And the Stars Were Burning Brightly

Product Information

The book follows Nathan, a 15-year-old boy in Wythenshawe near Manchester, one of Europe’s largest council estates, as he recovers from his older brother, Al, committing suicide. Nathan was the one to find his brother, alongside a drawing of Al surrounded by faceless figures adorned only with the words ‘help me.’ Determined to find out what happened to his brother at all costs, Nathan retraces Al’s last steps and connects with Megan, Al’s closest friend, to try and get to the bottom of it. Nathan, his brother Saul, his mum and his sister Phoebe are all struggling to cope with Al's death. Saul, the eldest, has taken it upon himself to be the provider since their father left and so shows a tough exterior but underneath he is struggling to come to terms with Al's death just as much as everyone else. I found the relationship between the family heart-warming, the way both Nathan and Saul treated their younger sister Phoebe was both touching and poignant. The story follows two main characters: Nathan (who's brother Al killed himself) and Megan (who was friends with Al but kept that friendship secret). And the Stars Were Burning Bright is such a wonderful, heart wrenching story with important topic (bullying) more people should talk about. Megan also felt incredibly real and provided a wonderful example of positive mental care. I loved her growth throughout the text.

Throughout the story, despite the difficult subject matter, there is a really powerful message about hope and learning to embrace individuality. Was this intentional from the start? Our main focus is Nathan, the younger brother of Al. Al was a straight A-grade student who killed himself. Nathan found him. Nathan is also having to come to terms with the guilt he feels over ignoring a call from his brother on the night he hung himself.

Publisher

I would recommend this book, and I would like to read more novels with the same theme because bullying and suicide is something we should all be more aware about. 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 Megan’s having a hard time with Al’s suicide for a different reason. Her other friends never knew that she was close to Al, and, as the story unfolds, we see that they’re not all that supportive of Megan in general. She’s coping with the loss of, she is now realising, possibly her only real friend. As well as coming to understand just how terrible her usual friendship group is.

You know, for a star to be born, there's one thing that has to happen: a gaseous nebula must collapse. The star must compress in on itself, the atoms must squeeze and react before they can create something new. So collapse, crumble, and remember this is not your destruction. This is your birth." The performers use rap and song effectively as alternative ways to deliver the narrative. Dance sequences are nicely used, notably in one scene where Al attempts to convince his online partner to meet in-person, the dialogue mixed with physical theatre as other actors form a circle around the object of his desire to prevent them from reaching each other. There is an avant-garde, surreal element to the choreography, which fits the feeling of the story. Al is excellently portrayed with apt body language and tonal inflections to create the sense of a smart, enthusiastic, but self-conscious and insecure young man who knows his passions could be easily ridiculed. The young actor playing Elijah also does a great job of bringing this hard-shelled, probably deeply wounded and yet undeniably horrible character to life. Danielle Jawando begins And the Stars Were Burning Brightly by introducing us to Al Bryant, a 17-year-old boy who kills himself. When 15-year-old Nathan discovers that his older brother Al has taken his own life, his world falls apart. Al was a talented artist. Al was ambitious. Al was going places. So why did he do it? Convinced that his brother was in trouble, Nathan looks into Al's life and relationships. 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? And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a powerful book about grief. It follows Nate, who is determined to find the reason for his brother Al's suicide. He's convinced that finding answers to all his questions is going to help him deal with his grief. The other main character in the novel is Megan, who is also dealing with grief after Al - her friend's - suicide. Convinced that she didn't do enough to appreciate Al while he was alive, Megan is determined to be a better friend to him now, and to keep his memory alive through the passion for art that they both shared.I would advise that if you are in a fragile state of mind at the moment, not to read this yet as it may trigger you. Otherwise this is a must read for everyone no matter what age. The amazing author, Danielle Jawando was bullied at school and attempted suicide. She has written this book to pass on hope that things can get better and to stop the stigma surrounding mental health. This powerful, thought provoking story most definitely should be given to all children in High School as it shows you the severe consequences bullying can do to peoples lives and how “only banter” can leave people in a very dark place. 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.

The other central character in the novel is Megan, one of Al’s friends. She, too, struggles with his death but seeks to celebrate him and his memory by focusing on his art. Megan and Nathan forge a friendship and she helps Nathan to come to terms with his brother’s death. And The Stars Were Burning Brightly is a heart wrenching story. It was an emotional ride for me. This book is about loss, grief, bullying and suicide. It might trigger some readers. And here I'm warning you, some parts are heavy and this wasn't an easy read. I liked the story-line and the topics mentioned in this book. I loved this book from the beginning. It helped that I know the area where Al and Nate lived, so it became very relatable.

LoveReading4Kids Says

Alongside Nathan we have Megan, a friend of Al that few people knew about. They shared an Art class. They were close, but Megan didn’t feel able to go against her ‘cool’ friends and show Al that their friendship was important to her. Less than 10 of those books have made me cry and it’s been a while since my last bookish weep. That was, until I read And The Stars Were Burning Brightly, a beautifully moving exploration of grief from debut YA author Danielle Jawando. Armistice Day: A Collection of Remembrance - Spark Interest and Educate Children about Historical Moments Megan was one of Al’s closest friends but you wouldn’t know it given how rarely they were seen together in public. As Megan reaches out in the wake of her grief, she finds herself in Nathan’s orbit and his search for the truth.