"Ludwig's novel recalls Mark Haddon's The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time in the singular way it filters domestic tensions through the hyper-alert yet skewed viewpoint of a special-needs child.... He also succeeds in locating a plangent, unpatronizing humor in Ginny's literalness and deadpan certitude."-The New York Times Book Review
"Ginny Moon is a brilliant debut. In asking us to identify with a developmentally delayed, autistic teenage girl and her peculiar obsession, Ben Ludwig set himself an Olympic degree of difficulty, but he succeeds with the extraordinary Ginny Moon. I was unable to put the book down as I willed her to overcome the obstacles within and around her. Ben Ludwig is a fine observer of human dynamics, and his sometimes dark sense of humor means that the emotional journey, challenging as it is, never becomes wearing. I was mightily impressed—this novel has all the elements for critical and popular success!" -Graeme Simsion, New York Times bestselling author of The Rosie Project
"Ludwig's excellent debut is both a unique coming-of-age tale and a powerful affirmation of the fragility and strength of families.... Ludwig brilliantly depicts the literal-minded and inventive Ginny." -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
In Ginny Moon, Benjamin Ludwig captures the singular voice of his heroine, a brilliant girl you won't soon forget. -Real Simple
"[E]nlightening...compelling...remarkably engaging...A heartwarming and unforgettable page-turner."-Booklist, starred review
"This stunning debut novel grabs readers by the heart and doesn't let go. Fourteen-year-old Ginny Moon chronicles her increasingly harrowing life with her Forever Parents with one of the truest voices in modern literature.... Ludwig's triumphant achievement is borne from his own experience as the adoptive parent of a teen with autism, and his gorgeous, wrenching portrayal of Ginny's ability to communicate what she needs is ¬perfection."-Library Journal, starred review
"Fresh, funny, heartbreaking and real, you will love this novel. Sometimes an author comes along who captures the moment in its complexity and fierce detail, illuminating the world in a way that changes readers perceptions and opens our hearts to understanding. Ginny Moon brings you inside the experience of autism, revealing the experience of it, not only what it must be like from the outside, but how it must feel from within. Benjamin Ludwig paints in every color with ferocity and ultimately, joy. I was galvanized by this read. You will be too. This is a book to savor and share with everyone you know. I did and I will." -Adriana Trigiani, New York Times bestselling author of The Shoemaker's Wife
"Benjamin Ludwig gives us a remarkable heroine in Ginny Moon.Writing poignantly and yet starkly believably from an autistic girl's point of view, he allows us to see the world in all its glorious mess, full of people trying to do their best and often failing, but heroically so."-Melanie Benjamin, New York Times bestselling author of The Swans of Fifth Avenue
"There is no guessing where Ginny Moon is going to take us in this page-turning, surprising, funny, heartbreaking, at times disturbing, and ultimately morally complex story. In Ginny's logical yet perplexing mind, it makes sense to try to get kidnapped by her dangerous birth mother. But something much larger is at stake, and we are left with the question-is love unconditional? What makes a good parent? A moving and thought-provoking debut."-Eowyn Ivey, Pulitzer Prize Finalist and national bestselling author of The Snow Child
"In telling the tale from Ginny's perspective, Ludwig captures the carefully constructed, sometimes-claustrophobic world Ginny inhabits.... By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, Ginny's quest for a safe home leads her to discover her own strong voice."-Kirkus Review
"Compassionate, evocative and heartwarming."-InStyle, UK
Benjamin Ludwig's novel is a genuine and touching debut; Ginny Moon is a wonderful and memorable heroine." -Dan Chaon, National Book Award Finalist and bestselling author of Await Your Reply and Ill Will
"A heartwarming but refreshingly honest story about the making of an American family, told by a character who is, indeed, original-and impossible not to love." -Rumaan Alam, author of Rich and Pretty
"If I could ask Ginny Moon one question-and she only does allow one question at a time-it would be what does it feel like to be the heroine of a compulsively readable novel? Benjamin Ludwig does such a wonderful job of conjuring Ginny onto the page and of making us turn those pages at breathless speed. Ginny Moon is a sparkling debut." -Margot Livesey, New York Times bestselling author of Mercury and The Flight of Gemma Hardy
"It is the rare debut novel that reveals a writer of such immense talent as to achieve a dazzling lit¬erary home run the first time up to bat. Such is the case with Benjamin Ludwig's Ginny Moon, an extraor¬dinary coming-of-age story told from the perspective of a 14-year-old protagonist with autism.... Ludwig has interjected his often-heart¬breaking narrative with laugh-out-loud observations from Ginny, who loves Michael Jackson and displays a wicked sense of humor.... Tremendous."-Bookpage
"Ludwig creates a startling, powerful voice in Ginny Moon, a character who lingers well beyond the pages. This is gripping work." -Erika Swyler, bestselling author of The Book of Speculation
"Artfully rendered, heartbreaking, funny and suspenseful, Ginny Moon is a veritable smorgasbord of a read that will stay with you long after you've consumed the final page. Excellent!"-John Lescroart, New York Times-bestselling author
"In his riveting debut novel, Benjamin Ludwig has given life to the unforgettable Ginny Moon. With a compassionate and insightful voice, Ludwig shares a story that will have readers cheering for Ginny, fearing for her and wanting to reach inside the pages of this poignant novel to guide and protect her. Ginny Moon will live on well past the last page and will forever change those who spend a little time with her."-Lori Roy, Edgar Award-winning author
"Ginny Moon had me wrapped around her little finger from the first page, and I'd have stayed under her spell for a book twice as long; it made me late for many appointments, and I was never sorry. This is a thrilling, often hilarious story, as heart-pounding as it is big-hearted." -Rebecca Makkai, author of The Borrower and The Hundred-Year House
"Funny and wildly moving."-Daily Mail
"Benjamin Ludwig's Ginny Moon is both honest and raw. Ludwig gives voice to the voiceless. You might not know that the book is partially inspired by Ludwig's adoption of a teenager with autism, but you should be among the first to get to know Ginny Moon."-Alexi Zentner, author of The Lobster Kings and Touch
★ 02/06/2017
Ludwig’s excellent debut is both a unique coming-of-age tale and a powerful affirmation of the fragility and strength of families. We meet 14-year-old Ginny, who has autism, as she settles into life with a new “forever family” and unexpectedly reconnects with Gloria, the abusive, drug-addicted mother from whom she was taken away at the age of nine—and Rick, the father she never knew. The rediscovery unsettles the tentative bond Ginny’s forged with adoptive parents Maura and Brian, exacerbates the teen’s heartbreaking fears for the “baby doll” she left behind, and ultimately triggers a wildly heroic, secret plan to run away to Canada with Gloria and Rick. Ludwig brilliantly depicts the literal-minded and inventive Ginny—whose horrifying past and valiant hope for the future are slowly unveiled—and the alternately selfish, sympathetic, and compassionate adults who would do anything to get Ginny to choose their love. “I just wish someone would talk about what a delightful young lady she is,” a frustrated Rick says. “We’re trying to keep her apart from everything... but I think what she needs is to be closer to people.” (May)
★ 03/15/2017
This stunning debut novel grabs readers by the heart and doesn't let go. Fourteen-year-old Ginny Moon chronicles her increasingly harrowing life with her Forever Parents with one of the truest voices in modern literature. On the surface, Ginny is a typical teen, her days filled with friends, sports, and music. But Ginny is autistic, and her obsessive need to retrieve her Baby Doll from her past brutal life with a dangerous mother puts her on a collision course with her adoptive parents, their new baby, a legal system that has struggled to protect Ginny for five years, and her birth mother. Ginny's brilliant therapist unlocks one mystery, but the tension never lets up as the girl's focus on finding her Baby Doll moves them all into ever more perilous territory. Clearly, the barriers in Ginny's life are not just autism; the people on her support team, while dedicated, loving, and determined, must learn a powerful lesson about really listening to what she is saying. VERDICT Ludwig's triumphant achievement is borne from his own experience as the adoptive parent of a teen with autism, and his gorgeous, wrenching portrayal of Ginny's ability to communicate what she needs is perfection.—Beth E. Andersen, Ann Arbor, MI
2017-02-21
Ginny Moon, who has autism, needs to get back to her birth mother by any means necessary. That's a problem, because that mother, Gloria, abused her.The narrator of Ludwig's debut novel, Ginny was taken from Gloria when she was 9 years old. Three adoptive homes later, Ginny is 14, and her Forever Parents, Maura and Brian, are expecting their first biological child. But just when they most need Ginny to be dependably gentle, she begins manifesting increasingly difficult behavior. It all stems from Ginny's desperate need to take care of her Baby Doll, whom she promised to protect and whom she hid in a suitcase just as the police arrived to rescue her from Gloria five years ago. Using a classmate's computer and various people's cellphones, Ginny begins to communicate with Gloria, hoping to reunite with Baby Doll but inadvertently putting herself and the Moon family in danger by revealing her home address. Tensions escalate as Ginny arranges her own kidnapping, forcing the Moons to decide whether to give up and send Ginny to St. Genevieve's Facility for Girls Who Aren't Safe or to continue Ginny's therapy sessions in the hope that she will gain some emotional attachment skills before the baby arrives. Along the way, surprising truths about Baby Doll emerge. In telling the tale from Ginny's perspective, Ludwig captures the carefully constructed, sometimes-claustrophobic world Ginny inhabits. Ginny protects herself from a confusing world by going down deep into her brain, closing her mouth so no one can see the ideas in her head. While it's an interesting perspective to inhabit, the staccato rhythm of the sentences can get a little tedious, as Ginny would say. By turns heartwarming and heartbreaking, Ginny's quest for a safe home leads her to discover her own strong voice.
