A Pocketful of Stars - by Aisha Bushby (Hardcover)

About the Book

When thirteen-year-old Safiya's mother falls into a coma, Safiya comes to terms with their complicated relationship and discovers more about herself through dreams that transport her to her mother's chilldhood in Kuwait.

Book Synopsis

Safiya and her mother have never seen eye to eye.

Her mother doesn't understand Safiya's love of gaming, and shy Safiya doesn't think she has anything in common with her vibrant, sometimes volatile mother. But when her mother falls into a coma, Safiya's whole world shifts. She finds herself dreaming about an unfamiliar setting and a rebellious girl who's distinctly familiar...

As Safiya unlocks the secrets of these dreams the way she would unlock levels in a game, she realizes that opening her heart to the past is the key to changing her future--and that she may not be so different from her mother after all.

Review Quotes

"A nearly perfect older tween, early teen tale, with best friend realignments and romance moving in from the horizon, plus mother-daughter fireworks for the ages."--School Library Journal

-- (1/23/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"This is a heartbreaking--and mending--story that will resonate well beyond the last page. Reviewer Rating: 5"--Children's Literature

-- (1/19/2024 12:00:00 AM)

"The scenes in Kuwait are lovingly rendered, informed by Bushby's own childhood there and marked by her signature magical touch. Middle-grade readers will relate to Saff's journey to newfound confidence and the joy of finding friends who love you for who you are."--Booklist

-- (8/16/2023 12:00:00 AM)

"Bushby writes with nuance and skill about a mother-daughter relationship fraught with misunderstanding, and Safiya's eventual realizations are equal parts uplifting and heartbreaking. A poignantly written novel that is hard to put down and even harder to forget." --starred, Kirkus Reviews

-- (7/15/2023 12:00:00 AM)