The Stars Beneath Our Feet

The Stars Beneath Our Feet

• Genre: Fiction; middle grade contemporary
• Originally Published: 2017
• Reading Level/Interest: Lexile 650L; grades 4-7
• Structure/Length: 37 chapters; approx. 304 pages; approx. 6 hours, 20 minutes on audio
• Protagonist and Central Conflict: Twelve-year-old Lolly lives in Harlem with his mom and her girlfriend and is mourning the death of his older brother to gang violence. With encouragement from his brother’s best friend, Lolly avoids joining a street crew and pursues his interest in architecture, building massive, complex structures with Lego.
• Potential Sensitivity Issues: Death of a sibling to gun violence; death of a parent by suicide; drug trafficking; alcohol and drug abuse; gun violence; gang activity; suicidal ideation

David Barclay Moore, Author

• Bio: Born and raised in Missouri; was an avid reader as a teenager; studied creative writing at Iowa State University, film at Howard University, and language studies at l’Université de Montpellier in France; his documentary short film Realness (2009) was screened at NewFest in New York City; works in film, journalism, and communications in New York City
• Other Works: Holler of the Fireflies (2022); Carrimebac, the Town That Walked (2022)
• Awards: Publishers Weekly Best Book of the Year (2017); Kirkus Reviews Best Book of the Year (2017); Coretta Scott King–John Steptoe Award for New Talent (2018); ALA Notable Book (2018)

CENTRAL THEMES connected and noted throughout this Teaching Unit:

• The Power of Creating
• The Importance of Choice
• The Relationship Between Violence and Masculinity

STUDY OBJECTIVES: In accomplishing the components of this Unit, students will:

• Develop an understanding of the social and cultural contexts regarding artistic expression that drive Lolly’s decisions.
• Analyze paired texts and other brief resources to draw conclusions via the text’s themes of The Power of Creating, The Importance of Choice, and The Relationship Between Violence and Masculinity.
• Plan, design, and construct a building from Rose and Lolly’s visits, drawing connections to textual details.
• Analyze and examine the setting and character details to draw conclusions in structured essay responses regarding the relationship between Rose and Lolly, Harlem, and other topics.