Ginny Moon (Ludwig)

Ginny Moon 
Benjamin Ludwig, 2017
Park Row Books
368pp.
ISBN-13: 9780778330165


Summary
See the world differently.

Meet Ginny Moon. She’s mostly your average teenager—she plays flute in the high school band, has weekly basketball practice, and reads Robert Frost poems in English class.

But Ginny is autistic. And so what’s important to her might seem a bit…different: starting every day with exactly nine grapes for breakfast, Michael Jackson, her baby doll, and crafting a secret plan of escape.

After being traumatically taken from her abusive birth mother and moved around to different homes, Ginny has finally found her "forever home"—a safe place with parents who will love and nurture her. This is exactly what all foster kids are hoping for, right?

But Ginny has other plans. She’ll steal and lie and exploit the good intentions of those who love her—anything it takes to get back what’s missing in her life. She’ll even try to get herself kidnapped.

Told in an extraordinary and wholly original voice, Ginny Moon is at once quirky, charming, heartbreaking, and poignant. It’s a story about being an outsider trying to find a place to belong and about making sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up.

Taking you into the mind of a curious and deeply human character, Benjamin Ludwig’s novel affirms that fiction has the power to change the way we see the world. (From the publisher.)

Author Bio
• Birth—N/A
• Raised—Wallingford, Connecticut, USA
• Education—University of New Hampshire
• Currently—lives in Barrington, New Hampshire


A life-long teacher of English and writing, Benjamin Ludwig lives in New Hampshire with his family. He holds an MAT in English Education and an MFA in Writing.  Shortly after he and his wife married they became foster parents and adopted a teenager with autism.

Ginny Moon is his first novel, which was inspired in part by his conversations with other parents at Special Olympics basketball practices. (From the author's website.)

Book Reviews
(Starred review.) Ludwig’s excellent debut is both a unique coming-of-age tale and a powerful affirmation of the fragility and strength of families.… Ludwig brilliantly depicts the literal-minded and inventive Ginny.
Publishers Weekly


(Starred review.) This stunning debut novel grabs readers by the heart and doesn't let go.… Ludwig's triumphant achievement is borne from his own experience as the adoptive parent of a teen with autism, and his gorgeous, wrenching portrayal of Ginny's ability to communicate what she needs is perfection. —Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor, MI
Library Journal


(Starred review.) [E]nlightening…compelling…remarkably engaging.… A heartwarming and unforgettable page-turner.
Booklist


Ginny Moon, who has autism, needs to get back to her birth mother by any means necessary. That's a problem, because that mother, Gloria, abused her.… By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, Ginny's quest for a safe home leads her to discover her own strong voice.
Kirkus Reviews

Discussion Questions
1. Ginny’s lack of emotional attachment to the people in her life makes her seem cold and unfriendly. Do you consider her to be an unfriendly person? How do you think Ginny might define the word “friend”?

2. Ginny appears to be completely uninterested in romance. How do you envision her romantic life as an adult?

3. Do you think the Moons acted reasonably with regard to Ginny before and after Wendy was born? If you had to step into the shoes of Brian and Maura Moon, and perceived your adopted child as a possible threat to your biological child, what would you do?

4. Patrice makes some pointed observations about the Moons, especially Maura. Do you think her observations are accurate? Are her interactions with Ginny appropriate?

5. Do you as a reader become more or less sympathetic toward Maura when she is forced to increase her interaction with Ginny after Brian’s heart attack?

6. What do you think of Gloria’s character? How would you describe Ginny’s feelings toward her? How is Gloria perceived differently through Ginny’s eyes and the other adults’ eyes?

7. Do you think Rick would make a good dad? Why or why not?

8. When the Moons and Patrice finally realized why Ginny was so concerned about her “baby doll,” were you surprised? How did their original dismissal of Ginny’s obsession make you feel?

9. What is Ginny’s greatest personal strength? At what point(s) were you disappointed with her?

10. What stereotypes surround people on the autism spectrum? To what extent does Ginny fulfill or defy such stereotypes?

11. At the end of the book, did you feel that Ginny had evolved? What about Maura? In what ways do you think they both still have progress to make? Were you surprised by the way the story concluded?
(Questions from the author's webpage.)

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