Moonflower

Moonflower by Kacen Callender centers around 12-year-old Moon who struggles to cope with their reality due to suffering from severe depression. Each night, Moon escapes Earth by astral projecting to the spirit realm with the hopes of staying there permanently. After making deals with the wrong spirits, Moon suddenly realizes it is up to them to rewrite their wrongdoings in order to save the spirit realm. Through overcoming obstacles both in the physical and spirit worlds, Moon learns how to battle their shadows and find a greater purpose.

Common Core State Standard:

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.6.3 Analyze in detail how a key individual, event, or idea is introduced, illustrated, and elaborated in a text (e.g. through examples or anecdotes).

During reading:

• Cover additional vocabulary terms as they arise in the story:

  • Therapy: a treatment to help individuals struggling with their health (mental or physical)

  • Keeper: an individual who holds something in their possession

  • Infinite: limitless or endless 

  • Diagnose: to identify a problem or disorder 

  • Summon: to call on someone to be present

  • Guardian: a protector of someone or something

  • Transform: to make a dramatic change in form, appearance, or character

• Example reflection/discussion questions to drive comprehension:

  • How is depression introduced in the story and illustrated through Moon's character?

  • What challenges does Moon face in the story? How do they overcome these challenges?

  • How does depression manifest into different aspects of Moon's life, both in the physical world and in the spirit realm?

  • How does Moon's character grow over the course of the story? What experiences help to shape Moon's dynamic growth?

After reading: 

• Students will be instructed to construct a comic strip of their favorite scene from the story

  • The comic must include:

    • At least 8 panels

    • At least 2 characters 

    • Speech bubbles/dialogue

    • Captions for panels that do not contain speech bubbles