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Under the same stars  Cover Image Book Book

Under the same stars / Libba Bray.

Bray, Libba, (author.).

Summary:

"You would like me to tell the story... New York City, 2020. As the world stills around them, best friends Miles and Chloe keep each other afloat with late-night phone calls and true-crime podcasts. When an unexpected package from Chloe's grandmother arrives, it plunges them into their own cold-case investigation: two unidentified teenagers who went missing in a German forest eighty years ago. What if the story I need to tell is not the one you want to hear? West Berlin, 1980. In a divided Germany, under the strict eyes of her parents, lonely American transplant Jenny is suffocating. Until she meets free-spirited Lena, a beautiful punk-rock girl hellbent on tearing down the Berlin Wall, and the mysterious Frau Hermann, a kind old lady whose fascinating stories may hide secrets of her own. Very well. It begins the same: once upon a time... Kleinwald, Germany, 1939. It is said that if you write a letter to the Bridegroom's Oak, the love of your life will answer back. The summer that best friends Sophie and Hanna receive their first replies from the famous tree, the world suddenly feels like a pliable, magical thing, as if it could be shaped by their dreams. But soon, World War II creeps into their small town. Dreams turn brittle, neighbors turn on one another, lies bloom like poppies between the girls, and the forest is no longer a refuge but a dark wood, filled with unimaginable danger. When the Bridegroom's Oak gives up its secrets at last, Miles and Chloe discover the uncomfortable weight of truth, the worth of reconciliation, and what must be sacrificed for a better world. From New York Times-bestselling and Printz Award-winning author Libba Bray comes an evocative, propulsive, century-spanning mystery that examines the cyclical nature of fascism and genocide -- and how young people have always been part of the resistance against them." -- Jacket flap.

Record details

  • ISBN: 9780374388942 (hardcover)
  • ISBN: 0374388946 (hardcover)
  • Physical Description: 471 pages ; 22 cm
  • Edition: First edition.
  • Publisher: New York : Farrar Straus Giroux, 2025.

Content descriptions

Target Audience Note:
Ages 12-18. Farrar Straus Giroux.
Grades 10-12. Farrar Straus Giroux.
Subject: Missing persons > Fiction.
World War, 1939-1945 > Fiction.
Cold War > Fiction.
COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020-2023 > Fiction.
Germany > History > 1933-1945 > Fiction.
Germany > History > 1945-1990 > Fiction.
Genre: Historical fiction.
Detective and mystery fiction.

Available copies

  • 0 of 3 copies available at Kenton County.

Holds

  • 1 current hold with 3 total copies.
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  • School Library Journal Reviews : SLJ Reviews 2025 February

    Gr 9 Up—Three generations are connected by a tragic event in Nazi Germany. In 1939, Hanna and Sophie are two typical teenage girls searching for love. They send letters to the Bridegroom's Oak, a tree believed to possess magical matchmaking powers. Initially, they ignore the presence of Nazi soldiers in their village, but the brutal beatings and rising extremism soon become impossible to overlook. In 1980, Jenny moves from Dallas to West Berlin with her parents. There, she meets Lena, a member of the city's punk scene, who introduces Jenny to a world far removed from her parents' ritzy apartment. Lena also forces Jenny to confront long-avoided questions about her sexuality. In 2020 New York City, Miles and Chloe find themselves separated by the pandemic. Together, they begin researching a mystery mentioned by Chloe's grandmother—the disappearance of two girls, Hanna and Sophie, from their German village decades earlier. Their internet sleuthing reveals more than their online classes ever could, teaching them about the various forms of resistance and the price many paid to fight tyranny. Their discoveries unfold against the backdrop of rising anti-AAPI violence and the murder of George Floyd. While the long chapters and multiple points of view make it challenging to follow the narrative, the story remains a powerful testament to hope and resistance. Miles, who is white and Filipino, has two moms, while Chloe is white. VERDICT A moving love letter to courage, connection, and the long fight against oppression.—Cathy DeCampli

    Copyright 2025 School Library Journal.

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