Book of the Week: Stella by Starlight by Sharon M. Draper
In this book
Meet Stella, an ordinary African-American girl living in Bumblebee, North Carolina, during the Depression era. Our story begins the night Stella and her younger brother, Jojo, witness the Ku Klux Klan burning a cross, which changes Stella’s life forever. Her town and her life are never the same.
Make sure your child is ready to hear about the Klan before launching into this book. There’s nothing graphic, but the subject matter is heavy. Draper is a talented storyteller, and this book will leave you and your young readers with much hope, joy, and love for humanity.
Recommended for:
Ages 9+
Stella by Starlight
NARRATED BY: Heather Alicia Simms, BEST FOR AGES: 10+ (HIGHLY RECOMMENDED)
When the Ku Klux Klan makes an unwelcome reappearance in Stella’s segregated southern town, bravery battles prejudice in this Depression-era tour de force from Sharon Draper, the New York Times best-selling author of Out of My Mind.
Stella lives in the segregated South – in Bumblebee, North Carolina, to be exact about it. Some stores she can go into. Some stores she can’t. Some folks are right pleasant. Others are a lot less so. To Stella, it sort of evens out, and heck, the Klan hasn’t bothered them for years. But one late night, later than she should ever be up, much less wandering around outside, Stella and her little brother see something they’re never supposed to see, something that is the first flicker of change to come, unwelcome change by any stretch of the imagination. As Stella’s community – her world – is upended, she decides to fight fire with fire. And she learns that ashes don’t necessarily signify an end.
Check out more of our Wednesday Book of the Week recommendations here.