Starcrossed

by Julia Denos, Julia Denos (Illustrator)

Overview

A resonant story of two friends trying to maintain their relationship from afar with dazzling results, filled with wishes, curiosity, and bravery. From award-winning author-illustrator Julia Denos.

She was made of blood and bones, and he was made of space and stars. 

Back in a time when there were still students of the stars, there were two friends, Acamar and Eridani.

Eridani was a star pupil studying the night skies, and Acamar . . . well, he was made of the stuff she studied.

In a star-crossed twist of fate, these long-distance friends find they’ve wished themselves into unexpected new worlds.

Filled with stardust and moonglow, this cosmic adventure shows us how even the most brilliant wishes can have a mind of their own—and that true friendship can endure, despite time and space.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780358153955
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/27/2020
Pages:	64
Product dimensions:	10.10(w) x 10.10(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Julia Denos is the author of the multi-awarded picture book Windows, as well as Here and Now, both illustrated by E.B. Goodale, and is author/illustrator of Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color, her author/illustrator debut, which was a 2016 ALA Notable selection. She is the illustrator of Margaret Cardillo's Just Being Audrey and Just Being Jackie, as well as I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn. Inspired by her love of nature, words, and watercolor, she lives and works in coastal Massachusetts. 
www.juliadenos.com
Instagram: @juliadenos

Julia Denos is the author of the multi-awarded picture book Windows, as well as Here and Now, both illustrated by E.B. Goodale, and is author/illustrator of Swatch: The Girl Who Loved Color, her author/illustrator debut, which was a 2016 ALA Notable selection. She is the illustrator of Margaret Cardillo's Just Being Audrey and Just Being Jackie, as well as I Had a Favorite Dress by Boni Ashburn. Inspired by her love of nature, words, and watercolor, she lives and works in coastal Massachusetts. 
www.juliadenos.com
Instagram: @juliadenos

Editorial Reviews

08/31/2020

Poetic text and crystalline artwork tell the story of Eridani, a starry-eyed human girl with a passion for astronomy, and her friend Acamar, an impish astral being, “more of a constellation than a boy.” Eridani excels at leading her school’s celestial projects, and she and Acamar talk nightly as Eridani heads home: “Hey, Eri, can you see me yet?” he calls. Denos (Here and Now) writes of their contrary longings—Eridani wants to fly among the stars, while Acamar wonders about life on Earth—and grants their desires as each, aiming to be with the other, makes a wish that inadvertently swaps them. But they quickly move on from regret to embrace their new circumstances: “It felt good to shimmer// ... It felt wonderful to have feet.” Denos creates artwork drenched in color, wash, and flashes of light, portraying two bold spirits thirsty for knowledge and content to give up their corporeal forms in order to learn. In omitting the backstory of their unusual friendship and ending abruptly, Denos’s tale feels like a single episode in a longer saga. Ages 6–9. Agent: Lori Kilkelly, LK Agency. (Oct.)

Publishers Weekly

★ “Get lost in the stars in this gorgeous tale of friendship and astronomy.” —Kirkus, starred review   ★ “Author-illustrator Denos weaves a tale of celestial friendship full of wonder and discovery.” —Booklist, starred review ★ “Denos's watercolor, India ink, salt, graphite, pastels and digital paint illustrations are rapturous, featuring stunning hues of rich blue, green and purple . . . . heavenly.” –Shelf Awareness, starred review   —

From the Publisher

★ 2020-07-14
Stars and wishes intertwine in this celestial friendship tale.

Eridani, a human girl, loves to look up at the night sky to see and talk to her best friend, Acamar, a constellation of a boy. During the day, Eridani pores over sky maps and star plots as she works on celestial school projects. But studying the stars will never be the same as being up in the stars like Acamar. Eridani silently wishes she could trade her blood and bones for space and stars. At the same time, Acamar quietly yearns to feel his feet on the sand. The expertly paced, lyrical third-person narration creates an otherworldly atmosphere for this long-form picture book. The texts of the first and second halves of the story mirror each other, further highlighting the special connection between the friends. Illustrations are awash in textures, some splattered, some brushed, some drawn, visually expanding the ethereal world created by the text. The visual pacing of the illustrations contrasts spreads bursting with jewel-toned colors and exuberant movement with pages featuring speech-bubble dialogue spotlighted in a sea of black. As humans, the friends appear as children of color in a timeless setting; as constellations, their human silhouettes are filled in with shimmering blue, purple, and black, shot through with glittering stars. Readers will be thrilled to learn from the author’s note that Acamar really is a star within the constellation Eridanus, and Denos provides some resources for those who want to learn more.

Get lost in the stars in this gorgeous tale of friendship and astronomy. (Picture book. 5-10)

Kirkus Reviews