Children's Fiction, Interactive Adventures
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Overview
It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in New York's East Village. Luna, her father, and her little brother, Tile, are still struggling with grief.
When Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages. As Luna begins to listen to them, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . and she comes to realize that the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth.
“. . . a lovely contemporary fairy tale, with a sad Upper West Side princess at the heart of it, and that’s a kind of folklore that many readers will enjoy.”—The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books, Recommended
“The book contains various delights. . . . the love story element shines, and the book offers a nice window into the life of privileged New York youngsters, refreshingly filled with protective and involved adults.”—Kirkus Reviews
“Following Luna through a hazy grief state after the death of her mother is like a beautiful dream. This book takes your hand and leads you on a wonder-filled adventure.”—Melissa Walker, author of Small Town Sinners
“Luna is someone to weep with and to cheer for, to wish was your best friend. Readers will fall in love with Luna and her dazzling world.”—Emily Wing Smith, author of Back When You Were Easier to Love
Synopsis
A smart, heartbreaking mystery about unexpected love, art, family, and finding yourself.It's been a year since Luna's mother, the fashion-model wife of a successful film director, was hit and killed by a taxi in New York's East Village. Luna, her father, and little brother are still struggling with grief.
But when Luna goes to clean out her mother's old studio, she's stunned to find her mom's old cell phone there—charged and holding seven unheard messages.
As Luna begins to listen, she learns more about her mother's life than she ever wanted to know . . . because the tidy tale she's been told about her mother's death may not be the whole truth. With the help of Oliver, the musically gifted boy next door, Luna won't stop until she finds answers. But what else will she find along the way?
Editorials
Publishers Weekly
A year after Luna's mother was killed by a cab, 14-year-old Luna, still aching from grief, discovers her mother's cellphone with seven voice mail messages, all with clues about the truth about her mother's life and final moments. From the start, adult author Lewis (Relative Stranger) anchors Luna as independent and self-aware (perhaps overly so), but the promising beginning erodes, as Luna's grief takes a backseat to her search, which starts to feel melodramatic as Luna suspects her mother was having an affair. The already manufactured and implausible premise becomes even less believable after Luna's father gives her an old-fashioned camera for her birthday. Luna photographs Daria, a model she met while traversing New York City to follow up on clues, after which Daria secures a one-woman show for Luna, an agent promises Luna a book deal, and a photo-shoot with the New York Times and a trip to Italy follows. This is due in part to Luna's famous parents, but the book's credibility suffers, making Luna difficult to connect or empathize with. Ages 12–up. (Sept.)VOYA -
Fourteen-year-old Luna accesses her mother's cell phone messages to discover the circumstances of her death. She receives assistance from her precocious brother, Tile, and her cello-playing boyfriend, Oliver. As Luna unveils the facade of her parents' marriage, she also develops as a professional photographer. There is something of a fairy tale quality to Luna's Upper West Side Manhattan life. Her father is a renowned film director, and her mother was a model. Luna's attempts to understand and forgive others make for a slightly surreal coming-of-age novel. Luna's tribulations, including grieving, a clueless boyfriend, and traitorous friends, will endear her to teen readers, as will her unrelenting nosiness. Luna's first-person narration, however, seems too mature for fourteen ("Every girl at this table will probably stress about food and weight when we're older, but why do it now?"). Some of her unvarnished statements blink like road signs that readers cannot possibly miss ("I cannot listen to them [the messages] right away, and if I do, maybe only one at a time.") The dramatic tension and the plot are misaligned. When Luna discovers her mother's affair, that feels like the climax of the book. Yet the subsequent backstory draws out the conclusion and makes it difficult for readers to acknowledge Luna's emotional closure. While the boyfriend plot will sell this story to readers, it seems untethered, an artificial foil to Luna's mother's decisions. Structural issues aside, Luna's journey will pique teen interest, as will the supporting cast of characters. Reviewer: Caitlin AugustaChildren's Literature -
When Luna loses her mother in a traffic accident, her life changes drastically. Her family lives in Manhattan's Upper West Side and her mother was a beautiful, much sought after, model. As Luna searches for clues for what happened the night her mother died, she feels compelled to protect her little brother. Her father insists she forget it and move along with her life. He buys her an old style camera to start her on a career as a professional photographer in hopes she will not realize he is lying. She recruits her boyfriend, Oliver, to help her solve the mystery of where her mom was and who she was with that night. When she spots Oliver kissing her former friend, she thinks their relationship is over before it begins. She longs for her mother because she could have talked to her about Oliver. Finding a red cell phone under her mother's bed, she decides it might be easier to handle if she will listen to the seven unheard messages one at a time. She fears she is not ready to face everything at once. As she listens to one message after another, she feels as if she is getting closer to the TRUTH. But does she really want to learn about that night? Her mother's brother, Richard, and Julian invite her to Italy and help her accept that no one is perfect. They have saved a box of her mother's things for her. Most fourteen-year-old girls will consider Luna lucky to have the trust of her father, credit cards, and a driver on call. What more could a girl want? The author offers an unusual mystery that pulls the reader through, hoping to solve the challenge of the seven messages on a cell phone. Reviewer: JoAn Watson MartinSchool Library Journal
Gr 8 Up—Luna's mother has been gone a year now—killed suddenly when she stepped in front of a taxi. And while the teen and her brother, Tile, are still trying to make sense of life without her, Luna comes across her mother's cell phone and discovers seven unopened voice messages. Luna listens to them and discovers secrets about her parents' relationship, including a clandestine affair. Her pain eases somewhat as her interest in photography, along with the gift of a camera from her father, sends her out into the city taking pictures and leads to her first gallery show. But with the growing understanding of the circumstances surrounding her mother's death also comes a growing awareness of herself as an individual, not just the daughter of two famous people. She feels stirrings of a first love when she meets her neighbor Oliver. He is dealing with issues of his own, from a domineering father to a former girlfriend who wants to end his new relationship with Luna. A solo trip to Italy to visit her uncle and his companion gives her the time and space she needs to resolve her feelings toward her father, Oliver, and her loss, and she discovers that sometimes the answers you want are not exactly the ones you find. The hook of the unopened phone messages ties the various story lines together nicely. With its realistic portrayals of love in various relationships and the theme of developing one's sense of self, the story will appeal to older readers.—Diana Pierce, Leander High School, TXBook Details
Published
September 11, 2012
Publisher
Random House Children's Books
Pages
304
Format
Paperback
ISBN
9780385740296