Never Seen the Stars

Gr 10 Up–A deeply emotional coming-of-age story about Hattie Murphy’s challenges coping with the grief of losing her close friend, Mason, who had epilepsy and died in a tragic boating accident. On top of that, Hattie also discovers that she has inherited her father’s degenerative eye condition, retinitis pigmentosa, and is starting to lose her vision. Korsh does a great job balancing typical teenage friendship and boy drama with more difficult subjects like depression, disability acceptance, and loss. In a surprise twist, Hattie starts to see Mason’s ghost, who seems to show up at all the right times when Hattie is struggling most; together, the two work through their anger and learn to accept the blows life has dealt them. Sexual attempts are made, but no sex occurs on the page. This is a standout story that is equal parts sad and hopeful, with extremely relatable and beautiful explorations of grief, disability, and loss.