Luna

Told through the eyes of a young girl, Regan, trying to come to grips with the fact that her brother is a girl. Regan has become the only support for her older brother Liam, who now goes by the chosen name of Luna. He has decided it is time to transition to being a woman on a full time basis, not just at night. The burden that Regan carries isolates her socially and contributes to her struggles in school. At school she is always in the shadow of super intelligent Liam. At home she is trying to defend Liam and herself from their overbearing father. When she gets paired up with the new guy in chemistry class Regan thinks her luck is finally changing, but Luna’s unstoppable emergence throws everything off kilter. It is really difficult to summarize the depth of emotions expressed in this book. As we follow Regan she learns to deal with who she is as well as who her brother is.

This book was mesmerizing. The storytelling is fantastic, seamlessly merging the present with flashbacks. Even though this book does not tell Liam/Luna’s story completely you do get enough bits and pieces to be able to empathize with the character, you know why she must be free. I loved the way that Regan doesn’t really understand why Liam is transgender but that doesn’t matter, she loves and supports him. Throughout the book I just wanted desperately for Regan to be happy, to be able to have someone to be there for her. Really I wanted to be there for her and Liam and I guess that is the sign of a great book.

Age Range: 15 plus
Ranking: Quality – 5 Popularity – 3