within me. And I truly hope someone sees this review and decides to get the book. It's amazing. You won't regret it.

i have a lot of feelings

i read this book when i was in middle school (2008ish) and i never stopped thinking about it. i read it again my last year of highschool because i didn’t have much to do so i read a lot and even though i knew everything that was going to happen it still hurt the same and made me feel it for weeks. i kept that copy from the library and read it two more times before i lost all my things. i just bought another copy and i’m about to read it right now and i’m so excited and i wish everyone would read this because it’s so special and there are very few books i can read this many times and still cry over every time

Metamorphosis - Excellent, Extraordinary, Exemplary

Luna is a gem of a book, very unique in character and style. The book outlines the life of a boy who knows he is really a girl in a boy's body. He is a Transgender. And to be even more poignant, the story is told from the perspective of his sister, who is 2 years younger. Julie Anne Peters goes to just the right lengths to accurately describe both the emotional and environmental situations. Some of her most eloquent statements are made with regard to the manner in which Liam/Luna's transmogrification, transition, metamorphosis affects those around him/her as much as it affects him/her and sometimes even more. The one who truly empathizes and suffers the pain almost as much as Liam/Luna is his sister Regan. She is Liam/Luna's confidant, his/her enabler, and his/her instrument to the realization of his dream. Despite all this good, Regan suffers most terribly with the knowledge of her brother's suffering. The writing technique that the author uses is particularly fascinating. She does some most effective flashback sequences that are truly artistic. In addition, she is quite adept at writing the text and the subtext (what is going on in the character's mind and how it differs from what comes out of their mouth) that her paragraphs are like little sparkling emeralds in a field of rock and dirt. In addition, the story moves along well. The reader has no time to get bored or complacent. And the messages departed along the way show all too well, how society makes life very difficult; not just for the normal, but also for the extremes, and not in any rational proportion. Just as life plays itself out; sometimes advantageously, but more of the time, unfairly. As we all know, life is not FAIR, but sometimes we surely wish it were. This book is highly recommended for all people interested in cross gender relations and in the phenomenon of Transexuality. It does a good job explaining the difference between transsexuals and homosexuals. And it does it in a manner that is very intimate and not objectionable. It truly is a mirror on today's society and should be viewed as such.

Sensitive and funny

Think Joan of Arcadia, only God dresses up like a girl after dark. Okay, so Luna's not exactly God, but there is much wisdom to be gained from this encounter. Luna is Liam, Regan's older brother, and, well, sister. Or as Regan says, "half brother, half sister," which is hilarious when she says it. Because the thing about Luna the novel is that Peters tells the story of Regan and her transgender (TG) brother, Luna with wry, engaging humor that immediately puts the reader at ease with this unusual situation. Luna/Liam's story is told through the eyes of Regan. Luna is about to come out of her cocoon. Because Regan has lived with and loved her brother all her life, she's grown accustomed to his girlish ways. Through flashbacks she realizes that she's always known that even as a kid, Liam was never comfortable in the role of boy. Her sorrow is that she's losing her brother, Liam. Even though she's the younger sister, Regan's life has revolved around keeping his secret. For that reason she also feels a sense of dread about Luna's emerging strength. Her fear for Luna is that she'll be ridiculed or humiliated. As much as Regan wishes for a life of her own, without Luna, she's never done anything to make that happen, revealing her own dependence on her brother as Luna grows stronger. In this way, their lives are remarkably intertwined and the notion of their inevitable separation is heartbreaking, yet compelling. Regan's humorous outbursts and observations -- especially of their parents -- betray her genuine perplexity with the whole situation, while lending a sense of normalcy to the raw emotions swirling through their lives. Understanding Luna -- and therefore any TG - through Regan's eyes becomes an oddly spiritual journey, challenging readers to think beyond outward appearances and stereotypes, to look deep into the soul of another individual and love the person inside enough to let her go. Copyright (c) 2004 by Peggy Tibbetts

A story that needs to be told

Luna is the first young adult novel written about a transsexual teen. Luna/Liam is a girl that was born in a boy's body. The only one who knows the truth is Regan, Luna/Liam's younger sister. Regan has spent so much of her life protecting and worrying about Liam that she really hasn't developed and identity seperate from that role. She has no friends, and she is a loner and an outcast at her school. And she is frightened and freaked out when Luna begins to go public with her secret. Luna is well-written. The anguish and fear of the characters is palpable and real. This book is so important because it is the first of its kind. I never really knew that much about transgender people before, and although I am a huge supporter of GLBT people, I did not understand transgenders, and I was uncomfortable about the subject. This book showed me that Liam/Luna was just as normal as any other person...they had just been born in the wrong body, and there is nothing freakish or weird about it. On the contrary, it was agonizing to read how desperate and hopeless Liam felt trapped in a body that was so horribly wrong for him. This book is groundbreaking, and needs to be read not just by young adults, but everyone who feels weird about the idea of a transsexual. They do not ask for this pain, they do not want to scare people. They just want what is in their hearts and minds to match their bodies. Much thanks to Julie Ann Peters for tackling a very hard subject and presenting it with heart, dignity, and hope. ~Anna M. Nelson, Young Adult Librarian, Seabrook, NH

amazing

This book is an amazing step forward in YA literature. Other reviewers have given you the premise of the plot, I just wanted to add that I thought it was BRILLIANT that it was told from the sister's point of view. Within the largely conservative area I live in, not a lot of people would be interested in this book had it been told from Liam/Luna's point of view. But as it comes from the sister, it's a safe vantage. It's the perfect vehicle for introducing a LOT of people to an issue they might not have understood, nor something they would have wanted to understand. I do think, looking at it analytically, that this book is more useful as an advocacy tool than one of the fictional self-help sorts. At any rate, it's a giant step forward in YA lit for transgender issues. And it's a well told, well written story to boot.