Stargazing: 10/31/19

Stargazing by Jen Wang is inspired by actual events. Christine's parents rent out their in-law to a single mother and her daughter who are struggling to stay afloat. Moon, the daughter, has a reputation for having a temper but Christine and she quickly become friends even though they are so different — or maybe because of their differences.

As time progresses, there are times when Moon's reputed temper shows. She also has some other quirks, like the belief that she's a celestial being. She keeps all of her thoughts, including her crush on their teacher, in a diary sketchbook.

In the background of the ups and downs of Moon and Christine's friendship is the upcoming talent show. At first, I expected the talent show plot to play out like Click by Kayla Miller (2019), but it doesn't. Instead, Christine, who is reluctant to play her violin at the show, takes Moon's lead and lets her choreograph a dance number to a popular kpop single.

With the title Stargazing one might think it's related to Moon's name. Or maybe it's the field trip the class takes to the Griffith Observatory. But there's more and this is where the personal experience comes into play. There's also an afterword with an explanation of the author's experiences and how she drew on them to create Moon's story.

Five stars

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