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And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

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And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

By: Danielle Jawando
Narrated by: Kenton Thomas, Melissa Vaughan
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About this listen

 An extraordinary novel about loss, understanding and the importance of speaking up when all you want to do is shut down. From a multi-award-winning author, perfect for fans of Angie Thomas, Gayle Foreman, Jennifer Niven and Nikesh Shukla.

Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize
Shortlisted for the YA Book Prize
Shortlisted for the Jhalak Children’s & YA Prize
Shortlisted for the Branford Boase Award
​Longlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal

When fifteen-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al, has taken his own life, his whole world is torn apart.
Al was special.
Al was talented.
Al had so many dreams ... so why did he do it?

Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan decides to retrace Al’s footsteps. As he does, he meets Megan, Al's former classmate, who is as determined as Nathan to keep Al's memory alive. Together they start seeking answers, but will either of them be able to handle the truth about Al’s death when they eventually discover what happened? #BurnBright

Praise for And the Stars Were Burning Brightly:

‘Jawando’s writing is incredibly raw and real; I felt completely immersed’ Alice Oseman

'An outstanding and compassionate debut' Patrice Lawrence

'One of the brightest up and coming stars of the YA world' Alex Wheatle

‘An utter page turner from a storming new talent. Passionate, committed and shines a ray of light into the darkest places - the YA novel of 2020!’ Melvin Burgess

Warning - this novel contains themes that some readers may find upsetting, including suicide and intense bullying. Difficult Situations Family & Relationships Friendship Literature & Fiction Multicultural Racism & Discrimination
All stars
Most relevant
I thoroughly recommend Danielle Jawando’s 2020 debut novel to teens and parents of teens. It’s about a 17 year old boy who commits suicide and his brother and friend’s journey to find out why and to celebrate his life. It shows the dangers of bystander apathy and the online pressure on young people. It would make young people really aware of the power of words and kindness. As a parent and English Teacher, I LOVED it.

Powerful, tragic, moving & transformative

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Fantastic writing and fantastic performances, I enjoyed every minute! 🙂
This book shines bright! A brilliant debut for the author and I can’t wait to see what she has in store for us next!

The best book I’ve read all year! 🙂

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Having worked as a teacher in Wythenshawe for many years I loved listening to this book. the characters are convincingly created and echo the lives of many young people. Grief, relationships and the impact of social media are topics explored well through careful narration and characterisation. it is a great YA book and worth a listen.

Great, thought-provoking book

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Let’s start with the negatives – there are none!
Spoiler Alert….
This book addresses many topics, which I felt particularly resonated with me, social media, and young people, bullying, being targeted because you’re different. The addition of homophobia added another twist to the story. The devastation felt following an act of suicide, and the comments or trolling on social media is an unfortunate reality in today’s world, this was delicately portrayed and beautifully written. I had tearful moments, I smiled with the characters, and there is nothing I didn’t love about this book. Truly wonderful, well done!

Particular 👏🏼 for the narration!

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