To See the Stars
by Jan Andrews
with drawings by Tara Bryan
In her deeply affecting final novel, acclaimed children's writer and storyteller Jan Andrews gives us Edie Murphy, an indomitable and engaging heroine on the cusp of womanhood. The novel moves from Edie's remote Newfoundland outport to St. John's, and finally to New York City's Lower East Side. Against the backdrop of the history-making "Uprising" of 1909, when 20,000 garment workers went on strike for better working conditions, and the devastating Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (1911), Edie begins to find her own voice, hone her already-strong will, and learn about the true nature of home. A celebration of the strength of women and the power of community.
What folks are saying
"This powerful evocation of a horrific time in women's history is seering, yet shot with hope. Modern readers will be inspired by Edie's courage and resilience." ~ Kit Pearson, author of The Sky is Falling, and Be My Love
"To See the Stars is destined to become a Canadian classic. Jan Andrews has written yet another moving story that is at once intimate and grand. It is a book that will find a home in the nooks and crannies of the reader's mind. Jan's work is a never-ending gift to the rest of us." ~ Deborah Ellis, author of The Breadwinner and Looking for X
"You'll cheer for Edie on every page as she scrambles on the hard roads from her fishing village in Newfoundland to the notorious sweat-soaked shirtwaist factories in New York's lower east. We dive her first into different worlds and much different times watching Edie find her feet and her voice. It's a beautiful journey." ~ Teresa Toten, author of The Unlikely Hero of Room 13B and Beware That Girl
"Jan Andrews' To See the Stars powerfully evokes the voice of Edie Murphy, a young girl from a Newfoundland outport whose journey brings her from her isolated fishing village to the bustling streets and factories of New York City. The world fo the early 20th century - in New York, in St. John's, and in the tiny village of Atterley - is beautifully depicted, and Edie emerges as a resilient and engaging heroine." ~ Trudy Morgan-Cole, author of By the Rivers of Brooklyn and Most Anything You Please
"To See the Stars is at once tough and tender and utterly unforgettable." ~ Jeffry Canton, The Globe and Mail (read the full review)
"Those who appreciate character-driven stories will enjoy the feeling of watching history in action." ~ Kirkus Reviews
"To See the Stars celebrates strength in the face of adversity with a character that readers will applaud." ~ Karen Krossing, Canadian Children's Book News
"Thoughtful, eloquently told and intensely moving, this is a book to be savoured." ~ Lisa Doucet, Atlantic Books Today
