Moonkid and Liberty [Mass Market Paperback]

A hippie father or a yuppie mother--that is the choice facing this novel's title characters. High schooler Libby longs for a normal life, while her younger brother, a gifted boy with the idea he is not from Earth, seems to embrace the oddness of their father. Still, even when faced with school bullies, social ostracism and poverty, the siblings discover that their decision is not simple. Told in alternating viewpoints, their day-to-day dilemmas are explored carefully and, in the end, both Libby and her brother realize that they cannot run away from their problems, no matter how appealing escape may seem. The novel doesn't break any new ground, but the problems of peer pressure and conformity are perpetually interesting. Ages 10-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Grade 8-11-- Libby McNaughton, 16, longs to be normal, but with an aging hippie for a father and a gifted brother, Ian (nicknamed "Moonkid"), who's convinced he's an alien, trying to fit in with the crowd at a new high school is difficult at best. The story progresses by means of chapters that alternate between the siblings' viewpoints. Libby's efforts to belong frequently are humorous, and often poignant. Ian, the brunt of bullies at school, plans a revenge that makes him face his humanity. When their father's left-wing bookstore is trashed and he is jailed for selling pornography, specifically an underground magazine that is enthusiastic about gay sex, Libby's chances for a "normal" teenage life seem even more remote. In the midst of this, their mother surfaces in California after five years of "finding herself." In her business suit and Gucci shoes, and driving a Mercedes, she offers a far different lifestyle. Libby changes from an aspiring airhead; she is able to live up to her name of Liberty, accept herself and her family, and celebrate individual differences. While touching on some sensitive issues, this is a humorous, yet often serious story of teenage self-acceptance and independence. --Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

...a humourous, yet often serious story of teenage self-acceptance and independence. - School Library Journal

Adjusting to a new city and high school is tough enough for anyone. But with their separated parents complicating matters it's almost impossible for Ian (Moonkid) and his sister Liberty. Their mom is doing her best to lure the kids away to live with her on the west coast. And, though he has never outgrown his hippie lifestyle, their dad wants them to stay with him. Still, their offbeat relationship is strained when he falls into legal problems-again. Libby wants to leave, but Ian would rather stay. Unlike his sister, he takes pride in the fact that he doesn't fit in. Besides, he can't leave now. He has a score to settle with some local bullies. It take humour and more than a little strength to pull together in this witty, and crackling novel, but Moonkid and Liberty find a way.