Ginny Moon

By: Benjamin Ludwig

Narrated by: Em Eldridge

READ THE BOOK CRITICS ARE RAVING ABOUT!
“A brilliant debut.” —Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project
“A heartwarming and unforgettable page-turner.” —Booklist, starred review
“A powerful affirmation of the fragility and strength of families.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review
“At once captivating and heart-wrenching…. Ginny's is a unique and compelling voice…. Ginny Moon is original, revealing and timely. And, with any luck, it will spark much-needed conversations around foster care, adoption and autism.” —The Toronto Star

Full of great big heart and unexpected humor, Ludwig's debut introduces the lovable, wholly original Ginny Moon who discovers a new meaning of family on her unconventional journey home.

Ginny Moon is exceptional. Everyone knows it—her friends at school, teammates on the basketball team, and especially her new adoptive parents. They all love her, even if they don't quite understand her. They want her to feel like she belongs.

What they don't know is that Ginny has no intention of belonging. She's found her birth-mother on Facebook, and is determined to get back to her—even if it means going back to a place that was extremely dangerous. Because Ginny left something behind and she's desperate to get it back, to make things right.

But no one listens. No one understands. So Ginny takes matters into her own hands…

Benjamin Ludwig's whip-smart, unforgettable novel is an illuminating look at one girl's journey to find her way home and one of the freshest debuts in years.

©2017 Benjamin Ludwig LLC (P)2017 Harlequin Enterprises, Limited

Critic reviews

" Ginny Moon is a brilliant debut.... I was unable to put the book down.... This novel has all the elements for critical and popular success!" (Graeme Simsion, New York Times best-selling author of The Rosie Project)

Great story, easy listening

This book was great, I enjoyed listening from the perspective of an autistic mind. There was a little mystery about "her baby" and I liked the twists and turns. Kept me interested and an easy read.

Poignant

I read this book with "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" in mind, given that the protagonist of the story was going to be a child with autism. This little lady was high functioning and her point of view was interesting.

The narration was well done. It took me a while to accept the narrator's version of Ginny with a very child like voice. But once I got past that, the narration was something that I didn't even notice, which is a good thing.

The story line is thin but the perspective and the heartbreak/heroism that is Ginny Moon was very poignant. I enjoyed this quick listen. If you liked the "Curious Incident...", you'll like this one too.

Good read

I thought the plot would have been tied together with it coming out that the baby sister was her baby by Donald, so the ending seemed weak and drawn out for no reason.

Wonderful

As a social worker who works with children at risk I found this to be a very truthful account. It deals with things not only from the parent perspective but from the child perspective, who in this case is a child who has autism. Very informative read with a great storyline!

Superb depiction of a young autistic

I am the parent of an autistic and a special education teacher. I have also written a novel with autistic characters. Ginny Moon is one of the best and most unique autistic characters I have come across. The plot was intensely gripping, the irony and black humor superb!

Ginny Moon is an utterly captivating heroine.

Any additional comments?

Ginny Moon's tenacious love and ingenuity, despite her inability to communicate and be understood is captivating. This is not a light-hearted romp exactly, but I recommend taking it to the beach to enjoy the simple and honest truths that are told through the innocent and uncomplicated perspective of an autistic teenage girl whose actions are purely motivated by love. It may make you think and may cause some discomfort and frustration but coming from the perspective of an innocent heroine with an inspiring strength of character will cushion the unpleasantries and by the end of the story, I dare say, make the reward of a satisfying closure that much sweeter..

I’m ok

She Gets Kidnapped By Her Aunt WTF.
This story was good and had a nice storyline and good plot twist.
The story is weird but great.

Wow, just wow!

I have never read a better book about a person with autism. The voice of Ginny, the fourteen-year-old, is perfectly portrayed by both author and narrator. They capture the disconnect between the world in Ginny's mind and the outer world where she doesn't feel that she belongs. So many of the descriptions are spot on: Ginny's sinking deep into her brain, thinking that the voice went up at the end of the sentence so it was a question, the difficulty when someone asked more than one question at a time. In addition, this is a captivating story that kept me listening when there were other things I should have been doing. Get this book. You won't be sorry.

Frustrated Me as a Reader

I waffled between rating this book 3 and 4 stars. Years ago, I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time and had a similar 3-star reading experience. Both books are critically acclaimed, loved by readers, and told from the perspective of an autistic child. Bottom line: I did not love either of these books but I am happy I read them. I appreciate Ginny Moon as a work of art based on the experiences of the author, and trust its accuracy in capturing the thought and speech patterns of a 14-year old autistic girl. I understand that my frustrations with this narrator are mostly unfounded - but I was still a frustrated reader most of the time. Readers up for the challenge should proceed with caution - but this could be a very satisfying journey for some.

Moving.

Loved the narrration, and the story was gripping, albeit a little predictable. As a social worker who works with children with disabilities, it occurs to me that we sometimes overlook and undervalue the contributions our friends could make. This book makes you realize that all people need to feel a sense of belonging, or there'll be drama.