Tell it to the moon by Siobhan Curham

Walker Books, 2017. ISBN 9781406366150
(Age: 14+) Friendships. Identity. This book focuses on one year in the lives of Sky, Rose, Maali and Amber - the Moonlight Dreamers. The Dreamers are a group of teenage friends whose friendship (and dreams) propel this book through a series of dramas that reveal their growing identity explorations. Sky is a poet who is also learning how to cope with the life and schooling change that has been forced upon her; Rose is coming to grips with her sexuality and her dysfunctional family; Maali is coming to grips with losing her love interest and seeks guidance from her Hindu goddess statue, but something more serious is on the horizon; Amber is the unusually-dressed daughter of two gay dads and would really like to know the identity of her surrogate mother in order to know herself, but instead needs to rely on Oscar Wilde's influence through his scattered quotes and writing. They are all struggling to work out who they are, and what lies ahead in their lives.
Everything about this book seems a touch too dramatic and perhaps tries too hard to address many issues, and the power of the friendship group is perhaps too strong to be realistic when read from an adult perspective. The consequence is that there is a naive superficiality about the treatment of quite serious issues that could be handled with more gravitas. Peer friendship is esteemed above all other authority. There are some redeeming aspects, but this almost reads like a Baby-sitters Club or Pony Club book for older teenagers, with a dose of romance and some serious family concerns thrown in for good measure. Life does not always turn out as they expect or dream, but their friendship remains a source of strength in a sentimental way.
Carolyn Hull