I really enjoyed this read. It was a fun mix of your typical queer YA love triangle and some high stakes magic. As a middle school librarian I think it is a great option for middle schoolers who read YA. 

Compulsively readable. I read this all in basically one sitting and I think this is probably the ideal reading experience for it. There are some tough topics but you root very hard for the protagonist to push through and make it to the other side. 

This was a really fun, meaningful, and brief satire. Satire isn’t usually my thing but I think the screenplay format and listening to it on audio really kept it straightforward and enjoyable. At first it felt disjointed and stilted to me, but by the second half it came together in a big way that made me understand how it won the National Book Award. As a kidlit reader it very much reminded me of American Born Chinese and I think they would pair really well together.

This is an intergenerational family saga following a Cheyenne family central to Orange's debut, There There. The book begins over a century ago, working up to the events in There There, then continuing to follow them on into the present. Though this book is being marketed as a standalone, I felt a reread of the original greatly enhanced my experience and propelled me through Wandering Stars. The book is an exploration of native identity, addiction, family, violence, belief, colonialism, and more. It is a story deeply rooted in Oakland and American history. Orange masterfully weaves together themes and characters in a truthful and breathtaking way. Despite the heavy topics, I flew through this book and it did not slow once for me. A large part of this has to do with the honesty and openness of the characters, who you come to really care for over the course of their journeys, as well as with Orange's writing style, which is the perfect balance of thoughtful and straightforward, and filled with gems. After two novels, I feel I can safely say I love Orange's writing and will be returning for whatever he comes up with next.