Books like When Stars Are Scattered

A tender, deeply humanizing graphic memoir about holding onto hope and each other when the world leaves you waiting. These 12 books are the closest matches in mood, pace and themes, with what each one shares with When Stars Are Scattered.

bittersweet
hopeful
grounded
empathetic

01
All's faire in middle school
Victoria Jamieson
A warm, visually engaging exploration of the awkward clash between a quirky, theatrical family life and the harsh realities of public middle school.
Shares:
- empathetic
- earnest
02
Sisters
Raina Telgemeier
A funny, deeply relatable ride through the claustrophobic chaos of family road trips and the complicated bonds of sisterhood.
Shares:
- honest
03
Other Words for Home
Jasmine Warga
A tender, lyrical exploration of leaving everything behind and finding the courage to take up space in a brand-new world.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- hopeful
- earnest
- resilient
04
The Boy at the Back of the Class
Onjali Q Raúf
A big-hearted, earnest exploration of empathy that proves you do not need to be a grown-up to change the world.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- hopeful
- earnest
- compassionate
05
No Fixed Address
Susin Nielsen
A heartfelt and anxious middle-grade journey about carrying adult-sized secrets and hoping for a trivia-powered miracle.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
06
We Dream of Space
Erin Entrada Kelly
A poignant, deeply empathetic exploration of three siblings navigating the messy gravity of their own lives against the backdrop of the 1986 Challenger launch.
Shares:
- hopeful
- empathetic
- earnest
07
Refugee
Alan Gratz
A heart-in-your-throat survival story that weaves across time to show the terrifying, hopeful reality of searching for a safe harbor.
Shares:
- hopeful
- empathetic
- earnest
08
The stars beneath our feet
David Barclay Moore
A poignant and grounded journey of a young boy navigating the heavy currents of grief and the tense realities of his neighborhood.
Shares:
- grounded
- earnest
- resilient
09
The Breadwinner
Deborah Ellis
A stark, deeply empathetic portrait of a young girl's quiet rebellion and fierce determination to keep her family alive in an unforgiving world.
Shares:
- hopeful
- earnest
- compassionate
- resilient
10
Ground Zero
Alan Gratz
A breathless, dual-timeline survival story that connects two devastating days across decades and continents.
Shares:
- hopeful
- empathetic
- earnest
11
Best friends
Jamie Suzanne · 1998
A breezy, drama-filled dive into middle school social politics and the bittersweet growing pains of sisterhood.
Shares:
- earnest
12
The Bone Sparrow
Zana Fraillon
A heartbreaking yet deeply hopeful exploration of how imagination and friendship can carve out light in the darkest of confinements.
Shares:
- bittersweet
- empathetic
- earnest

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