When the Moon Was Ours

Miel and Sam have been best friends since Miel tumbled out of a water tower and Sam helped her find her footing. Miel grows roses from her wrists, a physical manifestation of her history, while Sam is a transgender boy of Pakistani and Italian heritage who hides his past to fit into their small community. When the local Bonner sisters, four beautiful and manipulative girls, decide they want Miel's roses for their own magic, they threaten to expose Sam's secrets. The two must decide if they will hide forever or claim their own stories. SENSITIVE TOPICS: The book handles gender identity and cultural heritage with a mix of direct realism and metaphorical beauty. Transgender identity is treated with deep respect and nuance, focusing on the internal journey rather than just external transition. The resolution is hopeful and empowering. EMOTIONAL ARC: The story begins with a sense of protective isolation and builds through tension as secrets are threatened. It ends on a powerful, triumphant note of self-reclamation. IDEAL READER: A thoughtful 15-year-old who loves poetic language and is perhaps struggling with their own 'roses' or secrets, needing to see that identity is something to be celebrated, not hidden. PARENT TRIGGER: A parent might notice their child becoming withdrawn or anxious about how they are perceived by peers, or perhaps the child has recently come out and is looking for stories that reflect their complexity. PARENT PREP: Read cold, but be prepared to discuss the metaphors of the roses and the moons as they relate to physical and emotional transition. AGE EXPERIENCE: Younger teens will focus on the romance and the 'witchy' conflict; older teens will appreciate the sophisticated commentary on gender performance and cultural expectations. DIFFERENTIATOR: It is a rare blend of high-fantasy magical realism and grounded, authentic transgender representation that feels like a modern fairy tale.