Girls in the Moon

October 3, 2016
Sisters Luna and Phoebe Ferris are struggling under the personal and professional disappointments of their rock-star parents, Meg and Kieran, of the defunct band Shelter. The girls’ mother, Meg, long ago took herself out of the spotlight, refusing to let her daughters grow up in the media’s eye, and turning her focus to sculpture. In a moody and reflective fiction debut, McNally follows Phoebe as she heads from upstate New York to Brooklyn to visit older sister Luna, who is on the cusp of fame and about to go on tour with her band, interspersing briefer chapters that flash back to various points during the 1990s and 2000s when their mother was in love, pregnant with each girl, and deciding whether to leave their father. As Phoebe falls for a boy in Luna’s band and reconnects with their estranged father, Luna and Meg try to allow the youngest member of the family to find her own way. McNally is a polished storyteller, her prose alive with vivid descriptions, the excitement of romance, and an artist’s yearning to create. Ages 13–up. Agent: Jay Mandel, William Morris Endeavor.

During a week in New York City, a white teen explores family secrets and a forbidden romance.Phoebe and her older sister, Luna, both share their mother Meg's ivory-skinned beauty, musical talents, and complicated relationship with their father, who has been absent from their lives for the past three years. So when Meg sends Phoebe to NYC for a week in order to talk Luna out of leaving school to tour with her band, Phoebe instead secretly meets her father, Kieran. While clearly baffled by the responsibilities parenthood requires and regretful about past decisions, he's also unsure how to move forward. Contrasting Kieran's unease with parenthood are brief vignettes, interspersed throughout the novel, narrated by 1990s Meg. They show her love for Kieran but also her growing unease with the intersection of fame and parenting. Meg's melancholic overtones explain how her own regrets manifest themselves in her parenting. Sharing Meg's affinity for writing lyrics, narrator Phoebe also excels at capturing a moment's emotional nuances. While she may occasionally go a bit overboard with figurative language, her reflections on independence and acceptance of people's flaws are genuine. And her romance feels gentle and true. Not all conflicts are resolved, but there's a sense that Phoebe has initiated improvements. Understated but astute narration makes this family snapshot a worthy read. (Fiction. 12 & up) COPYRIGHT(1) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

November 1, 2016

Gr 9 Up-Seventeen-year-old Phoebe Ferris has been touched by fame her entire life. Her parents, Meg and Kieran Ferris, headed up the 1990s grunge band Shelter. Unfortunately, both the band and her parents split up before Phoebe turned three. After a fallout with her best friend, Phoebe leaves her home in Buffalo, NY, to stay with her vivacious older sister, Luna-an archetypal manic pixie dream girl-in New York City for a short visit. Her missions: reconnect with her father, who hasn't been in contact with his kids for three years; strike up a romance with the boy she has been texting for half the year; break the wall of silence between Luna and her mother; and, most important, find out just who Phoebe Ferris is. Set against the backdrop of a soulful, hipster New York summer, this coming-of-age novel features relatable heroes with good hearts. Phoebe's story intermingles with her mother's experiences as a young woman forming a new band and falling into a new love, and their blended voices reinforce the bildungsroman arc. Music lovers will enjoy the pop culture references sprinkled throughout. VERDICT Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman's If I Stay.-Mariah Manley, Salt Lake City Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2016
Grades 9-12 Meg and Kieran Ferris were young and famous in the heady music scene of the nineties. But after an accident produced their daughter Luna, and a mistake brought a second daughter, Phoebe, Meg abandoned her musical career. Luna and Phoebe grew up far away from the limelight, fiercely protected by their mother. Now 19 years old, Luna has moved to New York City and started a band. Phoebe decides to visit her sister during the last bit of summer before senior year. She is curious about the untold story of her parents' fame, resorting to information gleaned from an old Spin magazine. As Luna seems destined to follow in her mother's talented footsteps, Phoebe finds a soul mate who shares her love of song lyrics. This is mostly Phoebe's story, with flashbacks from Meg's reluctant stardom. McNally's first novel shows an appreciation of poetic phrasing, as well as plenty of musical references. Recommend this introspective novel to readers who enjoy stories about music and musicians.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2016, American Library Association.)