The Star Outside My Window

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. Their Brazilian mother has been murdered after fleeing their abusive English father, and Aniyah believes that her mother has become a new physics-shattering star traveling right past Earth. Accompanied by Noah and fellow foster kids, determined, clever Aniyah races from her new home near Oxford to London, hoping to convince the Royal Observatory to name the historic star after her mother. Raúf doesn’t sensationalize her characters’ painful back-stories, instead focusing on their healing: Aniyah gradually recovers the memories she’s repressed and learns that the way her father treated the family wasn’t normal, and foster mother Mrs. Iwuchukwu models patient acceptance as she encourages Aniyah, who is selectively nonverbal following her mother’s death, to speak. Humorous first-person narration and plot devices (squirrels unexpectedly play a pivotal role) balance the heavy subject matter, while back matter provides a list of constellations and resources for abuse survivors. While Aniyah’s foster sister is a frustratingly clichéd villain, the story’s compassionate portrayal of young survivors more than makes up for its flaws. Ages 8–12. [em](Jan.) [/em]