Stargazing by Jen Wang (Mini-Review)

Synopsis

“When Moon’s family moves in next door to Christine’s, Moon goes from unlikely friend to best friend―maybe even the perfect friend. The girls share their favorite music videos, paint their toenails when Christine’s strict parents aren’t around, and make plans to enter the school talent show together. Moon even tells Christine her deepest secret: that she sometimes has visions of celestial beings who speak to her from the stars. Who reassure her that earth isn’t where she really belongs. But when they’re least expecting it, catastrophe strikes. After relying on Moon for everything, can Christine find it in herself to be the friend Moon needs?”

-Synopsis from Goodreads

Review

*spoilers ahead*

I had such high hopes for this graphic novel based on the many, many positive reviews it had on Goodreads. I was led to believe by reviewers and the synopsis that it was a sweet, wholesome story about friendship and growing up, maybe even with some astronomy mixed in. Who doesn’t love a good feel-good story, especially when it comes to middle grade graphic novels? Based on what that, I decided to check it out, eager for a cute read.

Little did I know, the catastrophe mentioned in the synopsis was that one of the main characters ended up having a brain tumor which was causing behavioral outbursts and she had to have an operation.

I would have liked to have known somehow, some way, that this book was going to deal with a very serious medical issue. Had I known, I wouldn’t have read it.

I still gave this four stars on Goodreads because I liked the illustrations, and 75% of the book was pleasant to read. But by the time I reached the ending, I felt I had been misled. Clearly I should have researched this one a little more before reading.