Luna

Author: Julie Anne Peters

ISBN:978-0316011273

Publication Information: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

Plot Summary:Regan is an average girl, except for one thing, her brother Liam is transgendered, and secretly becomes the beautiful girl Luna at night. A secret that, at least for now, only Regan knows. But Liam is becoming increasingly frustrated at keeping Luna a secret, and wants to start transitioning to her female identity. Regan is terrified, both for Luna and for herself. But as she sees how lost Liam is when he isn't Luna, she decides to slowly, and cautiously, help him transition to the female gender. Through clandestine trips to the mall and fast food restaurants, Luna slowly reveals herself to society, which only makes her more desperate to become Luna full time. Can Liam transition to become Luna forever? And can Regan survive Luna's transition unscathed?

Critical Evaluation:Luna is a classic novel in the LGBTQ genre. Furthermore, it is a novel about a transgendered, transitioning, male to female teen. The amount of literature, especially young adult literature, that has transgendered characters is greatly lacking, so Luna is a welcome addition to young adult collections. Furthermore, having the sibling of a transgendered teen as the narrator makes the story more accessible to teens that are not transgendered. Where some teens may not be in a place in their lives that can understand or empathize with Luna, they certainly will be able to relate to Regan. Overall, Peters creates two well written characters in Regan and Luna, and many teens should really enjoy reading the novel, and the growth and change in the relationship between the two siblings.

Reader's Annotation: Liam has a secret that only his sister Regan knows about. He is transgendered, and he is tired of hiding Luna, his true self.

Author Information: Julie Anne Peters was born in Jamestown, New York on January 16, 1952. As a young child, she moved to Colorado, and spent the remainder of her childhood in the suburbs and Denver metro area. She received a B.A. in Elementary Education from the Colorado Women's College. She also has a B.S. in Computer and Management Sciences, and a M.S. in Business and Computer Science. She currently lives in Colorado with her partner, Sherri (information taken from the author's website http://julieannepeters.com/files/JPBio.htm).

Curricular Ties:Health

Genre:LGBTQ

Book talking ideas:

• What would you do if your sibling told you he/she was transgendered? Would you help he/she transition, like Regan helped Luna?
• Why did Regan feel relief when Luna left?
• Why was it easier for Regan's Dad to accept Liam as bisexual, instead of transgendered?
  

Challenge issues: Transgendered Issues

• Familiarize yourself with the book and its contents.
• Check the library for specific policies on challenged books.
• Check the ALA website for advice on how to respond and react when a book has been challenged. (http://www.ala.org/ala/issuesadvocacy/banned/challengeslibrarymaterials/index.cfm)
  
• Find positive reviews from reputable websites.
• Ask the challenger for their specific objections and try to address them using information from the above research.

Interest Age: Grades 10 and up

Why I selected this piece: I chose this book because there is a lack of transgendered young adult material for teens, and I think it is important to include a decent selection of LGBTQ literature for teens.