Description

By (author) Watson, Renée

Short /annotation:

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

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Winner of the Newbery Medal 2026

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

Review quote:
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

Review quote:
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

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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

Biographical note:

Renée Watson is a number one New York Times bestselling author. Her novel All the Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal in 2026, and Piecing Me Together received a Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King Award. Her books include the Ryan Hart series, Some Places More Than Others, This Side of Home, What Momma Left Me, Watch Us Rise, cowritten with Ellen Hagan, and Love Is a Revolution. Renée splits her time between Portland, Oregon and New York City.
www.reneewatson.net
@reneewauthor

Promotional headline:

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

Feature:
A beautiful and moving standalone literary middle grade from a major award-winning author

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A poignant exploration of loss. Sage’s journey to understanding the loss of her best friend is a roadmap for all young people navigating the ups and downs of grief.

Feature:
All The Blues in the Sky won the Newbery Medal in 2026, a fantastic win showcasing the brilliant and tender way Renée explores grief for young people