Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Luna
Julie Anne Peters
ISBN 0-316-73369-5
248 pages
Little, Brown & Company, 2004

Genre: LGBT; Issue Novel

Reader's Annotation:
Regan's life has revolved around her brother Liam's struggles with his female identity, but lately she finds herself struggling to define her identity as a person separate from her brother.

Plot Summary:
High school senior Liam has known his whole life that he was born in the wrong body, and his younger sister Luna has known his secret her whole life. At night, Liam emerges as Luna, his female identity. Luna has kept her secret from everyone, but now feels ready to emerge from her cocoon.  Regan adores and supports Luna, yet at the same time struggles with her own identity; her complicated family life has made having friends difficult, and at school she feels like an invisible loner. The possibility of romance with a new boy in school forces Regan to rethink her identity as more than just Luna's sister, while Luna struggles with the reality that her family, friends, and high school community may not be accepting of her true self. 

Critical Evaluation:
I really enjoyed this book and was amazed during our class Elluminate session how deeply layered it was.  There's a lot packed into its 248 pages! I was especially intrigued by the whole family's dysfunctional dynamic; the parents are struggling with their own identities and have a hard time seeing their teenage children as they really are. I would have loved to read a book just from the viewpoint of the mother, who seemed completely clueless throughout but obviously knew more than she chose to let on.

I thought the relationship between the teens were really believable. The friendship and then romance between Chris and Regan was funny and touching, and I liked how it helped Regan see herself in a new light; I also loved the dynamic of their war against their chemistry teacher.  I also liked the friendship between Aly and Liam/Luna; the resolution of that seemed quite realistic to me. In general, I really liked how frank and honest Peters was about the relationships in the book. Regan's loss of her babysitting job and surrogate family was quite upsetting, yet exactly what would happen in reality, as was the treatment of Luna when she decided to appear in public as a woman.

About the author:
Peters has written a number of award-winning young adult and children's novels. Many of her YA works feature LGBT themes. Her most recent work, Rage, centers around domestic abuse in a lesbian relationship. Her work has been noted by LGBT organizations for her thoughtful and realistic portrayal of gay teens.

Curriculum ties:
LGBT issues, transgendered people, bullies

Booktalking ideas:
1. Talk about the sibling dynamic between Regan and Liam/Luna
2. Talk about Luna's identity as a transgendered woman
3. Talk about the relationship between Regan and Chris, how he helps her form an identity outside of her family
4. Talk in character as Regan, giving a quick summary of Luna and her parents

Reading/Interest Level:
9th grade and up

Challenge Issues:
Its LGBT subject matter may be challenged by some who find it morally problematic. 

If challenged, the librarian should be aware of the library's selection policy and be able to explain and defend it to the challenger. He or she could provide the challenger with the number of positive reviews and awards that Luna has won, as well as some statistics on teens and transgender identity, or perhaps a clipping about Fred Martinez Jr., the murdered transgendered boy who inspired the story.

Selection Criteria:
This was an assigned reading for our class, but the long list of accolades it's received would also make a strong case for its worthiness of inclusion.