| Luna | |
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The hardback cover of Luna |
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| Author(s) | Julie Anne Peters |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Genre(s) | Young adult fiction |
| Publisher | Little, Brown |
| Publication date | 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardcover and paperback) |
| Pages | 256 pg |
| ISBN | 0-316-73369-5 |
| OCLC Number | 53880041 |
| LC Classification | PZ7.P44158 Lu 2004 |
Luna is a young adult novel, by Julie Anne Peters, and was first published in 2004.
Contents |
The novel is told from the point of view of sixteen-year-old Regan. She struggles with the secret that her older brother, Liam, is transgender, and wants to transition and live as a girl named Luna. (Liam adopts the name "Luna", which means "moon," to reflect the fact she can only show herself as a girl at night.) Regan helps Luna dress as a girl in secret, but panics when she announces her plans to become Luna full-time. Regan dreads what her parents will think, and how society will accept Luna. Furthermore, Regan's own romantic life is put in danger when she is forced to constantly look out for her sister. Although she wishes to have a "normal" sibling, she knows that she is Luna's only hope for happiness. There are many other problems for Regan and Luna in the book. Their mother is a busy wedding planner who uses a variety of anti-depressants and is not home enough to take care of her family. The father loves Regan, and tries to get her to confess to him that Liam is homosexual. He also has tried to get Liam to wrestle and play baseball, but has been unsuccessful in his attempts. Regan and Liam try to get Liam's best friend, Aly, to accept her transsexuality, and are not immediately successful. In the end Liam (now going fully as Luna) leaves town to Seattle so that she can transition and be free. Regan also is freed by Luna's leaving and is happy for her sister and proud to be her sister. She is freed of having to protect her sister and worry about her secret affecting her life and she is allowed to live her own now.
Regan: Regan is a 16-year-old sophomore in high school. She often puts the needs of others, mainly her brother Liam/Luna, before herself. Because of this, she does not feel like she has an identity of her own. Throughout the course of the book, she develops a relationship with a classmate named Chris, and desires to spend more time with him making herself happy and less time looking out for Liam as she transitions to Luna permanently.
Luna/Liam: Luna is a transgendered 17-year-old born in the body of a boy, Liam. Luna is the name she adopts as her female name, her real name. Luna is a smart, pleasant individual, as shown by her top grades and positive demeanor towards her often rude parents. She is also fashion forward, which makes Regan envious. She is often portrayed as being lost in her own world while she is Liam during the day. Luna needs Regan to help her become Luna by using her room to dress up in, but mainly she needs Regan for her emotional support as she begins her transition in public places like the mall, and Taco Bell.
Chris: Chris is Regan's lab partner in her chemistry class. He is a new student so he does not know many people, but he quickly becomes popular. He immediately develops a crush on Regan despite her socially awkward antics. He is kind, but not smart, as he had to drop out of chemistry class so he would not flunk. He is caring and understanding, shown by the fact that he worries about hurting Regan's feelings and empathizes when he realizes that she has many family problems. He even says, "My family's so dysfunctional, I bet it beats yours any day", to which Regan remarks, "How big a bet can you make?"
Jack (Dad): Regan and Liam's father. He loves jokes and loves his children, but he cannot accept Luna. He pressured Liam to do 'manly' things, such as go out for sports and date girls, mainly his friend Aly.
Patrice (Mother): Regan and Liam's mother. Patrice is a wedding planner who is obsessed with her job. She appears to use her job as an expression of an identity and to escape her 'subserviant' duties as a homemaker. She has known that Liam is a transsexual since he was young, but forced him to keep it secret, especially from his father. She ignores the 'problem' because she does not know how to cope with it, regardless of the emotional damage it caused to Liam.
Luna has been nominated for four readers' choice state book awards, including the Vermont Green Mountain Book Award, Rhode Island Teen Book Award, Missouri Gateway Book Award, and the Michigan Thumbs Up! Award. In addition, it has won numerous awards.