A sweeping adventure, set in the late 19th century, about science, love, and finding your place in the world, perfect for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Julie Berry.
Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Bertelsen dreams of becoming an astronomer, but she knows such dreams are as unreachable as the stars she so deeply adores. As a Mormon girl, her duty is to her family and, in a not too far away future, to the man who’ll choose to marry her.
When she unexpectedly finds herself in Colorado, she’s tempted by the total eclipse of the sun that’s about to happen—and maybe even meeting up with the female scientists she’s long admired. Elizabeth must learn to navigate this new world of possibility: with her familial duties and faith tugging at her heartstrings, a new romance on the horizon, and the study of the night sky calling to her, she can’t possibly have it all…can she?
NEWS AND REVIEWS
A *STARRED* review from School Library Journal: VERDICT An excellent addition to YA historical fiction collections for fans of Ruta Sepetys and Stacey Lee.
A Bank Street College of Education Best book, 14 +, for historical fiction.
A glowing review from Book Page: “Faith, family, race and gender are the earthly concerns that draw her down from the clouds, but as Eves expertly incorporates them into Elizabeth’s life-changing summer, Beyond the Mapped Stars takes flight and soars.”
Salt Lake Tribune: Interview with Jana Reiss
Book Club Questions
- How do you balance your responsibility to yourself and responsibility to a larger community (family, faith group, etc.)?
- The role of women plays a big part in Elizabeth’s journey, as she tries to achieve her own ambitions despite the broader societal expectations surrounding her. In what ways are the challenges facing women different than they were in the 19th century? In what ways might they be the same?
- One of the big themes in the book is scientific knowledge/reason versus faith. How do both science and faith inform Elizabeth’s life and choices? How are they sometimes in tension with each other? (I tried to use weather descriptions to underscore this conflict–science is often associated with daylight and faith with night, but when she’s feeling conflicted, you’ll notice that the stars are covered by clouds, or the daytime weather is stormy).
- Young adults often form their identity in and around their families. How is Elizabeth’s identity and character shaped by her family–and how does she also shape herself by distinguishing herself from her family?
- Another theme in the book deals with the superficial (and often wrong) impressions we have of others, especially groups we may not have much experience with. How does Elizabeth find her views of others challenged by her experiences? How does she challenge other people’s view of her and her background?
- The mid-to-late 19th Century American West was a place of rapid change. We often have this idea of the 19th century West as a collection of frontier towns (complete with saloons, dusty streets, and pistols at high noon), but in fact the West was often more sophisticated and diverse than we think. Denver had 30,000 people living in it in 1878. What about the setting matched your expectations? What surprised you?