  | All the blues in the sky Author: Watson, Renee | |
| Price: $23.08 | ||
Summary:
When thirteen-year-old Sage's best friend dies, Sage struggles with grief and feels that she is at fault, but when she joins a grief group, she slowly learns to heal.
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (01/01/25)
School Library Journal (+) (02/01/25)
Booklist (+) (00/01/25)
The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books (00/01/25)
Full Text Reviews:
Other - 11/04/2024 Sage is left reeling after her best friend is killed in a hit-and-run accident. And since she was on the way to celebrate Sage’s 13th birthday, Sage blames herself for the event. At school, she starts attending a grief counseling group where she meets DD and Ebony, whose loved ones also died unexpectedly. With the help of her new friends, her crush Kofi, and her beloved aunt Ini, Sage learns more about the grieving process. All the while, she struggles to move forward and grapples with regret over not having the chance to say goodbye. Alternating verse and prose depict Sage’s present-day navigating new and uncomfortable experiences while going back and forth between her divorced parents’ homes alongside memories with her best friend and the imagined future she wishes they had together: "We would be fantasizing about first kisses, first loves/ Dreaming about going to high school one day." These brief yet poignant vignettes drive home the immediacy of Sage’s grief as well as the importance of remaining attune to one’s emotions in this tender and heartbreaking interpretation of loss. Sage is Black; supporting characters are racially diverse. Ages 10-14. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Feb.) - Copyright 2024
School Library Journal - 02/01/2025 Gr 5 Up—Sage is a Black girl living in New York City, and at 13, she's an age her best friend will never be. Angel was killed in a hit-and-run accident on her way to Sage's birthday party. Raw, honest emotions mark this novel in verse that explores Sage's grief. However, she is not alone. Great Aunt Ini and new friends from her counseling group demonstrate how not all experiences with death look the same and how healing is not uniform or linear. "Sometimes you go to sleep crying/ and wake up crying/ and that life after losing someone you love/ feels like one big ocean of sorrow/ and you might feel like you are drowning,/ but always there is something/ to hold on to/ to keep you afloat." New romantic interests also offer Sage a chance to redefine who she is and provide an escape from the heaviness of her feelings, which are tested as new challenges unfold. Hand to readers looking for a good cry. VERDICT A heartrending story of grief and resilience with a surprising depth despite a brief page count. A recommended first purchase for all collections serving teens and tweens.—Monisha Blair - Copyright 2025 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
