Rosa is dealing with the aftermath of the Emmet Till trial where the men who killed him are let go. She sees the injustices happening all around her in Mississippi. She sees how blacks are treated by their white neighbors and she wants to do something about it, but she is afraid. She is afraid because black people are being killed all the time. They are being killed for trying to register people to vote and simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Tensions are running high in the South. Rosa is also dealing with a lot of tensions at home. She never sees her father even though he lives close by and would like to, but her grandma doesn’t want him in her house. The house is full of people staying there because they have no where else to go. Her grandma is a mean woman who never hesitates to take the strap to anyone she thinks deserves it. Rosa is growing up and deciding what kind of person she wants to be; does she want to be afraid and bow down to the white people or does she want to stand up for herself and others and risk it all.

I haven’t read the first book about Rosa so I feel like I did miss a bit of the story; however, for the most part I think everything that happened in the first book is referenced in this one. This is a fascinating time in history and it is interesting to see it from this point of view. I do wish there was a bit more to the other characters besides Rosa. She is pretty well drawn out character wise, but some of the others seem very one note. I thought Ma Pearl was especially troubling. It is fine to have a mean character to set your main character against, but why is she so mean. There is no backstory or anything to explain her. She is just mean and hateful to everyone around her. I also wish there would have been a bit more about Queenie and Aunt Ruthie. They were interesting, but had no story here. Ruthie did end up with a bit more towards the end of the book, but they were basically in the background. Maybe I would have felt differently if I read the first book?

I read the first book in the series, Midnight Without a Moon, earlier this year and while I liked it, I thought parts of it were a bit problematic. I think A Sky Full of Stars is a stronger novel than the first book, but I still think it had some issues.

Namely, Ma Pearl. What is wrong with Ma Pearl?! I don’t understand why Jackson decided to write Ma Pearl the way she did. She is a very harsh character and I keep waiting to discover why she is so mean, but Jackson gives us absolutely no justification. As far as I’m concerned Ma Pearl has no redeeming qualities and I think that’s unfair to her character. She literally has no empathy. She doesn’t seem like a psychopath to me, so I really don’t know why she’s so unyielding. Sure, she makes a great antagonist, but she’s also not the main villain of the story (hello white people) and I think showing us a little bit more of her humanity would make such a better character.

But let’s talk about plot, because I thought the plot of this story was stronger than the first book. Midnight Without a Moon takes place in Mississippi in 1955 and focuses on the murder of Emmett Till. Rose is shocked when the white men who murdered Emmett walk free of all charges and is desperate to see change. A Sky Full of Stars focuses on the murders of several other black men in the state for doing things like trying to register to vote, demanding to be paid a fair wage, and for simply making a mistake when pumping a white man’s gas. So basically black people are being shot for daring to exist.

I found the plot structure a bit weak in Midnight Without a Moon, but it is much better defined in A Sky Full of Stars. Rose is disgusted that white people can kill black people without suffering any consequence and decides she wants to do something about it. Everyone has different ideas about the most effective ways to create change and Rose has to figure out where she fits in and how far she’s willing to go to try and ensure a better future for her family. She struggles with turning down her Aunt Belle’s offer to move to St. Louis and is afraid of what the consequences might be of speaking out against inequality.

Similar to the first book, I felt this book had no real climax to the story and it felt like it kind of just ends. I could easily see Jackson writing another book about Rose. Mostly I think she just needs to think more about her characterization. Rose has a great character arc, but the rest of the characters feel 1-dimensional. There’s quite a lot of side characters but I feel like barely any of them had depth. The Shorty-Hallelujah conflict had so much potential, but never really came to a head and as such, didn’t really feel that meaningful. There was so much potential for Queen’s character too, but I don’t think her character developed at all in this book.

I applaud Jackson for tackling some pretty tough subjects in a middle grade book, but honestly, I think this book can go so much deeper. I feel like Jackson is hesitant to get into the dark nitty-gritty of her characters. The character conflicts all feel very surface level and I think if Jackson went deeper into her characters, their fears and desires, this would truly be a fantastic series. Have your characters make mistakes and take risks – they live in a harsh world and sometimes they are going to make bad choices. How they react and grow from those challenges is what makes them inspiring. 3.5 stars!

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A Sky Full of Stars by Linda Jackson was one of those books I couldn't put down and didn't want to finish at the same time. Jackson gives such depth to her characters and setting that you feel as though you are in Mississippi in the 1950's living through these stories in the shoes of Rosa, Hallelujah and their families. Thanks to Jackson I learned about events that I never knew occurred and felt and saw this time period through different eyes. I truly admire and appreciate Jackson's writing style and can't wait to see what else she brings to the literature world in the future. Her books will be ones that I always recommend to friends and family.