When the Stars Were Still Visible


Book Description

Mari Mazziotti Gillan's new book, When the Stars were Still Visible, asks us to "remember." In her example, memories start "on the back steps of the six-family tenement / on 5th Avenue in Paterson" in 1944, her father dressed "as a devil for a costume party / at the Società Cilentana"; this opens "so many memories" which "swirl / like bits of color in a kaleidoscope": of Mrs Gianelli "who always fainted when she got upset" and of "Zio Guillermo's garden / with tomatoes and zucchini and corn" which is "years later / covered with asphalt and garages." The poet tells us that "children of immigrants pick up bits and pieces / over the years to create a picture" ("The Children of Immigrants"), that "On the street where I grew up / everyone knew everyone else. / We knew each other's secrets" ("Carrying Their Hometowns to Paterson"), and, invoking Eliot, that they wore faces that they presented to the world. She writes about her people, her community, and the comfort of soothing things "beckoning me home" ("Even After All These Years"), the way, perhaps, that all poetry should.




Where the Stars Still Shine


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Happily-ever-after is never quite what you expect in this hot and gritty romance.




When Stars Are Scattered


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A National Book Award Finalist, this remarkable graphic novel is about growing up in a refugee camp, as told by a former Somali refugee to the Newbery Honor-winning creator of Roller Girl. Omar and his younger brother, Hassan, have spent most of their lives in Dadaab, a refugee camp in Kenya. Life is hard there: never enough food, achingly dull, and without access to the medical care Omar knows his nonverbal brother needs. So when Omar has the opportunity to go to school, he knows it might be a chance to change their future . . . but it would also mean leaving his brother, the only family member he has left, every day. Heartbreak, hope, and gentle humor exist together in this graphic novel about a childhood spent waiting, and a young man who is able to create a sense of family and home in the most difficult of settings. It's an intimate, important, unforgettable look at the day-to-day life of a refugee, as told to New York Times Bestselling author/artist Victoria Jamieson by Omar Mohamed, the Somali man who lived the story.




The Star That Always Stays


Book Description

When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you’re Ojibwe. Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage. Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan. Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it... and upon her discretion. But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is? Sensitive, enthralling, and classic in sensibility (perfect for Anne of Green Gables fans), this tender coming-of-age story about an introspective and brilliant Native American heroine thoughtfully addresses assimilation, racism, and divorce, as well as everygirl problems like first crushes, making friends, and the joys and pains of a blended family. Often funny, often heartbreaking, The Star That Always Stays is a fresh and vivid story directly inspired by Anna Rose Johnson’s family history. AN NPR BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR! A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection! A Parnassus Books Spark Club Pick! "INSPIRING."—Kirkus Reviews "A NEW CLASSIC."—Southern Bookseller Review "INTIMATE."—Publishers Weekly "BEAUTIFUL."—Booklist "UNPUTDOWNABLE."—Anne Bustard, author of Parents' Choice Book Award Winner Blue Skies "LOVINGLY WOVEN... PAIRS WELL WITH 'THE BIRCHBARK HOUSE.'"—Cynthia Leitich Smith, NYT-bestselling author of Ancestor Approved




Science for All


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The Brunonian


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The Stellar Universe


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The Earth Mover


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