Publishers Weekly
10/03/2016
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. (Nov.)
From the Publisher
McNally is a polished storyteller, her prose alive with vivid descriptions, the excitement of romance, and an artist’s yearning to create.” — Publishers Weekly
“Girls in the Moon is a beautiful, heartfelt novel about following your own path and finding your voice. Janet McNally’s stunning debut is a lush, lyrical paean to mothers, daughters, sisters, and the music that weaves them together.” — Kathleen Glasgow, author of Girl in Pieces
“In her luminous prose, Janet McNally renders the moments—quiet and loud, in the spotlight and in the dark—that shape us and wound us and make us fully human.” — Nina LaCour, award-winning author of Everything Leads to You
“A powerful story of secrets, sisters, mothers and daughters-of a family fractured and pieced back together across time, with love, pain, passion, and music. GIRLS IN THE MOON will stay with you like a song you can’t get out of your mind.” — Amber Smith, New York Times bestselling author of The Way I Used to Be
“With lush, lyrical prose and nuanced storytelling, Girls in the Moon is a gorgeous coming-of-age story that sings of sisterhood, secrets, and the ties that both bind and bond us.” — Jessi Kirby, author of Things We Know by Heart
“Laced through with drumbeats and heartbeats, GIRLS IN THE MOON is pure indie rock and even purer poetry. A luminous story of love, art, yearning, and connection.” — Jeff Zentner, author of The Serpent King
“Sophisticated, dreamy, and gorgeously written, Girls in the Moon is like spending a summer night reminiscing with old friends.” — Heidi Heilig, author of The Girl From Everywhere
“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.” — Booklist
“Narrator Phoebe excels at capturing a moment’s emotional nuances... her reflections on independence and acceptance of people’s flaws are genuine. Understated but astute narration makes this family snapshot a worthy read.” — Kirkus Reviews
“[McNally] employs lyrics and poetry to great effect, while her rich musical knowledge propels this realistic novel to its hopeful conclusion.” — Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
“McNally crafts a compulsively readable family narrative that revolves around the kind of celebrities people wonder about.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
“Set against the backdrop of a soulful, hipster New York summer, this coming-of-age novel features relatable heroes with good hearts… Perfect for fans of Gayle Forman’s If I Stay.“ — School Library Journal
Nina LaCour
In her luminous prose, Janet McNally renders the moments—quiet and loud, in the spotlight and in the dark—that shape us and wound us and make us fully human.
Booklist
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.
Amber Smith
A powerful story of secrets, sisters, mothers and daughters-of a family fractured and pieced back together across time, with love, pain, passion, and music. GIRLS IN THE MOON will stay with you like a song you can’t get out of your mind.
Jessi Kirby
With lush, lyrical prose and nuanced storytelling, Girls in the Moon is a gorgeous coming-of-age story that sings of sisterhood, secrets, and the ties that both bind and bond us.
Kathleen Glasgow
Girls in the Moon is a beautiful, heartfelt novel about following your own path and finding your voice. Janet McNally’s stunning debut is a lush, lyrical paean to mothers, daughters, sisters, and the music that weaves them together.
Jeff Zentner
Laced through with drumbeats and heartbeats, GIRLS IN THE MOON is pure indie rock and even purer poetry. A luminous story of love, art, yearning, and connection.
Voice of Youth Advocates (VOYA)
[McNally] employs lyrics and poetry to great effect, while her rich musical knowledge propels this realistic novel to its hopeful conclusion.
Heidi Heilig
Sophisticated, dreamy, and gorgeously written, Girls in the Moon is like spending a summer night reminiscing with old friends.
Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
McNally crafts a compulsively readable family narrative that revolves around the kind of celebrities people wonder about.
Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
McNally crafts a compulsively readable family narrative that revolves around the kind of celebrities people wonder about.
Booklist
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.
Stephanie Garber
Narrator Phoebe excels at capturing a moment’s emotional nuances... her reflections on independence and acceptance of people’s flaws are genuine. Understated but astute narration makes this family snapshot a worthy read.
School Library Journal
11/01/2016
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
JANUARY 2017 - AudioFile
Narrators Amanda Dolan and Erin Spencer complement each other perfectly in this coming-of-age novel. The story is told from the alternating points of view of ex-rock goddess Meg Farris and her sweet 16-year-old daughter, Phoebe. As Phoebe visits her older sister in New York in search of her famous family’s untold history, Meg remembers her transition from a carefree badass to a protective new mother dealing with the pressures of fame. Like actual family members, the two narrators sound similar but not identical. Spencer’s air of wonder as daughter Phoebe contrasts with Dolan’s portrayal of Meg, who is jaded but softened by motherly love. Older sister Luna sounds like the creative soul she is; her languid speech at times spikes with unbridled passion. The dual narration further brightens a descriptive story. A.L.C. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
2016-08-17
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)
