Young Adult Literature; Coming-of-Age; Family Drama
Young Adult Literature
All of the main characters in Luna happen to be teenagers, so it's no wonder that this is definitely a book geared toward young adults. Both Luna and Regan are coming to terms with their own identities and struggling with forging new lives for themselves—all very normal teenager issues to have. On top of that, they're dealing with the first brushes of romantic love, standing up to their parents, and dealing with the disapproval of society and friends. Quite a spoonful to swallow, huh? And a spoonful that pretty much every teen has to swallow in their own way, too.
Coming-Of-Age
A lot of young adult literature deals with the theme of adolescents coming into their own, and Luna is no exception. The book chronicles Luna's difficult process of transitioning, first in secret, but then openly to family and friends. Even though the process is hard and painful, by the end Luna has a better sense of herself and achieves inner peace. This coming-of-age also happens for Regan, who has spent so much time hiding her sibling's secret from the world that she hasn't really worked on her own issues or sense of self. When Luna starts to take care of herself, Regan has to start living her own life too.
Family Drama
Um… there is a lot of family drama in Luna. Our sibling duo may get along surprisingly well for a couple of moody adolescents, but that certainly doesn't mean that everything is peachy keen in family life. In fact, Luna has to hide the fact that she is transgender from their parents because their dad is conservative—so conservative that he doesn't even like the fact that their mom works. Their family is accustomed to strict gender roles—think something straight out of Leave It To Beaver—and the fact that Luna and Regan are challenging those gender roles definitely throws a wrench into peaceful family life.