''Luna'' is a

young adult A young adult is generally a person in the years following adolescence. Definitions and opinions on what qualifies as a young adult vary, with works such as Erik Erikson's stages of human development significantly influencing the definition of ...

novel, by

Julie Anne Peters Julie Anne Peters (born January 16, 1952) is an American author of young adult fiction. Peters has published 20 works, mostly novels, geared Children's literature, toward children and adolescents, many of which feature LGBT characters. In additio ...

, and was first published in 2004.

Plot summary

''Luna'' follows the life of sixteen-year-old Regan as she keeps the secret of her older sister Luna's

transgender A transgender (often abbreviated as trans) person is someone whose gender identity or gender expression does not correspond with their sex assigned at birth. Many transgender people experience dysphoria, which they seek to alleviate through ...

identity. During the day, Luna pretends to be an average senior boy named Liam. But at night, Luna is allowed to be her true self: Lia Marie, a girl. Later, she changes her female name to Luna, which means "

moon The Moon is Earth's only natural satellite. It is the fifth largest satellite in the Solar System and the largest and most massive relative to its parent planet, with a diameter about one-quarter that of Earth (comparable to the width of ...

", to reflect that her true identity could only be seen at night. After years of ‘transforming’ only at night, Luna confides in her sister that she wants to transition into a full-time female. Luna asks Regan to help her with her transitioning and, although she agrees, she finds herself worried about Luna and her safety. The novel follows Regan as she makes sense of her sister’s decision. Other problems arise for Regan as she is attending high school. She spends most of her life avoiding other students, in fear of letting the secret slip. But a new boy at school, Chris, becomes interested in her. Although Regan enjoys attention from Chris, she draws away from him, choosing to stay focused on Luna. As Luna is coming out more, her father starts to notice differences in his child and tries to push a more masculine role onto Luna. Regan’s father confides in her that he believes Luna is gay. Meanwhile, their mother remains oblivious to the rising tension in the household. Consumed by the workload of her wedding planning business, the mother is constantly out of the house and distant from her family. Despite the tensions and the negativity weighing on her choice, Luna fights for her right to be the person she feels that she was meant to be. Alongside her, Regan learns to stand her ground, to think more of herself, and discovers the person she wants to be.

Characters

Regan: The story is told from Regan's

point of view Point of view or Points of View may refer to: Concept and technique * Point of view (philosophy), an attitude how one sees or thinks of something * Point of view (literature) or narrative mode, the perspective of the narrative voice; the prono ...

. She is a 16-year-old sophomore in high school. She avoids other students in order to keep her "brother's" secret of being transgender, but holds a babysitting job with a neighboring family. She's a fan of Opera. When her "brother" decides to fully transition into a female, Regan supports her despite growing fears. At the same time, a new student named Chris takes an interest in her and despite keeping herself distant, Regan finds herself attracted to him. Liam/Luna: Liam is an attractive senior in high school and the "brother" of Regan. During the day, she is a mild mannered student and computer programmer/builder. She runs a small business with her best friend Aly. However, she identifies as female and at night, dresses as her true self, a girl named "Lia Marie". At the beginning of the story, Liam changes her female name to Luna to reflect how she can only transition at night. As the story progresses, Liam comes to the decision of wanting to transition and starts to dress in public as Luna. With her sister as support, Luna makes the decision to transition and be the person she was truly meant to be. Chris: Chris is a new student at Liam and Regan's high school. Regan first meets him in chemistry class and they become lab partners. Although he's new, he makes it onto the baseball team and becomes popular. Chris starts to like Regan although she isn't the most popular and distances herself from him. He tries to get to know Regan and date her which causes a conflict of interest within Regan. Aly: Aly is Liam's best friend. Although they are close friends, Aly does not know Liam's secret and secretly wishes they were together. She works with Liam with computers and also hangs out with Regan. When Aly first discovers Liam's secret, she is mad and avoids Liam and Regan, but eventually comes to terms with it. Jack (Dad): The father of Regan and Liam, Jack, works as a salesman at

Sears Sears, Roebuck and Co. ( ), commonly known as Sears, is an American chain of department stores founded in 1892 by Richard Warren Sears and Alvah Curtis Roebuck and reincorporated in 1906 by Richard Sears and Julius Rosenwald, with what began a ...

. He has a set idea that men are supposed to be masculine while girls are meant to be feminine. Although he loves his children, he finds Liam's lack of athletic participation and other 'masculine' activities strange and thinks that his "son" may be homosexual. He doesn't understand the concept of

people and gets angry when Luna tries to tell him that, although born a boy, she was meant to be a girl. Patrice (Mother): Patrice is the valetudinarian mother of Regan and Liam. After being a stay-at-home mom, she makes a

career The career is an individual's metaphorical "journey" through learning, work and other aspects of life. There are a number of ways to define career and the term is used in a variety of ways. Definitions The ''Oxford English Dictionary'' defi ...

for herself as a

wedding planner A wedding planner is a professional who assists with the design, planning and management of a client's wedding. Weddings are significant events in people's lives and as such, couples are often willing to spend considerable amount of money to e ...

. She throws herself into her job, often ignoring her family and the problems that arise. Although she discovers Liam's gender dysphoria when he is young, she decides to ignore it. Although she outwardly neglects Liam when he gets older, she and Liam have a complex relationship with Jack. Patrice is aware that, should Jack find out about Luna, he will throw Liam out; she is otherwise not pointedly adverse to Luna. Indeed, Patrice humours Luna passively when she does not question the absence of her various medications though she is aware that Liam is

suicidal Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and subs ...

, tells Elise, "I don't think that's any of your business," when it is

inferred Inferences are steps in reasoning, moving from premises to logical consequences; etymologically, the word '' infer'' means to "carry forward". Inference is theoretically traditionally divided into deduction and induction, a distinction that i ...

that, after she sees Liam as Luna, Elise calls Patrice to ask if he's

mentally ill A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

, and calls her doctor to ask for an early refill of her

estrogen Estrogen or oestrogen is a category of sex hormone responsible for the development and regulation of the female reproductive system and secondary sex characteristics. There are three major endogenous estrogens that have estrogenic hormonal ac ...

prescription (the book hints that Luna is on

transsexual Transsexual people experience a gender identity that is inconsistent with their assigned sex, and desire to permanently transition to the sex or gender with which they identify, usually seeking medical assistance (including sex reassignmen ...

hormone replacement therapy Hormone replacement therapy (HRT), also known as menopausal hormone therapy or postmenopausal hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy used to treat symptoms associated with female menopause. These symptoms can include hot flashes, vaginal ...

using cross-hormones from her mother's

menopause Menopause, also known as the climacteric, is the time in women's lives when menstrual periods stop permanently, and they are no longer able to bear children. Menopause usually occurs between the age of 47 and 54. Medical professionals often ...

hormone replacement therapy) without questioning how the estrogen had gone. Patrice does not want Jack to find out about Luna because she is afraid of losing Liam, so she keeps Liam's gender dysphoria secret, and only clandestinely helps Luna. When confronted with the secret by Regan, Patrice admits that she 'can't deal' and continues to ignore her family as it falls apart.

Minor Characters

Hoyt Doucet: An upperclassman at Regan's school, Regan identifies him as a bully and shows anger towards him. He torments Liam often for being transgender. Mr. Bruchac: He is Regan's chemistry teacher. Seen as sexist by Chris and Regan, he tells the girls they have to wear the goggles claiming that 'Chemistry is not a beauty contest.' Carmen: Seen only in Regan's flashbacks, she was Regan's best friend before she decided to steer away from people. Sharing a love for Opera, they became close friends until they had a slumber party with a bunch of girls. Liam comes down to the party and accidentally lets Luna (Lia Marie at the time) out as he dances. The girls suspect him to be gay and in turn they 'drift away' from Regan. The Matera Family: Regan babysits the three children of Elise and David Matera, neighbors of Regan's family. She sees them as the 'perfect family' and loves to baby sit for them. Teri-Lynn: After Luna decides she wants to fully transition, she does research and comes across the story of Teri-Lynn, a trans woman who has fully transitioned into a female. She inspires and motivates Luna to transition and not back down from her choice. At the end of the novel, Luna goes to find Teri-Lynn for support as she transitions.

Controversy

Although there is not much published about the censorship of Luna, the novel is part of the list of restricted/banned books of Texas due to the topics of gender identity and homosexuality as well as rough language. Despite winning multiple awards, the book revolves around gender identity, which is often left out of the school curriculum.

Literary Significance in the LGBTQ Community

Luna is the first young adult novel to feature a transgender character, aside from Carol Plum-Ucci's ''What Happened to Lani Garver'' in which the main character may possibly be perceived as transgender. Peters introduced the idea that a transgender person may not be an extreme form of homosexuality as one may have previously thought. Luna is also considered LGBTQ literature with some publishers and reviewers believing that it should be allowed in school, despite some teachers thinking otherwise. The content of Luna is mature, but it holds a stronger message of supporting family and friends.

Awards and nominations

''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. * 2004 National Book Award Finalist in Young People’s Literature * 2005 Stonewall Honor Book, awarded by the GLBTQ Round Table of the American Library Association * An American Library Association Best Book for Young Adults 2005 * 2005 Colorado Book Award for Young Adult Literature * 2005 Lambda Literary Award Finalist * 2004 Borders Original Voices Award Finalist * Chicago Public Library Best of the Best 2004, Books for Great Teens * Michigan Library Association 2005 Thumbs Up! Award Nominee * Rhode Island Teen Book Award 2006 Nominee * Missouri Gateway Book Award 2006 Nominee * Vermont Green Mountain Book Award 2006 Nominee * New York Public Library Books for the Teen-Age List 2005 * An Original Voices selection by Borders Books and Music. Original Voices recognizes innovative and ambitious books from new and emerging talents, as well as outstanding works from established authors. * 2004 Book Sense Summer Reading List for Teens * An ALA Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

References

{{Reflist 2004 American novels American LGBT novels American young adult novels Little, Brown and Company books Novels with transgender themes 2000s LGBT novels LGBT-related young adult novels 2004 LGBT-related literary works