The Star Outside My Window: Onjali Q. Rauf

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How can they make their way to Greenwich to make sure this star receives the right and only name it must receive? It's why I champion LGBTQ+ titles for kids and teens, why I punch the air every time I come across a new picture book where the princess doesn't need saving and wants to slay the dragon herself, and it's why I (and plenty of others) continue to make such a racket about the lack of of BAME characters in children's publishing (for more info on that topic, check out CLPE's Reflecting Realities study). Yet when astronomy-mad Aniyah learns about a new star that has been behaving strangely in the sky, she assumes it must be Mum, who has told her that the brightest hearts become stars and stay with us forever. I loved all the book but you need a wider understanding of their circumstances to get you going and some could be put off quite early on.

There was just the right amount of choice to suit everyone without being overwhelming and I received comments from parents and staff about the quality of books offered compared to previous sales which have always been based around current crazes and well known celebrity authors. A child talks of being given away by her mum, and another talks of their father leaving when they were a baby. As the story progresses we learn of the games they used to play with their mum that clearly indicate a life of abuse at the hands of their father. Writing about domestic violence is never easy but when you're targeting a middle grade audience of 9-13 year olds it's absolutely crucial that you get the tone right.Both are traumatised by their experiences and talk of their mum becoming a star hint at what might have happened. We follow them on an adventure to London, as they try to find their mum, the brightest star in the sky. I was at my last school for 4 years and we had ********* book fairs every term – and every term, I was disappointed by the narrow range of books. I've been a parent for so many years and consider parenting as OJT (On the Job Training); you learn every day. I was completely caught up in Aniyah's interpretation of events and didn't get the full picture until the last chapter- just before Aniyah got it herself.

Driven mad by the murder of her black beau, a schoolteacher turns on the once-friendly, verdant town of Green Lake, Texas, becomes feared bandit Kissin' Kate Barlow, and dies, laughing, without revealing where she buried her stash. Professor Bridges at the Royal Observatory was such an inspirational character and a positive role-model for young girls like Aniyah who want to pursue a career in science. Except that approach doesn't really work with The Star Outside My Window because there was nothing about this book that I didn't enjoy.New York Times bestseller Maureen Johnson takes on Jack the Ripper in this captivating paranormal thriller!

The fifth child, Sophie, plays the mandatory negative character who hides her true emotions under a facade of aggression. This was shortlisted for the inaugural Diverse Book Awards, [16] and 2020 British Book Awards: Books of the Year. In this sophomore novel by Raúf ( The Boy at the Back of the Class), 10-year-old amateur star enthusiast Aniyah and her little brother, Noah, find themselves suddenly in foster care. There is a huge range of emotions portrayed in the story through the main characters, from Aniyah and Noah’s total fear when they first arrive, to the excitement of planning their adventure with Travis and Ben to visit her mum’s star and ensure it’s given the right name. Following an incident of domestic violence that will forever change their lives, 10 year old Aniyah and her younger brother Noah find themselves in foster care.Raúf takes the delicate subject of domestic violence, and handles it with all the sensitivity, warmth and sincerity that it needs. The girl doesn't want the star to be named wrong so on Halloween she goes ALL the way to London… I like the book because it's dramatic and sad and even happy at the same time. The reader gets gradual hints from flashbacks of what really happened as realisation dawns on Aniya and the reader becomes all too aware of the emotional cost of living in a home soured by domestic violence. Maybe it's just that as adults we're overprotective and don't like the idea of children knowing about violence and abuse. This is a beautifully told book for children from 8 to 14 (and we adults who love children's books).