WINGING IT

Luna Juniper Wright-Evans is a “certified nature-hater,” unlike her mother, who was so keen on the outdoors that she named her daughter after a moth.

All Luna has of her mother, who died when Luna was a baby, are photos and her special name. When her father’s company transfers him to the Washington, D.C., area, they move in with Luna’s maternal grandmother in Lacey, Virginia. Luna is unhappy about the many changes she faces: making new friends while missing the old ones back home in California, starting seventh grade at a new school, and adjusting to Grandma Wright’s strict house rules. Luna, whose dad presents Black and whose mom had light skin and glossy dark hair, begins pinning her hopes on seeing a luna moth, a goal that helps her connect with her mother. She reads her mother’s old nature journals and starts one of her own—in her own unique style. This gentle, warm story, which unfolds in chapters that follow the months of the year, has friendship and nature at its very core. As nature becomes a binding force for Luna to create new bonds, it also gives her a chance to explore her neighborhood, hone her observation skills, and find a sense of belonging. Snippets about flora and fauna are tucked into the story, presented with joy and intriguing details, and the text and the illustrations work together seamlessly.

A tender story that floats as lightly as a moth.