As part of the blog tour for this incredible book, author, Meg Grehan has shared the favourite books of the characters from The Brightest Star.
Stevie
A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga
Oh my goodness how I wish I could give this book to Stevie. A Rover’s Story follows a rover named Resilience as he heads off into space. He’s meant to explore Mars and to report back to NASA but perhaps the NASA scientists who made him did slightly too well because Resilience is developing what can only be likened to human emotions. Mars is scary and dangerous and Resilience has to find so much courage and determination to keep going as millions back on earth watch and hope for the best. This book had me in tears. It’s beautifully written, emotionally complex and absolutely gripping. Stevie would love A Rover’s Story because, just like her, Resilience finds the bravery to keep going and lets curiosity lead the way.
Chloe
Wildflower Emily by Lydia Corry
This one might be a little surprising, Chloe hasn’t mentioned an interest in Dickinson, poetry or nature before, but she would love this book so much. There’s such a wonderful sense of whimsy and magic in this book and I think it would spark a long and obsessive love of Emily Dickinson for Chloe. Wildflower Emily follows a young Emily Dickinson out exploring nature with her beloved dog Carlo. I have a long standing obsession with Dickinson so snapped this book up and devoured it (this one made me cry too but in a very different way) and I just had this feeling that Chloe would love it a lot. The art is stunning, the colours warm and inviting and the dedication to Emily’s poetry admirable. Lines of dialogue make use of lines of poetry in the most pleasing way and made the reading experience an absolute delight. Chloe would respond to the absolute warmth of this book, the passion that clearly went into creating it and the love for everything the world has to offer that glows on every page. This book is just very Chloe to me! Warm, vibrant, loving and fun.
Andrew
Self Made Boys by Anna-Marie McLemore
This is a YA book so while he’s a little young for it now I just know some day soon Andrew will love this book just as much as I did. It’s a queer retelling of The Great Gatsby and my girlfriend described me as “giddy” the whole time I was reading it. We follow Nick, a trans boy trying to make a life for himself in New York. He rents a house from his glamorous cousin Daisy and soon meets the mysterious Jay Gatsby. As Nick and Jay get to know each other Nick learns that Jay is also trans and their bond deepens. This book is something special. It is gorgeously written, lovingly crafted and so full of tenderness. I just know that Andrew would adore it. He would love a story about people finding their family and living passionately and beautifully together. He would appreciate how it handles darkness and how it shares light. He would find so much of himself and so much of his own found family in these pages and it would be such a special book for him.
My Shelves Are Full 