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Moon at Nine

by (author) Deborah Ellis

Publisher
Pajama Press Inc.
Initial publish date
Mar 2018
Subjects
Self-Esteem & Self-Reliance, Homosexuality, Middle East
  • eBook

    ISBN
    9781772780574
    Publish Date
    Mar 2018
    List Price
    $12.95

Library Ordering Options

Description

Based on interviews with a young woman forced to flee Iran because of her sexual orientation, Moon at Nine is a tense and riveting novel that shines a light on an issue of social injustice that continues to this day.

Fifteen-year-old Farrin has grown up with secrets: ten years after the overthrow of the Shah, her aristocratic mother is still working against Iran's conservative revolutionary government. But when Farrin befriends Sadira, the intriguing and outgoing new student at her school for gifted girls, her own new secret is even more dangerous. Because the girls discover their relationship is more than just a friendship—and in Iran, being gay is punishable by death.

About the author

Deborah Ellis is the internationally acclaimed author of more than twenty books for children, including The Breadwinner Trilogy; The Heaven Shop; Lunch With Lenin; Children of War: Voices of Iraqi Refugees; and Our Stories, Our Songs: African Children Talk About AIDS. She has won many national and international awards for her books, including the Governor General’s Award, the Vicky Metcalf Award, Sweden’s Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award, and the Children’s Africana Book Award Honor Book for Older Readers.Deborah knew she wanted to be a writer at the age of 11 or 12. Growing up in Paris, Ontario, she loved reading about big cities like New York. In high school, Deborah joined the Peace Movement, playing anti-Nuclear War movies at her school. Since then Deborah has become a peace activist, humanitarian and philanthropist, donating almost all of the royalties from her books to communities in need in Asia and Africa. Heavily involved with Women for Women in Afghanistan, Deborah has helped build women’s centers and schools, giving children education and finding work for women.In 2006, Deborah was named to the Order of Ontario. She now lives in Simcoe, Ontario.

Deborah Ellis' profile page

Awards

  • Nominated, Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice Award
  • Commended, Amelia Bloomer Project List selection
  • Commended, Cooperative Children's Book Centre Choice selection
  • Nominated, Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award
  • Short-listed, Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book Award
  • Short-listed, SYRCA Snow Willow Award
  • Nominated, BC Teen Readers’ Choice Stellar Award
  • Commended, Quill & Quire Book of the Year selection
  • Commended, Ontario Library Association Best Bets selection
  • Commended, Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred Selection

Editorial Reviews

[A] deftly crafted work of fiction...An extraordinary and original novel

Midwest Book Review

As more and more states strike down anti-gay marriage laws, Moon at Nine is a chilling reminder of the suffering of too many others...its importance is hard to deny.

BookDragon, Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center

A firm grounding in Iranian history, along with the insight and empathy Ellis brings to the pain of those whose love is decreed to be immoral and unnatural, make this a smart, heartbreaking [novel].

Publishers Weekly

Ellis skillfully introduces readers to the social and political backdrop, showing in troubling detail how fear, suspicion, and historical animosities fragment Farrin's world and limit her freedom....Secondary characters provide fascinating windows into other perspectives and call attention to Iran’s heterogeneity, creating a multidimensional portrait of corruption and cruelty, resistance and compassion.

The Horn Book Magazine

This is a thought-provoking story inviting readers to ponder the interplay of cultural, moral, and sexual issues in different countries around the globe.

International Reading Association

[T]he portrait painted of 1980s Iran's political climate - and in particular the situation of gay and lesbian people and political prisoners - is haunting.

Kirkus Reviews

True to form, Deborah Ellis has crafted a stark, riveting and uncompromising account of life in a country and era that is markedly different from our own...Its heartbreaking and unflinching honestly will both engage readers and create heightened awareness.

Canadian Children's Book News

In this riveting love story based on true events, Deborah Ellis transports readers to Iran in 1988 just nine years after the Islamic Revolution...Readers will find this powerful book both compelling and chilling.

Dragon Lode International Books

[I]narguably powerful....A book study guide is included and will help encourage much needed discussion.

Booklist

Sparse and eloquently-written, this short historical novel is both beautiful and heartbreaking.

School Library Journal

Moon at Nine is a riveting tale of young girls being true to themselves and their love, set against a political and cultural backdrop few readers will have first-hand knowledge of. Ellis once again proves she is a master storyteller. Readers will remember Farrin and Sadira long after the final page has been read.

Quill & Quire

Basing her book on a true story, Ellis has written a heartbreaking tale of prejudice and injustice. **Highly Recommended**

CM Magazine