Wendy Toledo is a seventh grader who has her heart set on building a telescope and winning the school’s science fair. Unfortunately, outside forces make her goal seem impossible because she has to deal with her friends being bullied by a classmate, a woman is hiding out in the church across the street, and her brother has been acting strange since the school year started. How can one person handle so many secrets?

This book was an amazing work. It covers topics that are relevant to our current political state while also explaining them to be understood by middle graders.

When someone takes refuge in the church near her home, Wendy's interest is peaked, especially when her dad tells her to stay away. Then she starts to notice things like her mom not going out to work anymore and some of her friends disappearing. Then, at her new private school, she notices the microaggressions of the other students make her and her friends feel less than welcome. This book deals with some heavy subjects like serious and controversial social and political issues: immigration, social justice, affirmative action, racism, bullying, and more.

Wendy is a middle schooler trying to navigate life in a new town and school. Her family moved after ICE deported several community members in their old neighborhood, and even though Wendy’s parents assure her that they came to America legally and have nothing to worry about, they make it clear that she needs to keep her head down and focus on school. That’s not a problem for Wendy, the science prodigy now attending an elite preparatory academy, until a woman in her new neighborhood makes the news for hiding from ICE agents. Wendy’s parents and brother become more nervous than ever, and she soon realizes that her family is keeping secrets.

This is listed as a middle grade novel, and I love that it touches on a lot of tough topics in an accessible way. Various forms of racism are discussed as well as the rights of undocumented immigrants and affirmative action. While the primary focus is on Wendy and her family, there is a lot of diversity in this book that doesn’t feel performative. I love the resiliency and independence of Wendy’s character. She goes through typical teen issues while also navigating a relevant, hot-button issue in today’s society. Thanks to NetGalley, Harper Audio, and Elise Stone Leahy for this free ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks for having an audio version available! It was really helpful. I enjoyed the book as well. Having both to read made this process much easier and I enjoyed both.

This book is an excellent read. To be honest, I picked it up from NetGalley because it was available instantly to be listened to as an audiobook. And as I listened, I realized what a phenomenal story it is.

Enter an American family, one member of which has a green card, dealing with racism and bigotry in our current national environment—even though the main character is a brilliant science whiz student attending a high-powered school.

It isn’t just a Latinx story, but also focuses on a whole host of non-white high-achieving characters set in a town that is a microcosm of America… On one side, there are people who are trying very hard to fight for social and racial justice and equality, and on the other side there are people literally chanting “deport them all” and “build the wall.”

Remember, we are talking about American citizen characters here. They’re just not all white.

This will be an instant read aloud to my class, because of the lessons that are in it, and what happens to the main character— how she learns to deal with what is happening to her and to her friends around her. Who can she trust? Is everybody who they seem to be?

1000% highly recommended, thumbs up, well done, beautifully written, can’t say enough good stuff about it.

My thanks to NetGalley and Quill Tree Books for the advanced readers copy of this book. Please note my review is independent and my opinions are my own.

This was a great book. I loved the character of Wendy. It is perfect for a YA coming of age book. It deals with issues that are happening across the country in middle schools. It also emphasizes the power of micro aggressions.

Wendy’s family has just moved to a quiet neighborhood in hopes of keeping to themselves and living a life under the radar. Wendy wants to just be a normal girl and share her love of science. She makes some great friends but discovers that some people aren’t who they show the world. She and her family get pulled in to the middle of an ICE investigation and it causes secrets to come out that makes Wendy have to make some tough decisions for her and her families future.

Wendy's family has moved to a new safer neighborhood, and Wendy has tested into an elite academy. She's always dreamed of the stars, and her science fair project offers her the perfect chance to study them up close. But the town is plagued with conflict between deciding if they should offer sanctuary to an undocumented worker and protesting affirmative action in schools. Wendy thought her family was all American, but Papa seems to be hiding something, and her older brother Tom is getting restless. Meanwhile, Wendy starts to feel unsafe as a person of color in her school. Wendy isn't sure she can stand up for what's right without putting her family in danger, but she's not sure she can handle being bullied any longer either.

This book is poignant and so well-written that I felt physically sick as Wendy was helplessly experiencing the unfairness around her. I don't like feeling that sick, and I kind of resent it, but at the same time, I'm truly impressed that a little book like this one can make me feel so much. I hate that we live in a world where situations like this are not only plausible but often turn out much worse. This book definitely has an agenda, but it's also personable and welcoming.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

The tension this book navigates is propulsive, tender, and engaging. The author does a good job showing various perspectives and immersing the reader in the reality of what it would be like to be non-white in America. The white ally characters are very earnest and annoying at once, making stumbles and realizing when they have overstepped. The BIPOC characters are bold, gracious, and caring. ALL the characters work to find their voices, which would be relatable to various readers. This middle-grade book would be wonderful to spark conversations in a classroom or family setting.

This story is a good portrait of the hardships and citizenship issues that Hispanic families face.
I think it’s written well for children to understand and relate to

This debut novel is raw, honest, captivating, and shines light on important issues today. Wendy loves astronomy and wants to build a telescope that will help her win the science fair and her parents want her to stay out of the spotlight to avoid issues with ICE. Wendy is confronted with school bullies who are making her, and friends lives difficult while discovering family secrets and navigating the complex immigration issues. This story shows the value of speaking up even when it is difficult. This is a must read for middle grades.

Tethered to Other Stars was a surprising and lovely book! I had no idea what it was about going into it. As someone who got involved with refugee and immigration issues back in 2017, it plunged me right back into that mindset, memories, and pain. This book puts a face and a story to what often seems like just a talking heads thing. The characters are well developed and liveable and I couldn't put it down. Will make a fabulous mirror and window for those who need it.

Loved this book! I listened to the robovoice audiobook so I didn't necessarily "like" the narrator but I know a human will do a wonderful job. The experiences Wendy goes through are so maddening, as a reader who has empathy for others. The character connection with the boy bully who has a hateful police officer dad makes his behavior towards Wendy make sense. Karma is satisfyingly delivered at the end to the bullies. I love that Wendy and the teacher and her allies are able to make positive changes. Realistic!

Book Title: Tethered to Other Stars
Author: Elisa Stone Leahy
Narrator: Digital Voice Galley
Publisher: Harper Audio- Quill Tree Books
Genre: Middle School, Multicultural
Pub Date: October 3, 2023
My Rating: 4.4 Stars
Pages: 320

Although the target audience for this story is middle school grades however the message is for everyone -when everything seems to be going wrong how do I do “what’s right”.
Love the epilogue ~ No matter what it thrown at us,~ there is more than one way to looks at things and you have the power of choice.

Want to thank NetGalley and Harper Audio – Quill Tree Book for this VoiceGalley Advanced Audio Edition.
Publishing Release Date scheduled for October 3, 2023.

This book was fantastic. One of the best books this year. Extraordinary writing. I felt connected to the characters and could see their experiences through their eyes.