Booklist calls ALL THE BLUES IN THE SKY by Renée Watson “a phenomenal and realistic portrayal of a teenager experiencing the loss of a loved one for the first time” in starred review

★All the Blues in the Sky. By Renée Watson Feb. 2025. 208p. Bloomsbury, $17.99 (9781547605897). Gr. 5–8

Thirteen-year-old Sage’s birthday will forever be known for two things: the day of her birth and the day her best friend died. When readers meet Sage, she is learning to manage her grief and new reality by participating in the grief group at school. Told in lyrical verse, Sage’s story shows that grief is not linear; there are moments of happiness that break through periods of extreme sadness. Sage struggles with guilt, both worrying that she somehow had a part to play in the death of her friend and feeling uneasy building new friendships without her best friend. Sage has an amazing support system in her grief counselor, family, and grief-support-group friends. Her grief counselor, Ms. Carver, is a valuable support person who provides wisdom to Sage and all the members of the support group. There is also romance, as a boy that Sage has a crush on takes the time to listen and patiently help her work through her grief. With all of the support given to her, Sage begins to hope for the future while remembering all the special moments with her best friend. Sage is Black, with secondary characters of implied diverse ethnicity. A phenomenal and realistic portrayal of a teenager experiencing the loss of a loved one for the first time. A must for all middle-grade collections.