Luna (Peters novel)
| Company type | Young adult novel |
|---|---|
| Industry | Publishing |
| Founded | 2004 |
| Founder | Julie Anne Peters |
| Products | Book |
Luna is a young adult book authored by Julie Anne Peters, initially released in 2004.
Plot summary
The narrative of Luna revolves around Regan, a sixteen-year-old girl who conceals her older sister Luna's transgender identity. During daylight hours, Luna appears as Liam, a typical senior boy; however, by night, she reveals her authentic self as Lia Marie, eventually adopting the name Luna to represent the identity she expresses after dark. Ultimately, Luna chooses to live openly as her true gender full-time and seeks Regan’s support, which she receives despite worries about Luna’s safety.
Regan faces challenges in high school, deliberately avoiding social interactions to protect her sister’s secret. Chris, a newcomer at school, shows romantic interest in Regan, but her primary focus remains on standing by Luna.
As Luna openly embraces her gender identity, their father imposes conventional masculine expectations and mistakenly assumes Luna is gay. Meanwhile, their mother is preoccupied with her wedding planning business and remains largely unaware of the family’s internal struggles.
Despite resistance from others, Luna continues with her transition, while Regan gains confidence, learning to assert herself and explore her own sense of identity.
Characters
Regan: The story’s narrator and a sixteen-year-old sophomore who keeps her sister’s transgender status confidential while managing a babysitting job. She supports Luna’s transition despite personal anxieties and contends with attention from Chris, a new student interested in her.
Liam/Luna: Regan’s older sibling and a senior who identifies as female. By day, Liam is a quiet student and computer programmer running a small enterprise with Aly; by night, she becomes Lia Marie. As she begins living openly as a transgender woman, she adopts the name Luna.
Chris: A popular new student and member of the baseball team who partners with Regan in chemistry class and pursues a romantic relationship with her, creating inner conflict for Regan.
Aly: Liam’s closest friend and business partner who initially does not know about Liam’s transgender identity and harbors feelings for him. Upon learning the truth, she experiences difficulty but ultimately comes to accept it.
Jack (Dad): The father figure working as a Sears salesman who holds traditional beliefs about gender roles. He misinterprets Luna’s behavior as homosexuality and struggles to understand transgender issues.
Patrice (Mother): Formerly a stay-at-home mom turned wedding planner focused on her career. She tends to overlook family matters while secretly supporting Luna but keeps the transgender identity hidden from Jack to maintain family stability.
Minor characters
Hoyt Doucet: An upperclassman at Regan’s school known for bullying Liam due to his transgender status.
Mr. Bruchac: The chemistry teacher at Regan’s school, viewed by Chris and Regan as sexist; he requires female students to wear goggles, remarking that “Chemistry is not a beauty contest.”
Carmen: Regan’s former best friend recalled in flashbacks; they connected over Opera until social conflicts during a slumber party caused their friendship to fade.
The Matera Family: Neighbors for whom Regan babysits; she regards them as an ideal family.
Teri-Lynn: A transgender woman whose experience inspires Luna to complete her transition; Luna seeks guidance from her by the conclusion of the story.
LGBT content and censorship
Luna stands out as one of the pioneering young adult novels to feature a transgender main character, confronting the misconception that transgender identity is synonymous with extreme homosexuality. The novel has encountered censorship challenges, notably being listed among banned books in Texas due to its exploration of gender identity, homosexuality, and explicit language.
Awards and recognitions
Luna has garnered numerous nominations from state readers' choice programs such as Vermont Green Mountain, Rhode Island Teen, Missouri Gateway, and Michigan Thumbs Up!, alongside several distinguished honors:
- Finalist for the 2004 National Book Award in Young People's Literature
- 2005 Stonewall Honor Book awarded by the GLBTQ Round Table of the American Library Association
- Named one of the American Library Association's Best Books for Young Adults in 2005
- Winner of the 2005 Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature
- Finalist for the 2005 Lambda Literary Award
- 2004 Borders Original Voices Award Finalist
- Included in Chicago Public Library’s Best of the Best 2004 (Books for Great Teens)
- Featured on the New York Public Library’s Books for the Teen-Age List in 2005
- Selected as an ALA Popular Paperback for Young Adults
- Honored by Borders Books and Music’s Original Voices program for its innovative and ambitious contribution to young adult literature