Discussion Guide: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray

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Abuelo, the Sea, and Me

Under the Same Stars
By Libba Bray
Ages 12-18
On Sale Now!
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection

From New York Times bestselling author Libba Bray comes a propulsive historical mystery that examines truth, rebellion, reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world.

It was said that if you write to the Bridegroom’s Oak, the love of your life will answer back. Now, the tree is giving up its secrets at last.

In 1940s Germany, Sophie is excited to discover a message waiting for her in the Bridegroom’s Oak from a mysterious suitor. Meanwhile, her best friend, Hanna, is sending messages too—but not to find love. As World War II unfolds in their small town of Kleinwald, the oak may hold the key to resistance against the Nazis.

In 1980s West Germany, American teen transplant Jenny feels suffocated by her strict parents and is struggling to fit in. Until she finds herself falling for Lena, a punk-rock girl hell-bent on tearing down the wall separating West Germany from East Germany, and meeting Frau Hermann, a kind old lady with secrets of her own.

In Spring 2020, New York City, best friends Miles and Chloe are slogging through the last few months of senior year when an unexpected package from Chloe’s grandmother leads them to investigate a cold case about two unidentified teenagers who went missing under the Bridegroom’s Oak eighty years ago.

dOWNLOAD THE dISCUSSION gUIDE FOR uNDER THE sAME sTARS hERE →

NCTE 2024 Conference Resource Center

NCTE 2024 Conference Resource Center

We’re so excited to see our educator friends November 21 to 24 in Boston, MA!

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What’s inside our NCTE and ALAN Workshop Resource Center:
  • Make the most of your NCTE and ALAN Workshop experience + meet your favorite authors & illustrators!
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Watch our Winter 2025 School & Library Virtual Preview!

Watch our MacKids School & Library Winter 2025 Preview Event where we previewed upcoming picture books, middle grade, and young adult titles! You’ll hear from talented creators, including Cindy Derby (Wheetle), Guojing (Oasis), and Jess Callans (Ollie in Between)! Plus, civil rights author-activists Yohuru Williams and Michael G. Long are in conversation discussing their young adult adaptation of King: A Life by Jonathan Eig. 

Stay tuned to hear from our live special guest, New York Times bestselling and Michael L. Printz award-winning author, Libba Bray! Libba is in conversation talking about Under the Same Stars, her newest young adult novel that interweaves magical realism and romance across timelines to unravel a mystery that culminates into cinematic and earth-shattering revelations.

Your browser does not support embedded videos. You can watch the video directly on YouTube.

YouTube Link to a captioned video of our Fall 2024 Preview

Timestamps:
3:20 – Michael G. Long and Yohuru Williams in conversation King: A Life (Young Adult Edition)
14:48 – Picture Books
25:10 – Cindy Derby Wheetle
27:10 – Middle Grade
32:13 – Guojing Oasis
38:37 – Jess Callans Ollie in Between
42:20 – Young Adult
49:38 – Libba Bray in conversation Under the Same Stars

Celebrating Indigenous Voices for National Native American Heritage Month

Celebrate Native American Heritage Month in your school or library! Keep reading to find more book recommendations, download resources for your classroom—including a teacher’s guide for Saints of the Household and an activity kit for Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior—and hear from H.E. Edgmon about their middle grade novel The Flicker!

Find more books for National Native American Heritage Month here →