Luna by Julie Anne Peters

***SPOILER ALERT***

The plot is arguably the best aspect of Luna by Julie Anne Peters. Although the book is fiction, the plot is very realistic. Luna is a teenage transgender girl, which means she was born with the biological features of a male but transitioned. Through transitioning she took steps to align her inner sense of gender and her physical appearance. Her parents had suspected that Luna was gay as she was growing up, so they had forced her to play sports and participate in typically masculine activities. They tried to change her because they didn’t want a gay child. The plot spans Luna’s life pre-transition to her coming out as transgender. Growing up and trying to fit in as male in society was a struggle for Luna. She is made fun of, bullied, and harassed in school and while she is out in public. Eventually Luna decided to first "come out" (expose her true identity) to her sister Regan, who didn’t understand what it meant to be transgender, but gave Luna her full support. Eventually when Luna came out to her parents, she is told by her father that she couldn’t live with her kind of lifestyle in his house and as a result she was kicked out. This is a reality for members of the LGBT+ community, especially those who identify as transgender.

The book is centered around Luna, whom the book is named after, however we get rarely get to see what Luna is thinking and feeling since the book is told from her sister Regan’s perspective. However from this perspective more people are able to connect and relate to the book, since there are more people involved with those who identify as transgender, as opposed to transgender people themselves. Regan’s initial confusion along with her revelations are bound to resonate with people who are in similar situations.

The intended audience of this book is the LGBT+ community and those who are related to/ or have friendships with them. Therefore I am included in the intended audience. The book is written through Luna’s sister’s perspective, so readers understand what Reagan is thinking and feeling throughout the book. Again, readers who may have a transgender sibling or friend are more likely able to relate to Regan. There are not many books about transgender teens, and even fewer that accurately portray them. Julie Anne Peters managed to write a book that accomplished just that. Luna was even a national book award finalist. Therefore I would rate this book 9.5/10 (10 being the best).