A Sky Full of Stars

Gr 5-7--Jackson's second novel in the continuing story of Rosa "Rose" Lee Carter, a 13-year-old African American girl growing up in Mississippi. The year is 1955, and the town of Stillwater, MI, is still reeling from the injustice of Emmett Till's murderers going free. The white folks are saying that ever since the trial, "the coloreds have gotten beside themselves." Trouble is brewing closer to Rosa than it ever has before. Her best friend, Hallelujah, the preacher's son, is stirring up talk of holding demonstrations in Stillwater. But it is Rosa's cousin Shorty who is determined to take a stronger stance against whites, using guns instead of words. While the backdrop of the story depicts the violence and hatred toward blacks in the South, racial tension and injustice is weaved throughout Rosa's own story. Many readers will be shaken by the level of violence that pervaded this time and region of the country, while others will see echoes of this history in current events. There is also much inspiration to be found in Rosa's resilience and her determination to make something good of her life and not leave her beloved South for a "safer" part of the country. Jackson presents a raw and frank look at what growing up in the deep South during Jim Crow was really like. VERDICT A powerful and well-crafted novel that will spark deep discussion of this era in U.S. history--and its contemporary repercussions.--Carol Connor, Cincinnati Public Schools, OH

Jackson's novel--a sequel to Midnight Without a Moon, but easily read as a standalone--takes place in the town of Stillwater, Miss., in 1955, during the charged months following the death of Emmett Till and the acquittal of his killers. Thirteen-year-old Rose Lee Carter struggles with questions of race relations and political activism in her family and community. Rose and her brother are being raised by their grandparents--mean-spirited Ma Pearl and gentle Papa--who tend to a white family's house and cotton plantation; the siblings' parents are married to others and are absent from their lives. Jackson presents the lingering racist perspectives of white Southerners ("I wish the coloreds up north would realize how happy the coloreds are down here") and, a little less smoothly, includes a lot of black history under the guise of conversation. The relentless killing of black men by whites is uncomfortably timely, as are the conflicts between Rose's friend Hallelujah, who advocates peaceful demonstrations, and her cousin Shorty, who believes violence should be responded to in kind. Readers will be left with much to consider and discuss. Ages 10-12. (Jan.)

Praise for Midnight Without a Moon:

"This nuanced coming-of-age story by a debut author is deftly delivered, with engaging characters set against a richly contextualized backdrop of life for African Americans during the Jim Crow era. It's also an authentic work of historical fiction (supported by Southern vernacular in both dialogue and vocabulary that accurately reflects the era) about a pivotal incident in the civil rights movement."—Horn Book

"Jackson pulls no punches in the characters' heated discussions and keeps dialogue raw and real..." —Bulletin "Jackson's debut does an excellent job dramatizing the injustice that was epidemic in the pre-civil rights South and capturing the sounds and sensibilities of that time and place. Her sympathetic characters and their stories will make this thoughtful book especially good for classroom use."—Booklist

"A powerful story."—Kirkus

"Midnight Without a Moon offers readers an unflinching bird's eye view of 1955 Mississippi. Young Rose Lee has one foot steeped in the segregated South and the other in the new world where Negroes and girls are expecting more, doing more, and willing to risk all to live lives of their own choosing. Bravo to Jackson, for a magnificent piece of writing!" —Sharon G. Flake, Coretta Scott King Award winning author of Unstoppable Octobia May and The Skin I'm In

"Rose shines bright in the darkness — brave, beautiful, and full of hard-won hope. She'll be an inspiration to every reader who meets her, as she has been to me." -Caroline Starr Rose, author of May B and Blue Birds —