This Opening Sky

Kirkus Reviews, June 1, 2024 As Reconstruction begins, two 12-year-old girls join forces and head north to find their families. Aurelia and Halle Lujah, each living on a different Virginia plantation, narrate this verse novel, set in 1865. Aurelia, who is white, reminisces about a privileged life of parties as she attempts to raise vegetables now that the people her family formerly enslaved have left. Halle, who is Black, renames herself now that she's free and sets out in search of her parents. The girls' paths cross, and a tragedy finds Halle tending to Aurelia, who wants to find her brother, a soldier who fought with the Union. Both realize it's safer to travel together, and they don men's clothes. Aurelia now goes by ""Elly,"" a nickname from her beloved brother. Together the girls cross a bloody battlefield and navigate using Halle's knowledge of the North Star. They protect each other at great personal cost, and true friendship blossoms. Elly's and Halle's distinct voices and strong personalities balance each other nicely as each in turn gives and receives help. While the authors tread ground that will be familiar to readers of historical fiction--Elly teaching Halle to read--they also include thought-provoking moments as the characters contemplate death, wonder whether good acts can counteract past misdeeds, and encounter a formerly enslaved woman who chooses to stay on her plantation despite knowing that she can leave. A moving post-Civil War story of comradeship and self-discovery. (historical notes, publisher's note) (Verse historical fiction. 11-14)