by Kacen Callender
Scholastic Inc.
9/6/2022, hardcover
SKU: 9781338636598
Kacen Callender, National Book Award winner of King and the Dragonflies, delivers a stunning novel that invites readers into a child's struggles with mental health, and their journey to wholeness.
Moon's depression is overwhelming. Therapy doesn't help, and Moon is afraid that their mom hates them because they're sad. Moon's only escape is traveling to the spirit realms every night, where they hope they'll never return to the world of the living again.
The spirit realm is where they have their one and only friend, Wolf, and where they're excited to experience an infinite number of adventures. But when the realm is threatened, it's up to Moon to save the spirit world.
With the help of celestial beings and guardians, Moon battles monsters and shadows, and through their journey, they begin to learn that a magical adventure of love and acceptance awaits them in the world of the living, too.
This story of hope shows readers that our souls blossom when we realize that we are as worthy and powerful as the universe itself.
Target age: 9 to 12
Reviews:
"A rousing central character, Moon is vulnerable in the face of pain, loving despite disappointment, and determined to make their own choices in a novel that emphasizes how “you’re so loved, even if you can’t see it.” -- Publishers Weekly, starred review
"The book is honest, at times brutally so, for good reason. If kids can’t explore hard truths in books, where can they explore them? And crucially, this story provides a safe place for that exploration... Moonflower recognizes readers’ pain and ultimately leads them, with a gentle and steady hand, toward hope and the power of loving themselves — because they exist, because they are worthy." -- Tae Keller, New York Times Book Review
About the Author:
Kacen Callender is a bestselling and award-winning author of multiple novels for children, teens, and adults, including King and the Dragonflies, winner of the National Book Award, Coretta Scott King Honor and Lambda Literary Award and Hurricane Child, winner of the Lambda Literary Award and Stonewall Honor Award, and the bestselling novel Felix Ever After. They live in US Virgin Islands.