First-chapter Friday : The Stars Beneath Our Feet

Each Friday I share the link to a read-aloud preview of a book from our school library, with the SRCSA community. The “First-chapter Friday” selection for Jan. 28, 2022 is The Stars Beneath Our Feet, by David Barclay Moore.

It’s Christmas Eve in Harlem, but 12-year-old Lolly Rachpaul and his mom aren’t celebrating. They’re still reeling from his older brother’s death in a gang-related shooting just a few months earlier. Then Lolly’s mother’s girlfriend brings him a gift that will change everything: two enormous bags filled with Legos. Lolly’s always loved Legos, and he prides himself on following the kit instructions exactly. Now, faced with a pile of building blocks and no instructions, Lolly must find his own way forward. The Stars Beneath Our Feet was the winner in 2018, of the Coretta Scott King/John Steptoe New Talent Author Award, presented by the American Library Association.