Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
3.5 stars, I think. This is a though provoking book about a young (14 year old) autistic girl taken away from her abusive mother, placed in foster care, and adopted. It is written from the perspective of the 14 year old narrator and really helped me to get a glimpse into what might be going on in her mind and how those patterns of thought work. The ending is a bit difficult to accept after the rest of the book, but this one kept me picking it up.
Honestly, I was dreading reading this. As a parent of a person on the spectrum, it can be cringing at times to see how they are portrayed. The crux of this book, however, is not just about a 14 year old girl with autism, but about how a kid with autism copes with & processes horrific abuse. Again, I was not looking forward to reading about child abuse, but Ludwig touches on it lightly. The abuse happened in the past, off stage as it were, and it is only obliquely referenced by other characters. The reader learns brief snippets about Ginny's past throughout the book. She was malnourished & needed a feeling tube when found by police, the hospital discovered her arm was broken, she would get "visited" at night by men her mother had brought home etc.
The main plot of the book focuses on Ginny's relationship with her adoptive parents, who've just had a baby, & how that event spurs on Ginny to reconnect with her birth mother in order to protect her younger sister, who had been hidden from the police & is thus still with the abusive mother.
It's a fast paced book that I quickly read. It's very much a "just one more chapter and then I'll turn off the light" sort of book. It's not particularly well written in terms of vocabulary or sentence structure or something like that. Very much a plot driven novel.
The main plot of the book focuses on Ginny's relationship with her adoptive parents, who've just had a baby, & how that event spurs on Ginny to reconnect with her birth mother in order to protect her younger sister, who had been hidden from the police & is thus still with the abusive mother.
It's a fast paced book that I quickly read. It's very much a "just one more chapter and then I'll turn off the light" sort of book. It's not particularly well written in terms of vocabulary or sentence structure or something like that. Very much a plot driven novel.
*a quick read that grabbed me in a way that "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime" didn't
*Maura was painfully human and uncomfortably relatable
*Ginny's inner struggles were so visible in this novel; great writing!
*Maura was painfully human and uncomfortably relatable
*Ginny's inner struggles were so visible in this novel; great writing!
HIGHLY HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS BOOK.
From the writing style to the plot to the character development, I adored this book. Ginny's verbal and mental voice are so damn strong, and the phrases that repeat in her narration work so well. I love her, and I love that her forever mom/dad are not made out to be perfectly patient and kind. They are real, and the struggles they face with Ginny are real. I love how Ginny still wants to find her baby doll and Gloria, mostly to take very good care of the baby doll but also because she has this love for Gloria that she can't explain. I love the relationships Ginny has with her classmates and her psychologist. I just really love Ginny.
The plot develops at a perfect pace, revealing bits and pieces to keep you interested and guessing at what life might have been like with Gloria, and what has happened to the baby doll. Language is amazing. Dialogue is amazing (and that is RARE). Ginny is amazing. Read it.
From the writing style to the plot to the character development, I adored this book. Ginny's verbal and mental voice are so damn strong, and the phrases that repeat in her narration work so well. I love her, and I love that her forever mom/dad are not made out to be perfectly patient and kind. They are real, and the struggles they face with Ginny are real. I love how Ginny still wants to find her baby doll and Gloria, mostly to take very good care of the baby doll but also because she has this love for Gloria that she can't explain. I love the relationships Ginny has with her classmates and her psychologist. I just really love Ginny.
The plot develops at a perfect pace, revealing bits and pieces to keep you interested and guessing at what life might have been like with Gloria, and what has happened to the baby doll. Language is amazing. Dialogue is amazing (and that is RARE). Ginny is amazing. Read it.
What an incredibly touching book. Don't be fooled by the whimsical jacket art and Graeme Simsion quote on the cover - this is not another Rosie Project. Highly recommend if you're looking for a novel with real, complex characters and a story line that will draw you in and make you feel invested in its outcome.
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2017: A book with a title that's a character's name
POPSUGAR Reading Challenge 2017: A book with a title that's a character's name
Great writing and the ability to see the world through the eyes of an autistic person make this book a most enjoyable read. Being autistic isn't 'cute', like some recent novels seem to imply. And Ludwig had no intention of portraying it as such in this novel, or embellishing what life looks like with autism or for the people who care for an autistic child. But he doesn't make things too dark either. He makes us see the inner logic behind behaviours that may seem strange or intimidating to us, and to give his long-suffering abused and traumatized protagonist some hope of finding peace and happiness. He teaches us that with the right guidance and people around them, autistic people can grow up happy and have a full and purposeful life. That is beautiful.
I chose Ginny Moon as my visual/written text review because when I had been looking for a book to read on Goodreads it recommended this to me and the blurb interested me so I decided to read it.
I enjoyed Ginny Moon because the book was about a girl called Ginny Moon who had autism. However unlike many books of its kind, this story followed one of a girl taken away from her abusive birth mother when she was 9. Now at the age of 14, Ginny has been adopted by her loving "Forever" family. However Ginny struggles to fit in because all she wants to do is go back to her birth mother so that she can look after her "Baby Doll" because she knows that her "Baby Doll" is the one who needs her most and her "Baby Doll" won't be safe until she goes back to take care of it. This plot line interested me because it follows a girl my age trying to belong, come to terms with her past and understand how as time passes things change. Benjamin Ludwig did a great job of writing through this girl's eyes which would have been hugely aided by the fact that he had adopted an autistic teenager himself.
In this book I learn about how wanting to be needed is what keeps people going. When Ginny realises that her "Baby Doll" is in fact no longer a baby and is actually now a six year old girl, Ginny loses her drive that had been pushing her through the last five years. Ever since she had been taken from her birth mother she had had a purpose, to get back to her little sister to look after her. However that purpose was now gone and Ginny just felt lost. Her "Forever parents" had struggled to understand Ginny's motives before but things had started to make sense. They soon started getting Ginny to do jobs around the house to help out making her feel again like she was needed and loved. This helped her to recover from the dark stage of her life.
A moment that was interesting was when Ginny finally reunited with her birth mother after organising with her how they could escape together to Canada. The reason Ginny did this was to be able to look after her baby sister again, however this was also when she found out the truth about her "Baby Doll". Suddenly realising the immense danger she had now put herself in, Ginny tried to resist her mother from going in the car. However, her mother wouldn't let go and was getting angry. This is when for the first time in Ginny's life, she stood up for herself and self advocated. She told her mother to stop and that she would not be going to Canada with her. This caused her mother to back down and speed off without Ginny. Ginny realised that for people to hear and understand her she had to speak up for herself and not let others speak for her.
I enjoyed Ginny Moon because the book was about a girl called Ginny Moon who had autism. However unlike many books of its kind, this story followed one of a girl taken away from her abusive birth mother when she was 9. Now at the age of 14, Ginny has been adopted by her loving "Forever" family. However Ginny struggles to fit in because all she wants to do is go back to her birth mother so that she can look after her "Baby Doll" because she knows that her "Baby Doll" is the one who needs her most and her "Baby Doll" won't be safe until she goes back to take care of it. This plot line interested me because it follows a girl my age trying to belong, come to terms with her past and understand how as time passes things change. Benjamin Ludwig did a great job of writing through this girl's eyes which would have been hugely aided by the fact that he had adopted an autistic teenager himself.
In this book I learn about how wanting to be needed is what keeps people going. When Ginny realises that her "Baby Doll" is in fact no longer a baby and is actually now a six year old girl, Ginny loses her drive that had been pushing her through the last five years. Ever since she had been taken from her birth mother she had had a purpose, to get back to her little sister to look after her. However that purpose was now gone and Ginny just felt lost. Her "Forever parents" had struggled to understand Ginny's motives before but things had started to make sense. They soon started getting Ginny to do jobs around the house to help out making her feel again like she was needed and loved. This helped her to recover from the dark stage of her life.
A moment that was interesting was when Ginny finally reunited with her birth mother after organising with her how they could escape together to Canada. The reason Ginny did this was to be able to look after her baby sister again, however this was also when she found out the truth about her "Baby Doll". Suddenly realising the immense danger she had now put herself in, Ginny tried to resist her mother from going in the car. However, her mother wouldn't let go and was getting angry. This is when for the first time in Ginny's life, she stood up for herself and self advocated. She told her mother to stop and that she would not be going to Canada with her. This caused her mother to back down and speed off without Ginny. Ginny realised that for people to hear and understand her she had to speak up for herself and not let others speak for her.
I just noticed that I never marked this read in Goodreads. I must have listened to it in late May/early June. It definitely contributed to my quirky, differently social character burnout. Also it was heartbreaking.
With the authentic voice of a fourteen year-old autistic girl, this story is both heartbreaking and redemptive. Any teen must find their voice as they grow up, but how can Ginny Moon when her voice is so unique? When her adoptive parents are about to have a baby, the tensions run high because Ginny is unpredictable and focused on saving her Baby Doll from her birth mother. The reader can only root for Ginny, hoping she finds her voice and happiness.
Quite the read. At times heartbreaking - it was quite insightful.