The Star That Always Stays
by Anna Rose Johnson (Author)
When bright and spirited Norvia moves from the country to the city, she has to live by one new rule: Never let anyone know you're Ojibwe.
INSPIRING.--Kirkus Reviews
A NEW CLASSIC.--The Southern Bookseller Review
An Amazon #1 New Release in Native American Children's Fiction!
Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories--stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage.
Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia's mother forces her to pretend she's not Native at all--even to Mr. Ward, Ma's new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia's irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It's dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan.
Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings--all five of them--are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it... and upon her discretion.
But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?
Sensitive, enthralling, and classic in sensibility (perfect for Anne of Green Gables fans), this tender coming-of-age story about an introspective and brilliant Native American heroine thoughtfully addresses assimilation, racism, and divorce, as well as everygirl problems like first crushes, making friends, and the joys and pains of a blended family. Often funny, often heartbreaking, The Star That Always Stays is a fresh and vivid story directly inspired by Anna Rose Johnson's family history.
INTIMATE.--Publishers Weekly
BEAUTIFUL.--Booklist
UNPUTDOWNABLE.--Anne Bustard, author of Parents' Choice Book Award Winner Blue Skies
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection!
A Parnassus Books Spark Club Pick!
An Amazon #1 New Release in Historical Fiction for Children!
An Amazon #1 New Release in Stepfamily Fiction for Children!
An Amazon #1 New Release in Multicultural Stories for Children!
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Publishers Weekly
Johnson uses her own great-grandmother's story as a foundation to deliver an intimate tale chronicling an Indigenous 14-year-old's life in a new city, set in 1914 on the brink of WWI. Following Norvia Nelson's parents' divorce and her mother's whirlwind nuptials to a white man they hardly know, Norvia's mother, who is French and Ojibwe, asks her and her siblings to hide their Indigenous heritage from their new stepfamily. The Nelsons soon move from Beaver Island on Lake Michigan to Boyne City, where Norvia longs for her old life listening to her late Grand-père tell stories about their ancestors. Struggling between embracing her heritage and attempting to fit in at her new high school, Norvia channels heroines from her favorite novels, including Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, to navigate shifting family dynamics, community gossip over her parents' divorce, prejudice, and first love. This introspective, unhurried debut, filled with personal touches from the author's ancestry as detailed in an author's note, is populated by memorable characters, such as Norvia's larger-than-life younger sister. Johnson's family photographs and an Ojibwe glossary conclude. Ages 8-12. Agent: Jessica Schmeidler, Golden Wheat Literary. (July)
Copyright 2022 Publishers Weekly, LLC Used with permission.ALA/Booklist
Review quotes
JUV039020 - Juvenile Fiction | Social Themes | Adolescence
JUV011040 - Juvenile Fiction | People & Places | United States - Native American
JUV013080 - Juvenile Fiction | Family | Blended Families
20th century
Family life
Indians of North America
Books and reading
Michigan
Stepfamilies
Ojibwa Indians
Christian life
Novels
