Midwest Book Review
The Stars Are Always There

...unusually political, socially inspective, and cemented by the first-person revelations of a girl on the path to becoming a force in her world.

In The Stars Are Always There, twelve-year-old Jess Lindsey is facing a summer on the Texas panhandle, a dusty, dry environment that holds many unexpected new lessons about the world.

Here is where battles evolve over water rights, land usage choices, and disconnects between nature and human beings. Nature is trying to tell her that something is wrong, but Jess must first learn to listen, then to understand her role in uncovering secrets that reveal solutions.

Though the overlying theme of climate change and its impact on all involved drives the plot, equally potent are the revelations Jess makes about empowerment, choice, consequences, and the importance of becoming an activist.

These themes (many rarely seen in children’s books) lead middle grade readers to contemplate new facets of their place in the world as the story winds through family relationships, friendships, and modern living.

Texting and other forms of communication compliment abbreviations and lingo from younger generations, bringing the story to realistic life as Jess contemplates her options:

"Things were looking up. I had just made a friend on my own. I didn’t need a fam to attract new people. This friend found me and wanted to spend more time together. The question became, could I make it last all summer?"

Notably potent are the interactions between adults which lead Jess to better understand the world and its motivating forces for change or inaction:

"How could Mom be so clueless? Gus cannot be both kind and generous, and also greedy! He knows the hardship his choices are forcing on his friends and neighbors. My face was getting hot, and I had pressure behind my eyes. Can a person be both good and evil? If that's true, and he's powerful, how would anyone stop him? All the facts pointed to him owning this town."

These are but a few examples of how engrossing and full-bodied a protagonist Jess is as the story weaves adult and childhood concerns into a compelling plot about adaptation, change, and confrontation.

Librarians seeking a middle grade read that is unusually political, socially inspective, and cemented by the first-person revelations of a girl on the path to becoming a force in her world will find The Stars Are Always There highly recommendable – especially to reading groups and classrooms discussing activism, environmental change, personal responsibility, and growth.

For media inquiries or interview requests, contact: jaimemariamerrill@jaimeswords.com