Stargazing

by Jen Wang

Jen Wang (Illustrator)

Moon is everything Christine isn't. She’s confident, impulsive, artistic . . . and though they both grew up in the same Chinese-American suburb, Moon is somehow unlike anyone Christine has ever known.

But after Moon moves in next door, these unlikely friends are soon best friends, sharing their favorite music videos and painting their toenails when Christine's strict parents aren't around. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she has visions, sometimes, of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn't where she really belongs.

Moon's visions have an all-too-earthly root, however, and soon Christine's best friend is in the hospital, fighting for her life. Can Christine be the friend Moon needs, now, when the sky is falling?

Jen Wang draws on her childhood to paint a deeply personal yet wholly relatable friendship story that’s at turns joyful, heart-wrenching, and full of hope.

• ISBN10: 125018388X
• ISBN13: 9781250183880
• Publish Date: 10 September 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Publish Country: US
• Publisher: Roaring Brook Press
• Imprint: First Second
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 224
• Language: English

Reviews

[nannah]

I fell in love with Jen Wang’s art style while reading The Prince and the Dressmaker. Its storyline and wonderful representation made me eagerly await the next thing Jen Wang wrote -- and I’ve finally gotten a hold of it!

Representation:
- almost every character is Asian American
- there’s another one, but it’s a spoiler

When Moon moves next door, she immediately becomes Christine’s best friend, despite being everything Christine is not: funny, confident, and “not Asian” to use Christine’s own words. Their friendship introduces Christine to nail polish, dancing, and K-Pop, things her strict parents would normally tell her are for women “who don’t want good jobs”. Moon eventually tells Christine that she experiences visions from celestial beings who tell her she’s not from this world. Christine chalks it up to Moon’s eccentricity until she’s invited to a birthday party where she learns the truth.

I love stories with a strong personal connection. In this case, the events that happen to Moon Lin (the secondary protagonist) in the latter half of the graphic novel happened to Jen Wang herself as a child. Jen Wang also mentions how the story mirrors her own experience growing up in a close-knit Asian-American community, with the blessings and challenges that it presents.

Just like with her other graphic novel, Stargazing leaves me feeling warm and content and pretty much in love with the world. There are plenty of emotional moments that really pack a punch, like Christine’s conversation with her dad about perfection or any of the scenes in the second half dealing with Moon’s visions -- but much like the fashion show in The Prince and the Dressmaker, the ending creates a genuinely powerful warmth. Especially combined with the art style.

Honestly there’s not too much more to say here except read for a charming and sweet story.