Gr 4 Up—So many hate Moonflower without knowing them. It is only when Moonflower journeys outside their body
to the spirit world that they find peace. This is a nuanced blend of otherworldly fantasy with the realistic inner
struggles of mental illness. Moonflower's sorrows and triumphs will have readers weeping and cheering along.

Narrated by André Santana. Given the times, it's good that there is a representation of a main character with depression (and who is non-binary) in children's literature. The prose is very metaphorical and there are a couple of lines that ring true to me. But I cannot imagine any child I know or work with who could sit down with this and finish it. Narrator Santana brings a youthful voice and an empathetic performance that suits the weighty themes. ( )

***ARC provided by the publisher for review

What a fun little book! Semi-autobiographical in nature, Kacen Callender draws from their own life experience growing up with depression, but brings the story into a new and magical realm (literally as well as figuratively) by having our narrator, Moon, experience another world. Moon visits the spirit realms as a means of escaping the real world when he dreams, providing a veritable playground for Callender to explore metaphors around choosing death or reality, the power of imagination and fear, and learning to spot guardians and nemeses without seeming preachy about mental health and the challenges therein. In the spirit realm, Moon must make choices about who he allies himself with, must face the consequences of making the wrong choices, and learn to love himself (and others) before he begins to find answers to his depression in the real world. It is hard, of course, to see Moon suffer through what is obviously much more than a simple adventure story (hindsight and knowledge makes the underlying motifs clear from the outset), but this kind of story – wrapped as it is in a clever and poetic narrative – is one that so many young people need. To know that they suffer as Moon does and be seen, even though there are no easy answers or solutions to depression (or any other mental health issue). ( )