I absolutely loved Ginny Moon by Benjamin Ludwig. The book is about a 14-year-old girl named Ginny who has autism. The author has an adopted daughter with autism, so I suspect he drew some inspiration for the character from his own experience.

This book follows Ginny as she adjusts to life with her “forever parents” (though these are not the first people who have called themselves her forever parents) and hatches a scheme to get back her baby doll, who was left behind when she was taken from her birth mom. Ginny gets herself into trouble repeatedly, scaring and driving a wedge between herself and her adoptive parents.

Ginny’s actions made me very anxious and as a result, I read this book pretty quickly. However, so did the actions of the adults around her! They weren’t any better. I was rooting for Ginny but frustrated with the adults around her. I imagine that is how Ginny felt! One thing that was hard was that her adoptive parents at times treated her like she should know better. They sometimes lacked understanding, and it felt as if Ginny was their practice child until the birth of their “real” child. Ginny struggles to communicate and connect with her adoptive parents, and their relationship is complicated.

Ginny is such a great character. The book is written from her perspective, which really allows you to empathize with her struggles and frustrations. I would highly recommend this book to anyone who liked The Rosie Project, the Netflix show Atypical, or just wants to read a heartwarming, good book with complicated family dynamics and an unusual but wonderful main character.

Jenna Reads Books, etc.

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Book review: Ginny Moon