German / Germany
Sonne, Moon und Sterne
(The sun, Moon, and the stars)
Schützsack, Lara
(text)
Frankfurt am Main: FISCHER Sauerländer, 2019. – 238 p.
ISBN 978-3-7373-5622-0
Family | Friendship | First love | Coming of age
Reading age: 10+
White Ravens issue: 2019
Unconventional characters, the vibrating atmosphere in a big city, joy and sadness – “Sonne, Mond und Sterne” (The sun, Moon, and the stars) is a special children’s novel, not least because of its protagonist: Gustav, a girl with a boy’s name. Gustav will be turning twelve soon, has two bitchy older sisters, and a faithful old dog called Sand. Yet right now, everything seems jinxed. Gustav and her best friend have had a row, and her parents are in the middle of a big crisis and have therefore cancelled the holiday trip. Great prospects indeed. Yet then, on the last day of school, Moon turns up. With his sparkling star-covered leggings, he is so different from the others. With a light hand yet great depth, Lara Schützsack talks about the ups and downs of a family’s chaotic life during a hot summer in Berlin, about fear and loss, and about jittery, confusingly wonderful, bubbly feelings. Gustav is a terrific girl, dauntless and smart. She knows how to savour every single moment and faces life bravely whenever necessary.