Reasons to Look at the Night Sky - by Danielle Daniel (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A sensitive and sweetly relatable middle-grade novel about a space-loving girl who learns how art and Indigenous Sky Stories can help her look at the world differently. Written in free verse from acclaimed author Danielle Daniel. Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp. Luna's been counting down the days, and now that Christmas break is over, she's ready to hit the ground running. But when Luna's teacher is unexpectedly replaced with a substitute teacher, Mrs. Manitowabi, who is looking to shake up science class by bringing in art, Luna's carefully laid plans are crushed. At first, Luna struggles with new, unfamiliar class routines and procedures, but when Ms. Manitowabi introduces the class to Indigenous Sky Stories, Luna realizes she may not know as much about the night sky as she'd always thought. Can science combined with art actually be a good thing for a girl who loves numbers and facts - certainties - more than anything? Told in verse with graceful attention to detail, Reasons to Look at the Night Sky is an endearing and faithful look into the inner world of a sensitive middle schooler as she adapts to change - at school, in her friendships and at home - and begins to see the world in fantastic new ways"--

Book Synopsis

A sensitive middle grade novel in verse about a space-obsessed girl who dreams of becoming an astronaut -- and begins to see the world differently when a substitute teacher enters her orbit.

Luna has always loved the night sky. She's an eleven-year-old who knows everything there is to know about space, and dreams of one day becoming an astronaut. The first step in her plan to get there is to ace the space unit in her science class and secure a spot in NASA's summer space camp.

But when Luna's teacher is unexpectedly replaced with a substitute, Ms. Manitowabi, who is looking to shake up science class by bringing in art, Luna's carefully laid plans are crushed. And that's not all that's shifting in Luna's life -- changes at home and in her friendships have her feeling topsy-turvy. What on Planet Earth is happening?

Reasons to Look at the Night Sky is an endearing, poetic look at the inner world of a middle schooler grappling with change from acclaimed author and illustrator Danielle Daniel.

Review Quotes

Shortlisted for the 2025 Manitoba Young Readers' Choice Awards

"Luna's love of space and fear of change may endear her to similarly minded kids. . . . A solid story about dealing with discomfort and change." --Kirkus Reviews

"This quick read has many STEAM applications and will easily appeal to aspiring astronauts while also potentially sparking interest in more-complex verse and narratives." --Booklist

"This book will resonate with readers who are navigating the trials of adolescence and the difficulty of embracing the unknown, as well as those interested in space and mythology." --School Library Journal

About the Author

DANIELLE DANIEL is an acclaimed author and illustrator whose journey in artmaking and book publishing has gone hand in hand with all she has learned -- and continues to learn -- about her Indigenous ancestry and her relationship with the land. Some of her picture books include I'm Afraid Said the Leaf, Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox (winner of the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award and selected as one of the New York Public Library's 100 Titles for Reading and Sharing), Sometimes I Feel Like a River and Once in a Blue Moon. Her debut middle-grade novel, Forever Birchwood, was published in 2022, as well as her first adult novel, Daughters of the Deer. Reasons to Look at the Night Sky was inspired by her years as an elementary school teacher and her great love of space. She lives on Manitoulin Island among a large family of cedars, a husk of hares and a fifty-year-old Blanding's turtle, who visits quite regularly.