Ginny Moon

The title character of this story is Ginny Moon, a 14-year old autistic girl who is on her 4th foster family after being rescued from her mother at the age of 9. Although she finally seems to have found the perfect 'forever' family, Ginny has a secret and knows that she must try to run away.

The charm behind this story is that it is told through Ginny's unique voice. Seeing our world and our complicated social interactions through the eyes of an autistic child brought both humor and heartbreak to this story. Definitely one of my favorite books of the year!

I thought this was a YA book, but it turns out it's being marketed to adults (making it a good candidate for a YALSA Alex Award). Told in the voice of 14-year-old Ginny, this has the markings of YA -- particularly the portrayal of very flawed, irritating adults treating kids unfairly. I listened to the audiobook, which made Ginny sound very young. I imagined her as much younger than 14 -- more like 11 or 12. Because of her autism and her traumatic upbringing, Ginny is naïve and literal in some ways, but also streetwise and canny in others. She is a unique and compelling character, for sure.

I was completely drawn into the story and almost ridiculously, viscerally angry at Mara, Ginny's adoptive "forever mom" who suddenly turns into a show more bitch after she gives birth to Ginny's new "forever sister." I hated Mara for how she treated Ginny, but I was grudgingly sympathetic, too. When you have a new baby, you get very little sleep. And no sleep can make a person terrible. On top of that, I experienced a version of what Mara went through myself. When my daughter was born, all my love for my dog Stanley seemed to evaporate and I irrationally saw him as a threat to my baby's safety and an irritating drain on my energy (which, due to lack of sleep, was already super low). He growled at my daughter a few times and I told my husband we had to find a new family for him, like now. Of course, I was overreacting because I was exhausted and paranoid. So basically I was Mara, but with a dog. Which is different.

I think this would be an excellent pick for book clubs because it raises so many questions about parenthood, adoption, abuse, caretaking, and it doesn't give any easy answers. While things seem to work out for Ginny in the end, it is not entirely comfortable and heartwarming. While I don't think she would harm anyone in her family on purpose, let's not forget Ginny was on the verge of setting the house on fire. The last lines of the book lead us to believe that Ginny will settle into her life. "I don't have to be Negative Ginny if this forever family wants me around..." But there is something a little ominous about the "if" to me. It's like Ginny will always have this potential to make dangerous decisions if she doesn't feel wanted. But isn't that true of all human beings? Don't we all carry a "negative" version of ourselves around? Don't we all have the capacity to hurt each other? And should be we be just as worried that Mara and Brian will hurt Ginny if she can't be what they want her to be? Let's not forget, even though they adopted her and called themselves her "forever parents" it felt like they were trying to get rid of her by giving her to her biological father or to an institution. show less

Amazing novel about a young Autistic teenager who feels torn between her forever family and her biological one. Her birth mother is trying to steal her back, her father keeps trying to spend time with her, and her foster parents struggle to cope. I am deeply impressed by how well fleshed-out the characters are—ALL the characters. Ginny’s voice feels authentic, both with regard to her young age and (as far as I know) in terms of her ASD. The author has adopted a child on the Autism Spectrum, and I’m sure that those experiences have lent realism to Ginny’s methods. The supporting characters are also very well-written. The aunt’s good intentions but inablity to follow through seem quite realistic, and the biological mother’s show more growing frustration adds considerably to the mounting tension. But the most interesting for me, by far, were the forever parents. The foster mother, now pregnant, is so protective of the baby that she can no longer be so supportive of Ginny’s struggles. The foster father wants to keep the peace between the others, but he finds that his position as a buffer becomes more and more tenuous. Gripping, exciting . . . Absolutely wonderful. show less

Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig is a 2017 Park Row Books publication.

This is one of those rare novels that everyone should read, no matter which way your tastes in books may run.

I realize the author has some experience dealing with special needs children, which gives him a great deal of personal insight. However, climbing inside the mind of an autistic fourteen year old girl and giving her a voice that is so realistic, is quite a feat.

Ginny will touch your heart in so many ways. She will break it, warm it, and steal it all in one sitting.

Maura and Brian adopted Ginny, an autistic child, who has lived through a disgusting level of abuse. While Ginny is challenging under normal circumstances, the impending birth of the couples’ first show more biological child, brings about an entirely new set of concerns.

But, what no one seems to recognize is that Ginny has a secret locked inside of her, and it’s ripping her apart. What she knows, and feels, no matter how many ways she attempts to voice it, does not seep into the consciousness of the adults in her life.

She is desperate to find her ‘baby doll’, and no one understands why her quest is so important to her, which explains so much about why she keeps trying to find her birth mother.

I can’t praise the writing enough. The author has done a fantastic job of breathing life into such a precious girl, while highlighting the inward struggle those with autism live with. I felt as though all the characters were well drawn, and very credible.

I admit I have no first -hand experience with autism, but I trust the author’s, and as such, I believe this book is a fine representation of what it might be like to live with the disorder, not only from Ginny's perspective, but also examines the challenges parents and caregivers face.

It is frustrating on one hand, because I knew what was in Ginny’s mind and couldn’t understand why no one else picked up on it, but I could also understand how exhausting it must be, especially with so many other factors involved. I tried not to pass judgement, and understood the feelings of the adults involved were very raw and quite feasible and honest.

Although it is a slow and ‘tedious’ journey, not only for Ginny, but also for her ‘Forever’ family, the rewards made it all worthwhile.

I am so glad I discovered this book! It’s an awesome portrait of a very special young lady, and is a very affecting story that had a big impact on me.

4.5 stars show less

Ginny Moon is a 14-year-old girl with autism. After several rough years of living in not-so-ideal circumstances with her natural mother, she is removed from the home, is placed in a series of foster homes, and is now trying to adapt to a hopefully "forever" family. But certain things are eating away at Ginny, and until these things are rectified, no one can settle in peacefully.

This is quite an impressive debut novel, by an author who has personal experience with raising an adopted daughter of his own with autism. Ginny Moon's story is unique in that not only does Ludwig write about the struggles & joys of raising a child with autism, but also the challenges of a complicated past which manages to keep finding its way into Ginny's show more everyday life through the eyes of a somewhat unconventional teenager. With realistic characterization, as a reader you will experience an emotional spectrum: fear, frustration, anger, and confusion, but also awe, surprise, humor, and hope. Recommended read. show less

Autism seems to be male-centric in fiction, maybe making sense since a higher percentage of males are afflicted IRL. So this affecting novel, featuring a teenage adopted girl with autism, is a welcome change. There's a lot of pain flowing through, and if the author resembles the father in the story, it's because he and his wife, too, are those adoptive parents. Ginny comes to them as a foster child and seems to be settling in with her "Forever Family" until they become birth parents to a daughter, and then it all falls apart in a most disastrous way.

The entire PoV is Ginny's, and both her internal voice and her outward actions are both fascinating and frustrating. She cannot let go of her earlier miserable life with her own birth show more mother, as a result of her brain issues and her concerns about who else was left behind when she was removed from a home rife with starvation and abuse. The narrative moves along smoothly and the reader becomes immersed in the plot and in Ginny's growing power over herself and her self-knowledge. Heartstrings are deeply plucked in this memorable tale. show less

Benjamin Ludwig's debut novel, Ginny Moon is already one of my favourite reads for 2017.

Fourteen year old Ginny is autistic. After some false starts, she is in what is hoped to be her Forever Home with her new Forever Mom and Forever Dad. At nine, Ginny was removed from her Birth Mother's care after she was found physically and mentally abused. She likes things precise - time, questions, the order of things. But most of all she wishes she had her Baby Doll from her mother Gloria's house. She worries constantly about it and won't accept any substitutes. She needs to look after Baby Doll and will do anything to make sure it is okay. To do that, she must find Gloria.

In the author's words: "...the rawness of her hunger - the utter show more fierceness of her desire to return to the place from which she'd come..."

Ginny Moon is told entirely from Ginny's viewpoint - and in Ginny's voice. That voice is compelling and heart-breaking. There is something in her past that the adults in her life do not seem grasp. I had a looming sense of dread as to what that might be. Ginny's view of the world makes perfect sense when seen through her eyes. The frustration of the adults around her is voiced through her observations. And as readers, we can see what Ginny cannot intuit.

Ginny is one of those characters you just want to sweep up into your arms and look after. But at the same time we can see why that might be difficult. We can see it because Ludwig has done an absolutely fantastic job of portraying this wounded, gifted child. He's done such a bang-up job because he is writing from experience. He and his wife are themselves the adoptive parents of an autistic teenager. (Who loves Michael Jackson as much as Ginny does)

But at the root of it all, we all want the same thing as Ginny..."I need to belong somewhere..."

Absolutely, positively recommended. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll hope, you'll wish - and you'll not be able to put the book down. show less