AWARDS
2019-2020 Florida Sunshine State Young Readers Award Nominee
2019-2020 Arkansas Charlie May Simon Children’s Book Award Nominee
2019-2020 Indiana Young Hoosier Book Award Nominee
2019 Oklahoma Sequoyah Book Award Nominee
2019 Indiana Too-Good-To-Miss Read Aloud
BEST BOOK LISTS
A Kirkus Reviews Best Book of 2017
A Bank Street College of Education Best Book of the Year
A Junior Library Guild Selection for Fall 2017
REVIEWS
In an excellent first novel, Davis channels the idiosyncratic perspective and voice of Lester, a 10-year-old stargazer, as he makes the difficult transition from homeschooling to fifth grade…. This unsentimental portrait of an endearing and memorable protagonist offers powerful insight into living with autism.
Lester’s first-person narrative is honest and pure. The text never infantilizes or romanticizes him, something that often happens in an attempt to teach a lesson about kids who don’t fit into any particular box. An intelligent and gently humorous story about an underdog who explores his place in a world that doesn’t readily accommodate kids who possess different ways of being or thinking.
With a constantly moving plot that unfolds in short chapters, engaging dialogue and a well-defined cast, SUPERSTAR is an inimitable story bound to become an award-winning favorite.
By the time the word autism appears, readers are accustomed to seeing the world from Lester’s point of view, a fine vantage point for getting to know anyone’s good points, foibles, and dreams. Davis creates a memorable character within a promising first novel.
Debut author Davis creates genuine, emotionally engaging characters who, over the course of the novel, grow and move toward heartfelt triumphs.
I LOVE LESTER. And I did right from the start. Lester’s story is beautiful, honest, and just the right amount of funny. Mandy Davis is a superstar.
Mandy Davis 