Where the Sky Lives

4.7

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Author(s)

Margaret Dilloway

Publisher

Balzer + Bray

Genre(s)

Age Range

Release Date

March 08, 2022

ISBN

978-0063047242

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From the author of Five Things About Ava Andrews comes a new middle grade stand-alone novel with STEM and activism themes, set against the backdrop of beautiful Zion National Park. With the perfect blend of humor and heart, this poignant story about family, grief, and changes beyond our control is perfect for fans of Rebecca Stead, Meg Medina, and Lynne Kelly.

When life doesn’t make sense, twelve-year-old amateur astronomer Tuesday Beals has always looked to the stars above Zion National Park, where she lives. Her beloved late uncle Ezra taught her astronomy, but now their special stargazing sites are all she has left of him, along with his ashes and a poem that may be a riddle.

Then a new housing development next door threatens to ruin the night skies and her favorite astronomy spots. Desperate to focus on something besides the growing uncle-sized chasm between her and her mother, the park archeologist, Tuesday takes up photography with her best friend, Carter, after they find an abandoned camera. With this new way of seeing the universe, she tries to solve her uncle’s riddle to save the land.

But one day, a photo reveals clues about an endangered animal—one that could halt construction. Will the discovery be enough to save the park and keep the rest of her world from falling apart?

Editor review

1 review

Environmental Activism!

April 05, 2022

Overall rating

4.7

Plot

5.0

Characters

5.0

Writing Style

4.0

Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)

N/A

Tuesday lives in staff housing near Zion National Park, where her single mother, Dana, works as an archaeologist. Tuesday's best friend, Carter, lives nearby, since his stepfather, Grant, is a law enforcement park ranger. Tuesday loves her life at the park, but misses her uncle Ezra, who has recently passed away. Her mother is also struggling with this loss, and also is worried about her job. Funding is always difficult, and she's been furloughed several times, which has lead her to investigate jobs at universities. There are big changes to the park as well; a local farm, Hedges Ranch, has been sold to a developer who is going to build high density housing. While the environmental impact, especially on the night sky, is going to be devastating, there's no stopping the developers. This doesn't mean that Tuesday and Carter don't try. Tuesday gets a wooden box camera that a resident hipster artist has thrown away in a huff, and starts to take pictures. She talks Dana into letting her have an Instagram account, and tries to rally support for saving Hedges from development. Rich and famous influencer, Lyla, is visiting the park and gets interested in Tuesday's project, so has her tons of followers interested in it as well. Tuesday is sure that a note her uncle Ezra wrote from the hospital might hold the key to saving the park, and works to investigate what the note might mean. Dana is still concerned about her job prospects, so has applied for a job at South Dakota State University. Will Tuesday be able to save the park by solving her uncle's riddles before she and her mother leave?

Good Points

The description of the national park, and Tuesdays rambles across it in her attempts to save it from development are the best part of this novel. Of course, it made me want to go visit Utah, but also made me want to stay home in order to protect the fragile environment of the park. The small community was an interesting one, and Carter and his family, the artist, and the graduate students working on various projects all added an interesting dimension to the book. Young readers who are fans of Instagram will be enthralled with young Lyla's influence, fame, and wealth, and be glad that she is trying to protect the area. People traveling to beautiful natural places to take photos to post on social media is a big thing, apparently, and it doesn't always end well. Dana's struggles with employment are very realistic, and she's very lucky to get a university job!

My students are very interested in Instagram and similar social media platforms, and many harbor secret desires to grow up to be influencers, so they will be intrigued by Lyla and her social media following. I'd love to see more books about environmental activism, like Dimopoulos' new Turn the Tide.

This cover reminds me a bit of Swinarski's What Happens Next, another quiet story with a very particular place for its setting, and the national park setting reminded me a bit of Bowling's The Canyon's Edge. Fans of King's The Year We Fell from Space or Haydu's One Jar of Magic will be intrigued by the mystery as Tuesday struggles with coping with her uncle's death.