It has been said that sometimes the right story comes along at the right time, fulfilling a need for readers looking for answers. Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray is the perfect example. With the world in crisis and fascism once again on the rise, Under the Same Stars stakes its claim as an instant classic—a story that those in need can turn to now for comfort, but one that will also still be referenced for years to come, most certainly crossing across all age ranges and media styles.
Aimed at a young adult audience (ideally ages 12-18), Libba Bray’s story will find fans at all reading levels. The multiple storylines allow each reader to latch on to a particular favorite—but the true beauty of the novel rests in how the plots dovetail together, teaching us that resistance is an echo that reverberates for generations. Like the proverbial butterfly flapping its wings in one place, the effects are often felt in a different place at another time.
In 1939, readers meet Sophie and Hanna, two young girls who will confront the rising Nazi regime in ways even they couldn’t have predicted. Here readers are privy not only to their unique personal journeys, but Libba Bray “teaches” readers the methods by which extreme viewpoints can gain power ultimately allowing for the rise of fascist ideologies—in the case of Under the Same Stars within Germany (and ultimately affecting the world beyond), but the book’s message resonates in our modern climate in uniquely powerful ways.
The middle time period features Jenny, an American teenager living with her family in East Berlin in the decade prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Struggling with her sexuality, Jenny becomes enamored with a punk musician named Lena and the two strike up a relationship rooted by a deep emotional connection. Their bond faces many challenges from obstacles big and small, but in the shadow of a city divided, some painful lessons must rise to the surface.
And last—but certainly not least—readers meet Miles and Chloe in New York City circa 2020. These two teenagers are navigating a new reality as the Covid pandemic forever alters the only routines they have known. Miles is isolated and alone in his family home and his regular Zoom chats with Chloe represent his main social interaction. They are both fans of true crime and citizen investigations, so when they stumble upon a historical unsolved mystery, their day-to-day existence finds new purpose. Two young girls went missing from the Dodauer Forest in 1941 Germany. The girls simply vanished on the afternoon of the Solstice after they had been visiting the Bridegroom’s Oak, a tree rumored to have the magical power of uniting one with their true love.
Miles and Chloe are determined to solve this mystery and this opens the door for Libba Bray to connect the threads of different generations into one powerful story of rebellion—one the centers young people in a way that acknowledges that sometimes those with the most to lose must be the ones who rise up to fight back.
Under the Same Stars reminds us that even when things seem the darkest, humanity has been there before and somehow managed to survive. Libba Bray’s presentation of the cyclical nature of history can be a comfort in times of distress and bearing witness to the successful struggles of others ultimately helps readers to feel hopeful without sugarcoating the dangers of being on the front line of rebellion.
BUY LINKS: Under the Same Stars by Libba Bray
