Welcome to my stop on the Blog Tour for The Brightest Star. Today, I’m excited to be sharing a Question & Answer post with the author, Meg Grehan alongside my review.

Q & A with Meg Grehan

1. Did you enjoy poetry when you were at school and, if so, who were the poets you enjoyed, or who influenced you, growing up – and as an adult?

I did, I loved it! I did speech and drama all through my childhood and teenage years and poetry was a huge part of that. I wrote and performed poetry competitively and it meant the world to me. Back then I was a huge fan of anthologies, I didn’t really have many favourite poets but did have a lot of favourite poems. As an adult I harbour a real obsession with Emily Dickinson and have a long list of poets who inspire, influence and motivate me. Heather Christle, K. Iver, Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Ada Limon, Mary Jean Chan, Jack Underwood, Natalie Wee, Rosamund Taylor, Ocean Vuong… the list is endless.

2. This novel is written in free verse with Stevie and Andrew’s viewpoints aligned differently on the page. Is there a reason why you have chosen free verse to tell their stories?

Free verse is my favourite way to write! It feels so true to me, every word is so purposefully chosen and placed. It’s a wonderful way to write but also a wonderful way to read. It’s so helpful for reluctant readers and so much more accessible than it may seem at first. There’s a real beauty to verse, you get to use the whole page, even the white space. The possibilities are endless and I find that really fun. 

3. The Brightest Star is a perfect title for this story with its double meaning. Can you explain your thinking behind this title?

I really wanted something that would feel right next to The Deepest Breath and one day The Brightest Star just occurred to me and felt so perfect. This was strange because I am historically very bad at coming up with book titles! I love that it alludes to Stevie’s new interest as well as one of my personal favourite sections of the book, a small piece in which Stevie’s mum compares Stevie and Andy’s friendship to the sun. This friendship is at the core of the book so the title just worked in a really lovely way. I’m proud of it!

4. The Brightest Star is a gorgeously heart-warming, honest and uplifting story with so many positive messages. What do you want readers to take from this story?

I would love readers to know that they can take their time, that they don’t have to know everything or have everything completely figured out. It’s ok to keep learning and exploring for as long as you want or need to.

5. One of the main themes is identity. There is a real contrast between both Stevie and Chloe’s confident understanding of who they are and Andrew’s uncertainty. Why did you feel it is important to show both points of view in the story?

Because both are true. For some of us our identity is a source of comfort and confidence and for others it’s a source of confusion and anxiety. Neither is wrong. It’s a personal journey and there is no set route. I think it’s important for young readers to know that.

6. Stevie loves reading. Did you enjoy reading as a teenager and, if so, what kind of books did you enjoy reading?

I read constantly as a teenager! I read anything and everything I could get my hands on. I remember really loving Tim Bowler’s book and anything by Meg Cabot. I loved a book that could make me cry and I tried so, so hard to be a classics reader but I found them really tough!

7. Stevie has a deep interest in space, but wonders about the existence of aliens. Her friends have an interesting debate about their existence. Do you believe that aliens exist?

I do. It used to be a really scary concept to me but since becoming a much bigger sci-fi fan over the last few years I’m not so scared anymore!

8. Andrew enjoys baking, Stevie loves reading and learning and Chloe loves magic. What hobbies/activities do you enjoy when you are not writing?

I love yoga, visiting forests, watching really detailed budgeting videos on youtube (they are strangely addictive) and journalling.

9. Stevie is given a telescope for her thirteenth birthday. Can you remember a favourite birthday present which you were given – or one which you would love to receive?

My mum gave me a beautiful satchel one year. I’d always wanted one exactly like it, it’s a deep, warm brown and is monogrammed with my initials and a little crescent moon. When I was a teenager dreaming about being a writer I would visualise adult, author me and she would always have a bag just like it. It means a lot to me.

10. This story has much-needed representation of the LGBTQIA+ community through the central characters and the Rainbow Club within secondary school. Both The Deepest Breath and The Brightest Star sit perfectly within middle-grade. Why did you decide to write for this age group?

I think it’s a big time in someone’s life and a time when they might need a little comfort or a gentle push toward bravery. I think it’s an honour to get to write for this age-group, they see so much and are so open to new ideas and concepts, there’s this beautiful willingness and eagerness to learn and to connect to the world and I find it really inspiring. 

Thank you so much to Meg for answering my questions: I loved reading the responses.

Review

The Brightest Star is a wonderfully uplifting and gorgeously written verse novel which follows on from The Deepest Breath although it can be read as a standalone.

Turning thirteen, Stevie is starting secondary school with best friends, Chloe and Andrew. Feeling both nervous and excited about starting this new part of her life, she knows there will be changes, but also new opportunities. When she is not put into the same class as Chloe, she feels sad but is relieved that Andrew will be in her class.

Stevie and Chloe are excited to discover that their new school has an LGBTQIA+ Club, The Rainbow Club, which they are keen to join as they know they like each other. Whilst both girls are confident and secure in their identity, Andrew is struggling with his which causes him to feel insecure and distance himself from the friendship. Can these three friends find a way back to their strong friendship, one that will allow them to re-connect and move on together?

This is such a comforting, uplifting and honest story and is one that I absolutely loved. There are so many wonderful messages for children in this story including that it’s absolutely fine to give yourself space to learn who you are and get to know all aspects of your identity in your own time without feeling any pressure from yourself or others. It was wonderful to read a story where there are supportive networks in place, including from adults and friends, which will bring comfort to children who may be struggling whether with school, anxiety or friendships – and perhaps help them to find the courage to reach out for help if needed. I think this is an incredibly empathetic story which will encourage empathy in others.

A beautifully written, heart-warming and life-affirming story, perfect for readers of 9+.

Thank you to Antonia Wilkinson and Little Island Books for inviting me to be part of the Blog Tour and for providing me with a copy of The Brightest Star.

Do check out the other stops on the Blog Tour:

What a wonderful month August was! I had three fantastic, but very different short holidays: five days in Herefordshire, five days visiting family in Ireland and 4 days visiting Disneyland Paris. I enjoyed lots of reading, walking and relaxing – and now need to get back in to work mode!

Holiday photos

Books I’ve read:

I’ve read 18 books this month. My highlights were The Story Spinner (adult), Small Wonder and Gloam (both middle-grade).

NetGalley:

My feedback ratio is at 99%. Despite temptation, I have avoided requesting any books in August. I now have two books to read and review on my Netgalley shelf.

Books sent by publishers:

I am grateful to have been sent 6 books by publishers this month.

Books Bought:

I have bought 3 books this month, two whilst I was in Hay-on-Wye and another was a pre-order that has now arrived.

How has your reading month been? Have you read any of these? Have you any of them on your TBR?

Hero the Highway Girl is an exhilarating, action-packed historical adventure set in the Georgian era that completely captivated me.

Notorious, but charming and courteous, highwayman, Gentleman Jack Giles gallops towards a carriage whose occupants he intends to relieve of their money and jewels. Expecting the usual screams when he fires a warning pistol shot, he instead hears laughter from inside, and finds himself facing a pair of pistols. Hero Devine introduces herself as the richest girl in England, presents Jack with a box laden with jewellery and demands to be taken to his secret hideout so that she can begin her new life – as a highway girl.

And so begins an incredibly thrilling, action-packed and perilous adventure that had me on the edge of my seat as together Hero and Jack undertake daring robberies, facing ever greater risk as patrols are increased, and with any mistakes increasing the chance of being caught and hanged. When it becomes clear that Hero is being hunted by someone intent on returning her to her family at any cost, the danger for the pair becomes intense … Can these two escape the fate that seems to be racing towards them and instead fulfil their dreams? Can the breath-taking discoveries that they make change their lives forever?

I enjoyed the twists and turns, the ever-increasing danger, the sense of threat and the fast-paced action throughout. The short chapters made this a real page-turner and it was impossible not to keep reading as I was completely gripped by this incredible story as I have no doubt young readers will too.

I really loved that both children had loyal animal companions (Hero’s wolf, Flow and Jack’s stallion, Diablo), who are both such a central part of the story. I adored the loving and powerful bond between animal and child which was beautifully and, at times, heart achingly, portrayed. These animals are the only friends that Jack and Hero had as they both grew up in terrible, albeit very different, circumstances, and it is no surprise that they are each others’ support and protection.

I absolutely adored both Hero and Jack, two children who have lost their parents, and who find each other when it seems time is running out for both of them – for different reasons. I really enjoyed that the story is written as a dual narrative which allowed me to get to know both children; this also helped me to understand the nature of their fractious friendship – and to hope that they would come to trust each other enough to open up to each other and find the friendship they both need. Hero presents with a tough, brash and demanding exterior, but there is a real vulnerability underneath this bravado which makes her incredibly endearing. She is determined to fight against what society has deemed acceptable for a woman and to follow her own path – even if that is a dangerous one! Jack is determined to fulfil his dream, and to provide for Diablo, so he becomes a reluctant highwayman, well aware of the danger of getting caught, but determined to take enough money to provide a better life for himself and his horse. Both children show incredible courage and strength by facing dangerous situations in order to give themselves a chance at a different life – at freedom.

This story delivers an incredible adventure, brimming with daring and danger, with friendship and hope, perfect for readers of 9+.

Thank you to Firefly Press for providing me with a proof copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

When the Storm Comes is a gripping, thought-provoking adventure where facing storms, both outside and inside, have a huge impact on the lives of four children who find themselves trapped in their school.

Mali (Amaryllis) is having a difficult time at school: his best, and only real friend, has left, he’s being bullied and can’t face going to school. When he does return, it is with an invitation to attend an after school Book Club by his Form Tutor, Ms Devine, to help shortlist books for a new award. Despite the hailstones and thunder, Mali reluctantly makes his way to the library where he meets talkative Jonesy, quiet Fara – and Petey, the boy who has been bullying him.

When the storm worsens and the electricity goes off, they decide to leave, but the automatic doors will not open, leaving them, and their pregnant teacher, trapped in school with a storm worsening around them. Can this group find a means to work together to escape from the school? Is there a way that they can build trust, and even friendship, as their situation becomes ever more treacherous as the storm rages relentlessly?

This is an incredibly gripping adventure, with high levels of tension and danger, as the children find themselves trapped in a flooded school, searching for food, for a means of escape and desperately hoping that help will come as they watch the rising water levels both inside and outside. When their teacher needs aid urgently, they have no choice but to take incredible risks to get her the help she needs, risks that put them all in even more danger …

The effects of the storm, brought about by climate change, is evidenced by the damage to the natural environment, to buildings and to the lives of people living within its reach. But I think the children are also facing their own storms within their personal lives for different reasons. Names are important parts of our identity, and Mali’s given name has heart-breaking yet beautiful significance for him, but he doesn’t feel he can use it. He hides himself from others for fear of getting hurt and an uncertainty about whether he is deserving of friendship, but can the dire situation in which he finds himself be a catalyst to change and finding friendship? As the children open up about their lives outside school and learn more about each other, they also open themselves to developing lasting connections and bonds beyond the urgent need to get help which initially brings them together.

A powerful, thought-provoking and uplifting adventure, perfect for readers of 9+.