And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

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I love that each chapter starts with a note from Al to either Nate or Megan with links into what happens in the chapter. Megan also felt incredibly real and provided a wonderful example of positive mental care. I loved her growth throughout the text. This book could, however, be quite unsettling for certain people who have a connection to suicide or depression. I would highly recommend this book for young adults as some scenes can be quite graphic. The ending left me content but I didn’t want the story to finish; I wanted to read more about how Megan and Nathan deal with the death of Al after the funeral. And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a powerful book about grief. It follows Nate, who is determined to find the reason for his brother Al's suicide. He's convinced that finding answers to all his questions is going to help him deal with his grief. The other main character in the novel is Megan, who is also dealing with grief after Al - her friend's - suicide. Convinced that she didn't do enough to appreciate Al while he was alive, Megan is determined to be a better friend to him now, and to keep his memory alive through the passion for art that they both shared. The book follows Nathan, a 15-year-old boy in Wythenshawe near Manchester, one of Europe’s largest council estates, as he recovers from his older brother, Al, committing suicide. Nathan was the one to find his brother, alongside a drawing of Al surrounded by faceless figures adorned only with the words ‘help me.’ Determined to find out what happened to his brother at all costs, Nathan retraces Al’s last steps and connects with Megan, Al’s closest friend, to try and get to the bottom of it.

Al commits suicide and no-one knows why but he leaves behind a devastated family of whom his brother Nate is determined to find out the truth. This book is honestly one of the most heartbreaking stories I have read and is so deeply honest and raw. Danielle Jawando has managed to portray so many serious topics with such grace and power, allowing the reader to really connect with the story and characters. I’d also like to mention that the novel is very much inspired by the authors own life and experiences as a young person going through a very difficult time. I think it’s so admirable that she has chosen to put this experience into her novel and has the courage to do so. I’m certain this will help others who might be in a dark place and show them that there is still hope and light at the end of the tunnel so to speak. I really loved that there were mental health resources listed at the end as well. Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al's footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Als former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Als memory alive. Together they start seeking answers, but will either of them be able to handle the truth about Al's death when they eventually discover what happened? #BurnBrightDanielle Jawando begins And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by introducing us to Al Bryant, a 17-year-old boy who kills himself. One day, little bro, you'll see. It will happen and you won't even realize it. You'll look up at the sky, stare at all those stars burning hundreds and thousands of miles away, and you'll think: I get it now. I get all that stuff that Al was banging on about – I really do. Piss off,' Saul says. 'Your mum asked me to move in, but I ain't sure you wanna new stepdad just yet.' The story concerns Al, who as the story opens has killed himself, and is written alternately by Nathan, one of his brothers, trying to make sense of his death and discover what drove such a talented young person to make such a decision, and by Megan, a girl Al befriends, who shared his passion for art, and their coming together, joined as they are by their anger and grief.

Throughout the story, despite the difficult subject matter, there is a really powerful message about hope and learning to embrace individuality. Was this intentional from the start? Al was special. Al was talented. Al had so many dreams ... so why did he do it? Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al's footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Al's former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Al's memory alive. Together they start seeking answers, but will either of them be able to handle the truth about Al's death when they eventually discover what happened? I would advise that if you are in a fragile state of mind at the moment, not to read this yet as it may trigger you. Otherwise this is a must read for everyone no matter what age. Performed by a cast of 13 to 19-year-old actors, Camden Youth Theatre’s And the Stars Were Burning Brightly combines dance, song, rap, digital media and traditional acting to explore the underlying themes of Danielle Jawando’s acclaimed YA novel. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -

LoveReading4Kids Says

How do I begin to describe how much I loved this book! It is such a beautiful, heartbreaking story that really has left me with tears rolling down my cheeks. Warning - this novel contains themes that some readers may find upsetting, including suicide and intense bullying. You know, for a star to be born, there's one thing that has to happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. The star must compress in on itself, the atoms must squeeze and react before they can create something new. So collapse, crumble, and remember this is not your destruction. This is your birth."

The more research I did, the more I felt like that this was an important story to tell. There are so many people out there (young and old), who have a similar story to me and Al. I also felt that there needed to be more discussion when it comes to the weaponing of words, and just how much damage they can actually do. Described as ‘An outstanding and compassionate debut’ by Patrice Lawrence, Danielle Jawando’s YA novel And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is an extraordinary novel about loss, love and the power of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down. In this interview, Danielle tells us about the inspiration behind her book, and the importance of writing about this difficult subject matter. Yet somehow, despite this incredibly heavy subject matter, Jawando still manages to retain messages of hope, redemption and fresh starts. Help New Writing North to continue to develop support for writers and activities and events for young people and the general public. I think we have all experienced a sense of loss in some way, whether that’s the death of a loved one, or a friend/person who is still here but no longer in our life. I partly used some of my own experience of loss, but I also did a lot of research. One of the things that Nate realises in the book, is that there is more than one way to grieve, and that it is often quite a messy process, which isn’t as clear cut as you may think. So, Nate sees his older brother grieving in a completely different way to him and doesn’t quite understand it at first.Our main focus is Nathan, the younger brother of Al. Al was a straight A-grade student who killed himself. Nathan found him. Nathan is also having to come to terms with the guilt he feels over ignoring a call from his brother on the night he hung himself.

It was the last thing he told me before he disappeared. He said it was from some poem he'd been studying in English, and then he ripped it out his school book and tossed it to me. He'd scrawled all these drawings down the sides of the words, cramming his pictures into the margins. All these people with no faces. I hated poetry more than I hated school, so I screwed it up and flushed it down the bog. Then I told Al exactly where he could shove his poetry. I didn't care that he thought it was a good one.It took me a while to work up the emotional courage to read this book and it was every bit as devastating as I thought it would be, but it was also incredibly beautiful. A frightening book in some ways but obviously from the author’s experience realistic. It makes I must've looked at it a thousand times – probably more – each time hoping to find summat different. I dunno wot. Maybe an answer or a clue. Summat to tell me why Al did it, or how to stop it from hurting, or wot I'm supposed to do now. How I'm supposed to just carry on ... even tho Al's torn this hole right through me. And I'll never be the same. Danielle Jawando also manages to bring in character growth in the form of owning up to your true self, moving away from toxicity and bad self-image but in a way that feels natural, not preachy. There have always been standards set by a select few that the rest of the world uses to judge themselves with. However, the prevalence of social media and the was our lives our so connected means these standards are reinforced to everyone day in, day out. Some excellent people are pushing forward with body positivity movements, mental health awareness, belief in one's own value, and every single thing we can do the combat this toxicity is valuable. And the Stars Were Burning Brightly is an important part of that movement. My chest goes all tight, knowing that I’ll never see him for real again, that he’ll only ever be this person in a photo.”