The Weight of the Stars

by K. Ancrum Narrated by Joniece Abbott-Pratt

Overview

A vivid, evocative YA lesbian romance about how the universe is full of second chances.



Ryann Bird dreams of traveling across the stars. But a career in space isn't an option for a girl who lives in a trailer park on the "wrong" side of town. So Ryann becomes her circumstances and settles for acting out and skipping school to hang out with her delinquent friends.



One day she meets Alexandria: a furious loner who spurns Ryann's offer of friendship. After a horrific accident leaves Alexandria with a broken arm, the girls are brought together despite themselves-and Ryann learns her secret: Alexandria's mother is an astronaut who volunteered for a one-way trip to the edge of the solar system.



Every night without fail, Alexandria waits to catch radio signals from her mother. And now it's up to Ryann to lift her onto the roof day after day until the silence between them grows into friendship, and eventually something more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

The Weight of the Stars is one of the most gentle, gracious, and, overall, kind books that I've read all year ... It's a YA romance about girls and stars and friendship and mercy and loss and regret and what we owe each other and what we give away to lift each other up ... This book is starlight on broken concrete, it's flowers on a broken rooftop, and it's a masterpiece.” —Seanan McGuire, New York Times bestselling author of Every Heart a Doorway

“As bright as it is stellar ... a story with a lush, dark atmosphere; heartbreaking circumstances; bright, new love that blossoms from ugliness; and vividly real, magnetic characters.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Touches on sexual identity, friendship, nontraditional families, and the price of human space exploration. The characters' resilience and vulnerability are deftly handled ... For readers who are drawn to the unconventional, this will be a satisfying read.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Their slow-burn romance ... is sweetly, devastatingly understated.” - Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

Praise for The Wicker King:

“Ancrum delves into the blurry space between reality and madness. A haunting and provocative read that will keep teens riveted.” —School Library Journal

“Teen fans of moody psychological horror will be entranced.” —Booklist

“Give this to readers who like complex, experimental fictions about intense relationships that acquire mythic resonance.” —The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

“An eerie piece of realistic fiction whose characters revel in intense emotions.” —Kirkus Reviews

“An eerie and mesmerizing thriller that questions the space where reality and perception overlap, The Wicker King is a spine-tingling read that will have you riveted.” —Caleb Roerhrig, author of Last Seen Leaving and White Rabbit

School Library Journal

04/01/2019

Gr 9 Up-Ryann takes in strays: new students, kids who don't fit in, people who don't have anyone. She doesn't look like she would be good at it, with self-trimmed black hair, a scar across her face, a leather jacket, and an affinity for fighting, but people with problems often open up to other people with problems. So when new student Alexandria shows up, Ryann puts in the effort to adopt her into their misfit friend group. Alexandria is not interested in making friends. She is rude and confrontational, probably because when she was born, her mother was sent on a one-way journey out into the furthest reaches of space with a small group of young women to document and record their findings for science and humanity. What follows is a beautiful story filled with complex familial relationships, and background characters who deserve their own stories. Ancrum includes a diverse cast of characters such as polyamorous parents and both lesbian and gay relationships. Fans of Ancrum's first book The Wicker King will enjoy seeing her three main characters again. VERDICT A slow burn of a story that touches on the adventure and romance of space, readers will remember this ending long after they finish the book. Recommended for high school libraries due to a sexual assault and mention of underage drinking and drugs.-Morgan O'Reilly, Riverdale Country School, NY

Kirkus Reviews

2018-12-12

A high school senior discovers common ground with a new friend and develops a deep connection that changes her life.

Ryann Bird is the primary support for herself, her brother, and her nephew following her parents' accidental deaths. They live in a trailer park, but she attends school in an affluent neighborhood where she maintains a tough exterior. A teacher asks her to befriend new girl Alexandria Macallough, whose mother volunteered for a controversial one-way trip into space sponsored by a private company, SCOUT. The girls' relationship has a rocky beginning, including an incident in which Alexandria is seriously injured. Seeking to make amends, Ryann involves her friends in a scheme to break into SCOUT to retrieve the messages Alexandria's mother has sent through the years. As the plan proceeds, Ryann faces her attraction to Alexandria as well as the sacrifices she has made since her parents died. This is an unusual story—both in plot and how the narrative is tracked—that touches on sexual identity, friendship, nontraditional families, and the price of human space exploration. The characters' resilience and vulnerability are deftly handled. Ryann and her family are white, while Alexandria is biracial (half black/half white). An observant Sikh secondary character with a Muslim given name and polyamorous parents is presented without sufficient backstory.

For readers who are drawn to the unconventional, this will be a satisfying read. (Fiction. 14-18)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940172793271
Publisher:	Tantor Audio
Publication date:	04/20/2021
Edition description:	Unabridged

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