Luna

Title Luna
Author Julie Anne Peters
Julie Anne Peters was born in New York in 1952 and moved when she was five to Colorado. She has a B.A. in Elementary Education and a B.S. in Computer and Management Science. She is the author of many books for young people including Grl2Grl, also reviewed here.
ISBN 0316022374
Publisher Little, Brown and Company
Copyright Date 2004
Reading Level/Interest Age 15+
Genre Issues: Sexual Identity; LGBT Fiction
Plot Summary
Luna is a novel told from the point of view of Regan, a teenage girl who is shouldering the burden of having to keep her 17-year-old brother’s secret: Liam is really Luna, a transgender girl who is closeted about her true identity to everyone except Regan. When Liam decides that he is tired of living as a boy and that he wants to transition into living as Luna full-time, Regan must act as a buffer between not only her parents, but the rest of their high school. Will Regan be able to deal with all the normal high school worries like her cute new lab partner, her parent’s constant fighting and trying not to fail chemistry while keeping Luna’s secret?
Critical Evaluation
This novel is very well-written and Peters has created a convincing and relatable character in Regan. Her voice as the narrator is very strong and her particular issue of living in her brother/sister’s shadow is told from a place of empathy. I think it is particularly striking that Peters chose to tell the story from Regan’s point of view. This narrative technique helps to assist the reader in understanding Luna’s struggles, from an intimate, familiar perspective. Peters is also particularly excellent with her sensitivity to pronoun use – switching between the two in a way that is sensitive to Luna’s true identity, while really highlighting the issues that she will have to face. Additionally, this is a sensitive portrait of the way in which family members are intricately involved in an adolescent’s transgender identity. A great read for anyone dealing with transgender issues, particularly someone who is trying to learn about a friend or a family member.
Reader’s Annotation
Between Chemistry I, a boy that just might like her and her mom’s pill-popping, Regan’s life is complicated – but not nearly as complicated as her sister Liam’s life.
Curriculum Ties Could be tied into lessons about LGBT issues, tolerance and prejudice.
Booktalking Ideas
1. Do a character sketch of Liam and then a character sketch of Luna. Use the fact that Luna and Liam are the same person as the hook, emphasizing that this is a book about what it means to be transgender.
2. Do a first-person narrative from Regan’s perspective, highlighting all of her “normal” high school issues, ending with the fact that her brother Liam is actually her sister Luna, encouraging the audience to read the book to find out more about transgender issues.
Challenge Issues
Please see "Controversy & LGBT Teen Collections"
Why did I include this book?
National Book Award Finalist; Stonewall Honor Book; Lambda Literary Award Finalist; ALA Best Book for Young Adult’s; I wanted to include at least one book about transgender young adults.