In Sight of Stars

Gr 10 Up—The year following his dad's suicide has been the hardest of Klee's life. His mom, whom Klee refers to as the "Ice Queen" has moved them from Manhattan to the suburbs where Klee is forced to spend his senior year without his friends, away from the art galleries and museums he used to frequent with his dad. In sleepy Northollow, the only thing Klee has going for him is his girlfriend Sarah, who is beautiful and reckless. When Klee realizes he may soon lose Sarah too, he reacts impulsively and lands himself in a psychiatric hospital. Through Klee's therapy sessions over the course of the next two weeks, readers learn about his family history, his anger at his mother, and the downfall of his relationship with Sarah. With help from a cast of characters that includes a fantastic therapist, other teenagers with mental health issues, and a nun with dwarfism, Klee begins to dig himself out of the darkness and find ways to move forward. In the vein of Ned Vizzini's It's Kind of a Funny Story, Polisner's short novel destigmatizes mental illness, emphasizing that everyone needs a little help sometimes. Readers will laugh, cry, and ache alongside Klee as they follow his recovery. Strong language, brief scenes of graphic violence, and descriptive sexual situations make this a better fit for older teens.