Beyond the Mapped Stars

June 28, 2021
Seventeen-year-old Elizabeth Bertelsen, who is white and Mormon in 1878 Utah, is expected to marry and start a family like her polygamous father’s brood. But though she loves her church, she’s more interested in getting an education and studying the stars. It’s not impossible—Elizabeth’s scientific hero is astronomer Maria Mitchell—but it does seem unlikely. When her inattention endangers a sibling, Elizabeth is sent to Wyoming to care for her pregnant half sister. From there, she’s only a train ride to Denver and Pikes Peak, where the country’s greatest astronomers, including Mitchell, will view an upcoming eclipse. Elizabeth draws on her gumption, heads to Denver, and, helped by new friends and old, tries to become part of the expedition that will track the eclipse. She must also determine whether faith and science are compatible, and as she and other characters face religious prejudice, sexism, racism, and their own self-doubt, Eves’s (the Blood Rose Rebellion series) well-crafted tale of perseverance will have many contemporary readers identifying with them. An author’s note details the facts behind this telling of late-19th-century life in the American West. Ages 12–up. Agent: Josh Adams, Adams Literary.