When the Moon Was Ours
A Novel
Readers rate it 4.1 (41 on Hardcover)
248 pages · Released Oct 4, 2016 · Macmillan + ORM
Content report card
When the Moon Was Ours parent’s guide: what’s inside
Violence
Language
Substance use
What it offers
Educational value
A note for parents
When the Moon Was Ours is a lyrical, character-driven fantasy that centers queer and transgender love and identity as its core strength. The book celebrates self-acceptance and authenticity through magical realism, with emotionally mature themes around gender identity, secrets, and belonging that resonate deeply. While there is minimal graphic content, the emotional complexity and romantic intensity are best suited to older teens who can engage with the nuanced exploration of identity and the pressure to hide one's true self.
Analyzed by AI · 1 month ago
Read it with your kids?
Rate it and suggest an age to help other parents.
From the publisher
Winner of the 2016 Tiptree Award Longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Stonewall Book Award Honor "McLemore dances deftly across genres, uniquely weaving glistening strands of culture, myth, dream, mystery, love, and gender identity to create a tale that resonated to my core. It's th... Winner of the 2016 Tiptree Award Longlisted for the 2016 National Book Award for Young People's Literature Stonewall Book Award Honor "McLemore dances deftly across genres, uniquely weaving glistening strands of culture, myth, dream, mystery, love, and gender identity to create a tale that resonated to my core. It's that rare kind of book that you want to read slowly, deliciously, savoring every exquisite sentence." —Laura Resau, Américas Award Winning Author of Red G lass and The Queen of Water At once a lush fairytale, an unforgettable queer romance, and a celebration of trans love, Anna-Marie McLemore's When the Moon Was Ours is a modern classic that proves there is magic in being yourself. To everyone who knows them, best friends Miel and Samir are as strange as they are inseparable. Roses grow out of Miel's wrist, and rumors say that she spilled out of a water tower when she was five. Samir is known for the moons he paints and hangs in the trees and for how little anyone knows about his life before he and his mother moved to town. As odd as everyone considers Miel and Samir, even they stay away from the Bonner girls, four beautiful sisters rumored to be witches. But now the sisters want the roses that grow from Miel's skin, convinced that their scent can make anyone fall in love. And they're willing to use every secret Miel has fought to protect to make sure she gives them up-- including Samir's past.
Shelved under
- Young Adult Fiction
- Character driven
- Strong Character Development
- Loveable Characters
- Diverse Characters
- emotional
- hopeful
- Moving
- mysterious
- LGBTQ
- Fantasy
- Young Adult
Share this guide
ISBN 9781466873247 · Macmillan + ORM