Winner of the Newbery Medal

A New York Times bestseller | A USA Today bestseller | A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year | A Kirkus Best Book of the Year | A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year | A Chicago Public Library Best Kids' Book of the Year | A PEN America's Best Children's Books | An NCTE Charlotte Huck Award Honor Book | A Horn Book Fanfare Selection Book | A BCCB Blue Ribbon Book

#1 New York Times bestselling author and Newbery Medal winner Renée Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.

Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.

In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.

“If you're looking for a story that offers hope in the midst of grief and shines a light on the road back to joy, look no further. All the Blues in the Sky is a gift.” ―Nikki Grimes, bestselling and award-winning author of GARVEY IN THE DARK and A WALK IN THE WOODS

“Watson has crafted an achingly beautiful novel that masterfully captures the realities of loss. A heartfelt portrait of the complexities of grief and the indomitable human spirit.” ―Kirkus Reviews, starred review

“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.” ―Booklist, starred review

“A poignant story for all and a valuable resource for those experiencing grief and loss.” ―Horn Book, starred review

“A deeply affecting window into healing that skillfully manages to be both heartbreaking yet full of hope.” ―Shelf Awareness, starred review

“Brief yet poignant vignettes drive home the immediacy of grief as well as the importance of remaining attune to one's emotions in this tender and heartbreaking interpretation of loss.” ―Publishers Weekly

“Watson doesn't hold back in depicting the wrenching heartache of a beloved life lost too soon, but she also brings her young readers to a powerful realization: that although loss is inevitable, we can all do our best to love as well and fiercely as we can, for as long as we can.” ―Bookpage

“Earnest, cutting, accessible.” ―BCCB