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.
Author Bio
DEBORAH ELLIS is the author of The Breadwinner, which has been published in thirty languages. She has won the Governor General’s Award, the Middle East Book Award, the Peter Pan Prize, the Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and the Vicky Metcalf Award. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Deborah has donated more than $2 million in royalties to organizations such as Right to Learn Afghanistan, Mental Health Without Borders and the UNHCR. She lives in Simcoe, Ontario.
Prizes
- Quill & Quire Book of the Year selectionCommended 2014
- Manitoba Young Readers’ Choice AwardNominated 2016
- Amelia Bloomer Project List selectionCommended 2015
- Cooperative Children's Book Centre Choice selectionCommended 2015
- Ontario Library Association Best Bets selectionCommended 2014
- Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book AwardNominated 2015
- Canadian Library Association Young Adult Book AwardShort-listed 2015
- SYRCA Snow Willow AwardShort-listed 2015
- Canadian Children's Book Centre Best Books for Kids & Teens Starred SelectionCommended 2014
- BC Teen Readers’ Choice Stellar AwardNominated 2015
Review Quotes
[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
