Description: After years in foster care, Ginny is in her fourth forever family, finally with parents who will love her. Everyone tells her that she should feel happy, but she has never stopped crafting her Big Secret Plan of Escape. Because something happened, a long time ago – something that only Ginny knows – and nothing will stop her going back to put it right.

Review: Ginny Moon is a much darker read than I had first expected. It is a bracing coming of age novel, but also an examination on what makes a family. When Ginny Moon was nine, she was removed from her abusive mother Gloria's custody and placed in foster care or as Ginny calls them "forever homes". Due to her autism, Ginny has never found a perfect forever home until her fourth forever home with a well meaning couple who are having problems having a child on their own. Ginny is approximately satisfied but she needs to rescue Baby Doll who left in a suitcase 8 years ago in at Gloria's apartment to keep her safe. Now Ginny is 14, how can she be comforted when her Baby Doll is not safe? What is Baby Doll and is Ginny's cherished possession still in the suitcase? This is the central mystery of the book.
  Ginny's first-person narration reveals the gulf between her internal life and her ability to communicate with the outside world. I felt a wide range of emotions both for Ginny and her loving foster parents. On the one hand, I couldn't help but feel frustrated for Ginny as she is constantly misunderstood and at odds with those around her. I knew what she was referring to as Baby Doll and it pained me to see her inability to communicate what she really means. On the other hand, it was heartbreaking to see Ginny's tunnel vision on rescuing Baby Doll while seemingly oblivious to the protections in place that prevent her from returning to Gloria, creating turmoil within her new family. Ginny isn't completely ignorant of Gloria's abuse as she mentions it constantly with her urgency to find Baby Doll.
  I wouldn't necessarily call Ginny an unreliable narrator, but the details of the story are spread out evenly in the book and gradually coalesce and make sense while upping the suspense. What I found interesting after I read the book and remarked on how accurate it feels is that the author incorporated his own personal experience as the adoptive father of a teen with autism.
  Ginny Moon is a heartfelt and often heartbreaking debut novel that has adult and YA crossover appeal, especially with readers who enjoy character driven stories.

Rating: 4 stars

Words of Caution: There is some strong language in the book. Allusions to child neglect, child abuse, drug abuse and death of an animal are made in the book. For the mature themes I would recommend this book to older teens and adults.

If you like this book try: The Curious Incident of the Dog in Night-Time by Mark Haddon