All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher. And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is a tragically emotional story about a boy learning to cope after his older brother, Al, unexpectedly dies by suicide. It is set in the perspective of Nate, Al’s younger brother, and Megan, Al’s only friend.

A frightening book in some ways but obviously from the author’s experience realistic. It makesDanielle Jawando has beautifully channelled her own trials as a teenager into a heartbreaking book for the teens of today. Her perfect understanding of the risks of social media in the 2020s make it relatable and believable. The performers use rap and song effectively as alternative ways to deliver the narrative. Dance sequences are nicely used, notably in one scene where Al attempts to convince his online partner to meet in-person, the dialogue mixed with physical theatre as other actors form a circle around the object of his desire to prevent them from reaching each other. There is an avant-garde, surreal element to the choreography, which fits the feeling of the story. Al is excellently portrayed with apt body language and tonal inflections to create the sense of a smart, enthusiastic, but self-conscious and insecure young man who knows his passions could be easily ridiculed. The young actor playing Elijah also does a great job of bringing this hard-shelled, probably deeply wounded and yet undeniably horrible character to life.

This book was an emotional rollercoaster for me. As a person who not too long ago tried to commit suicide, this story hit me close to home but I was amazed at how accurately the characters feelings were written. I know that the author has tried to commit suicide herself so she knows how it feels to reach that point in your life but it's hard to portray that well in a story but she did it.

Synopsis

Written for young adults, but a book that should be read by everyone, this shows how dangerous social media really is. The book is written from the perspectives of Nathan and Megan, who are both in secondary school. How did you find writing from the perspective of a teenager, and why was it important for each of their voices to be heard? An extraordinary novel about loss, understanding and the importance of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down. From a multi-award-winning author, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Gayle Foreman, Jennifer Niven and Nikesh Shukla. So with these trigger warnings the subject matters in this book are not the easiest to read about. It’s raw and honest and kinda brutal in some ways. However I really enjoyed this book! I loved getting to know the characters and their relationship and how they were dealing with really difficult circumstances. It flowed well and I enjoyed shorter chapters. Anyone not from the UK might take a little while to get used to the dialogue but I think it really adds to the realness of the story.