• ECC News

3rd Annual ECC Book Club and Potluck | August 3, 2016

by Elizabeth Lynch (HarperCollins Children's Books)

For the third year in a row, the members of the ECC board met in July to share treats and thoughts about an upcoming Fall 2016 YA novel, Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally. The book, voted on by the board at the beginning of the summer, was a crowd favorite, and the discussion was lively and animated.

McNally’s debut novel, publishing this November, centers around Phoebe, a girl whose long-estranged parents used to front a wildly popular punk band, and whose older sister, Luna, is poised to follow in their footsteps in the Brooklyn indie music scene. When Phoebe visits Luna in New York over the summer, she brings with her all kinds of questions, concerns, and hidden dreams—and by the time she leaves, she’s found that discovering the truth about her complicated family is not quite as important as discovering the truth of who she really is, all on her own.

ECC board members loved the messy relationships at play in Girls, and expressed their frustration over each family member’s very realistic inability to communicate with the others. The author’s lyrical prose, influenced by her own background as a noted poet, was another highlight.  The discussions of sister dynamics and of Phoebe’s romance with a member of Luna’s band brought to light an appreciation for the well-rounded view of young womanhood, and many members felt that there was more to be learned from Phoebe & co. Will there be a sequel? For now, it remains a mystery—but hopefully, we’ll be able to check back in with the girls in the moon next fall, after another trip around the sun.