Shortlisted for the CILIP Carnegie Medal 2017 and recommended by Amnesty as a top book for young adults.
“..a challenging yet life-affirming book that gives its young characters a powerful and original voice” – Amnesty
“Surprising, lyrical and beautiful, this book speaks of hope in the darkest of times, and of love in its many forms” - Liz Flanagan
Alice is fifteen, with hair as red as fire and skin as pale as bone, but something inside her is broken. She has a brain injury, the result of an assault. Manny was once a child soldier. He is sixteen and has lost all his family. When Manny first sees Alice, she is sitting on the rusty roof of her river house, looking like a carving on an old-fashioned ship, sailing through the stars. He has a poem in his pocket, and he knows the words by heart. And he is sure that girl has written them. When Manny and Alice meet, they find the beginnings of love and healing.
"
Exploring themes of sexual assault, poverty and racism, The Stars at Oktober Bend is a challenging yet life-affirming book that gives its young characters a powerful and original voice.
" - Best YA books (2020)
"
The Stars at Oktober Bend is so beautifully and carefully written it seems each word is pure gold... Out of terrible crimes evolves a story of forgiveness and redemption, told with passion, heart and humour; it is unforgettable.
" - Books for Keeps magazine
"
Heartrending and, ultimately, hopeful, this tells the extraordinarily powerful tale of unforgettable Alice.
" - lovereading4kids.co.uk
"
Magnificent – one of the most startling things for this age group I've read this year.
" - Minerva Reads blog
"
Iincredibly powerful, haunting, spirited, joyous. Like all of Millard's work, it is a story that makes you feel. Don't let it pass you by.
" - Library Mice blog
