Luna by Julie Anne Peters

Peters, J. A. (2004). Luna: a novel. New York: Little, Brown.

Imagine having a secret so personal that you have to keep it locked down so deep inside that it eats you alive?Now what if hiding that secret made you feel like you couldn't be who you really are? 

What if that secret was that truly on the inside your gender does not reflect your physical appearance? 

Transgender humans struggle immensely when they are unable to be who they really are underneath the mask of their daily lives.  It can perpetuate mental illness with extreme power from keeping them trapped within themselves.  Luna is a young transgender woman who goes to school as the popular boy who's father expects him to want to play sports instead of wear make up and heels.  Luna is trapped inside of Liam's body, and the only one who knows is her sister, Reagan, who can do nothing by allow Luna to show her face at night in her bedroom. 

Read along as we see Luna no longer able to hide who she is on the inside, and slowly transform into the woman she deserves to be. 

This book would be most appropriate for 7th - 10th grade. 

The LGBTQ community is almost never represented in any kinds of media to help be an education tool for a young person about to be an adult.  Luna is one of the first of its kind to take the subject of transgender teens and represent them in a positive light.  A student may have their eyes opened to a topic that they will have be introduced to as some point in their life, or even be able to relate with their own struggles. 

What's inside?
Dialogue:

"You thought what?" I sobered fast. 
"I thought I'd take the chance. Ask you out. But if you're with someone, that's cool."
Themes:

Transgender society
LGBTQ community
Self Identity
Family
School
Relationships
Sibling bonding

Symbolism: ]

There is a butterfly.  A beautiful transforming butterfly.

Like a butterfly emerging from a chrysalis, I thought. An exquisite and delicate creature, unfolding her wings and flying away. Except in Luna's case, the butterfly is forced to rein in her wings and reinsert herself into the cocoon ever day. Every single day, she has to become this shell of a person

Luna longs to reveal herself to the world as a beautiful confident woman and shed her costume of Liam. 


How can we teach this?

Brainstorm themes together as a class and have students pick them with page numbers that the theme is present. 

Take a reoccurring theme in the novel.  How is this apparent in society today?  Can this theme be relevant in your life?  How can you change the way the world perceives the message that your theme is portraying?

Use textual evidence from the book to tie into your writing.