Stella by Starlight

Draper, Sharon M.. Stella by Starlight.  2015.  Atheneum Books for Young Readers.  (An imprint of Simon and Schuster).  New York, NY.


Stella lives in North Carolina.  Her world is divided by color: black children go to one school and white children go to another.  Black families are treated by the black doctor, and white children are treated by the white doctor.  The KKK makes appearances in town whenever they feel that the white people in town are in danger of losing control over the lives of the other population.

In spite of it all, Stella and her family thrive.  She attends school with her brother.  Her family is full of love and laughter.  Everyone in the neighborhood pulls together to help each other succeed and survive through the harsh conditions of the depression.

Everything seems to be going well until the night Stella and her brother Jojo see a cross burning across the pond in the middle of the night.  Terrified at the thought of what it signifies, they run to tell their parents.  As the neighbors gather to ponder the meaning of the return of the KKK after a period of relative calm and quiet, a plan of action to protect those in the community is developed.

But even the best of plans come unraveled....

When three of the black men in town register to vote.

When the house of one of those men is set alight by the Klan.

When a child is brutally attacked after a trip to the candy store.

Can Stella's family survive through these challenges?


Find this book in your local public library:
https://www.worldcat.org/title/stella-by-starlight/oclc/1069705002&referer=brief_results#borrow