The Magic in Changing Your Stars

Black excellence, black fantastic, and black family combine for a transformational story of passion and persistence.

Gr 4-7--Eleven-year-old Ailey is a dancer, all the way to his bones. But when he chokes at a school audition for The Wiz, he thinks he's finished. Then his grandpa tells him something amazing: He was a tap dancer so talented that Bojangles himself gave him a special pair of shoes and a chance to audition--and Grampa choked, too. Ailey finds the shoes, tries them on, and is whisked back to 1939 Harlem where he might have the chance to change both Grampa's life and his own. Ailey's story may have elements of fantasy, but it reads like a work of realistic and historical fiction. The historical setting is well researched and immersive, making any reader feel that they, too, have plunged into 1930s Harlem. Parallels to The Wizard of Oz are unmistakable, but this is no simple retelling. Ailey and Grampa are their own heros, and Ailey's quest to get home is filled with twists and turns, raps and tap dancing. A "Black Excellence List" at the end provides extra information about the famous people and places referenced in the book. VERDICT A fast-paced story about family, bravery, and the arts, this story will have readers wanting to visit Harlem and tap alongside Ailey, Grampa, and Bojangles himself.--Kristin Brynsvold, Tuckahoe Elementary School, Arlington, VA

Copyright 2020 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

The value of family, perseverance, and believing in oneself takes center stage in this bighearted multigenerational story tinged with enchantment. An aspiring rapper and dancer, 11-year-old Ailey Lane is determined to play the Scarecrow in his school production of The Wiz, but the fifth grader bungles his audition, neglecting to learn his lines and forgetting his dance moves. When he informs his grandfather that he'll never try out for anything again, the man tells Ailey about his own childhood choice, rooted in fear of failure, to pass up Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's invitation to "show him what I had," a decision that scotched his tap dancing dreams and spawned lifelong regret. Trying on the tap shoes that Robinson gave to Grampa decades earlier, Ailey is transported to 1939 Harlem, where he doggedly tries to help his young grandfather "change his stars" by reversing his fateful decision. Henderson (One Shadow on the Wall) adds a dose of suspense as Ailey sorts out how, if at all, the tap shoes can help change history and return him home. The author leaves readers space for creative speculation and with genuine affection for the Lane family--in their past and present personas. Ages 8-12. Agent: Clelia Gore, Martin Literary & Media Mgmt. (June)

Copyright 2020 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.

"The Magic in Changing Your Stars is an enchanting story of a boy whose dream of becoming a star will take readers on a most wonderfully magical journey—a heartfelt tribute to legendary African American performers and their place among the stars." —Ibi Zoboi, New York Times bestselling author of My Life as an Ice Cream Sandwich

"Leah Henderson brings heartfelt magic to this culturally rich journey of hope, self-discovery and familial love." —Rita Williams Garcia, New York Times best-selling author of the Gaither Sisters trilogy
This story is family,
and time-travel, plus Harlem, plus tap (and rap), with a dash of The Wiz.Come and get it. —Newbery Medalist Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me and The List of Things That Will Not Change