Starred Review Twelve-year-old Liberty learns that her dad suffers from depression d begins feeling her own symptoms roughout the year of her parents' divorce. As a young astronomer, Liberty had always found comfort in drawing original star maps, and it was her dream to change the way people see the heavens, but she leaves her hobby behind as she sinks into a morass of anger and confusion. When she asks the stars to reunite her parents, they answer by sending a meteorite crashing into her backyard. The heavy rock becomes her sounding board as she grapples with her father's new lifestyle, her mom and little sister's own fallout, and the fact that reconciliation won't happen. This is a deeply emotional book, immersed in Liberty's first-person introspection, but it never drags, propelled by the suspense of interfamilial tension and King's (Me and Marvin Gardens, 2017) beautifully efficient prose. It's also a sad, utterly honest book, capturing the grief, longing, and loss of divorce. Liberty's depression seeps through the pages, and readers may themselves sink at times. The ending, however, remarkably offers hope and healing without minimizing the lingering realities of depression and separation. This is required reading for both children and parents of divorce, all of whom will find themselves reflected in this heartachingly cathartic tale of family, mental health, and coping.

King (Me and Marvin Gardens) capably tackles the complexities of divorce and depression in this multifaceted novel. When 12-year-old narrator Liberty-s parents announce their separation, the budding astronomer-who creates star maps featuring new constellations-plunges into a difficult new reality. Familial change is further impacted by confusing social dynamics at school, where Liberty is outcast from a group of friends; the intense responsibility she feels toward her younger sister Jilly, who ceased going outside following their parents- separation; and her father-s absence. Anxious Liberty proves keenly observant, piecing together her father-s new relationship and often considering what she has in common with him and how his depression manifests (-It makes him do things like snap or yell or stare into space or drive away for a few hours or sit in a room with no lights on for a day-). The running internal dialogue she conducts with a meteorite that falls to the woods near her home offers insight into her struggles and fears but can break the narrative pace; still, strong character interaction and Liberty-s engaging, often humorous voice make the difficult slice-of-life topics relatable. Ages 8-12. (Oct.)

Gr 5-7 The night a meteor falls near the home of 12-year-old Liberty Johansen, her parents announce their separation. As life as she knows it crumbles, she is left to grapple with her own conflicting emotions, which may stem from something deeper, possibly clinical depression. This compelling upper middle grade title offers an honest window into struggles with childhood and adult depression. Her father has been suffering from it for years, and Liberty fears that she may also have it. Her impulses shift from the desire to protect and nurture her younger sister to throwing a toaster out a window in a fit of rage. She finds solace in speaking to the meteor that she collected on the night of its fall from space, and, finally, with a trusted therapist. Bullying, puberty, and the protagonist's father's infidelity are also addressed. This title will resonate with middle graders searching for deeper understanding of their own or their family's experiences with these or similar topics. VERDICT Recommended for most middle grade collections, especially where realistic drama is in demand. Fans of Ali Benjamin's The Thing About Jellyfish and Esther Ehrlich's Nest will devour this one. Pilar Okeson, The Allen-Stevenson School, New York