There is a huge range of emotions portrayed in the story through the main characters, from Aniyah and Noah’s total fear when they first arrive, to the excitement of planning their adventure with Travis and Ben to visit her mum’s star and ensure it’s given the right name. The physical and psychological effects of trauma are also shown, when Aniyah cannot speak or eat, with her throat feeling like it is closed, and Noah wetting the bed, along with Aniyah forgetting what really happened when she lost her mum for quite a long time after the event. This could lead to discussions about emotions and mental health with Year 6 children. This sensitively told story of domestic abuse is as heartbreaking as you might expect, but Raúf deftly steers Aniyah's innocent-child point of view through a multi-layered story of loss and friendship. In addition to writing for publications such as The Guardian, [22] Raúf is also a contributor to the BBC Radio 2 program Pause For Thought. [23] When hearing about a new star just appeared in the sky she decides that it must be her mother. Being a ‘star hunter’ Aniyah knows all about this and when the Royal Observatory posts a contest to name the new star Aniyah must get there so that they correctly name the star after her mother.

Aniyah and her little brother Noah are suddenly placed in foster care, after something happened to their Mum. The details of how they got here are hazy, and what happened are missing from her memory, but Aniyah knows her mother has become a star, to watch over them from the skies above. Hello Yellow - 80 Books to Help Children Nurture Good Mental Health and Support With Anxiety and Wellbeing -

Flood, Alison (22 March 2019). "Gripping refugee tale wins Waterstones children's book prize". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077 . Retrieved 25 March 2019. My mum is up there somewhere. She's waiting -- I can feel it. I just have to find her in time, that's all ... Because when I do, I'll know the truth about who stole her. ' Aniyah is a 10 year old girl who is in the foster care of Mrs. Iwuchukwu along with her baby brother Noah. She doesn’t exactly remember how she ended up in the foster care but all she remembers is her mum’s heart becoming a star. Aniyah also is thinking that her dad is looking for them. When the Royal observatory of Greenwich announces the finding of a new star Aniyah is convinced that it’s her mum and she wants to make sure her mum is not given a wrong name. Hence begins her journey to Greenwich from Waverley village. Her companions in this journey are Noah and the other 2 kids from foster care Ben and Travis. The book details their journey and the story with the naming of the star. As a result, this book review is going to take a slightly different approach. So without further ado...

These two children are fortunate enough to have found themselves in a loving foster home (this is not always the case) and has forged a friendship with two of the other foster children. There is another foster child, the eldest who is not so nice, but provides a much needed edge to the story. A bit of vinegar to the honey. One of the things I really admired about the book was that it included a content warning at the start:Raúf is of British Bangladeshi heritage. Her work is informed in part by her experiences of racism in childhood. "When I started being called Paki, I started to feel [my difference]. I wondered: why is there no one who looks like me in the books? So I wanted to write those characters,” she said in a 2019 interview with The Guardian. [4] Raúf was raised in London. Aniyah, Ben and their two best foster friends set off in secret to get to the Royal Observatory in London in time to make sure the star is named correctly. Following the disappearance of her mum, 10-year-old Aniyah suddenly finds herself living in foster care. With her life in disarray, she knows just one thing for sure: her mum isn’t gone for ever. Because people with the brightest hearts never truly leave. They become stars.