The Year We Fell from Space
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
Liberty Johansen is going to change the way we look at the night sky. Most people see the old constellations, the things they've been told to see. But Liberty sees new patterns, pictures and possibilities. She's an exception.
Some other exceptions:
Her dad, who gave her the stars. Who moved out months ago and hasn't talked to her since.
Her mom, who's happier since he left, even though everyone thinks she should be sad and lonely.
And her sister, who won't leave their house.
Liberty feels like her whole world is falling from space. Can she map a new life for herself and her family before they spin too far out of reach?
Amy Sarig King is the author of Me and Marvin Gardens, a Washington Post Best Book of the Year. She has also published many critically acclaimed young adult novels under the name A.S. King, including Please Ignore Vera Dietz, which was named a Michael L. Printz Honor Book, and Ask the Passengers, which won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. After many years farming abroad, she now lives back in southeastern Pennsylvania with her family.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
King (Me and Marvin Gardens) capably tackles the complexities of divorce and depression in this multifaceted novel. When 12-year-old narrator Liberty's parents announce their separation, the budding astronomer who creates star maps featuring new constellations plunges into a difficult new reality. Familial change is further impacted by confusing social dynamics at school, where Liberty is outcast from a group of friends; the intense responsibility she feels toward her younger sister Jilly, who ceased going outside following their parents' separation; and her father's absence. Anxious Liberty proves keenly observant, piecing together her father's new relationship and often considering what she has in common with him and how his depression manifests ("It makes him do things like snap or yell or stare into space or drive away for a few hours or sit in a room with no lights on for a day"). The running internal dialogue she conducts with a meteorite that falls to the woods near her home offers insight into her struggles and fears but can break the narrative pace; still, strong character interaction and Liberty's engaging, often humorous voice make the difficult slice-of-life topics relatable. Ages 8 12.
