Stargazing

Stargazing (2019) is a middle grade graphic novel written and illustrated by Jen Wang and colored by Lark Pien. Wang based the work on her own experiences of having a brain tumor as a young child and the surgery required to have it removed. Stargazing won the Asian/Pacific American Award for Children’s Literature in 2020, partially due to its examination of Bridging the Cultural Divide within Asian American communities and its depiction of identity-formation as children approach adolescence. The characters’ friendships propel their growth.

This guide utilizes the 2019 first second edition of the graphic novel.

Plot Summary

Protagonist Christine Hong performs violin in front of her church as her father takes photos. Afterward, her parents criticize her for having her collar open during the performance. A church buffet follows, and a girl walks in whom Christine doesn’t recognize. Christine hears from her friends that the girl is named Moon, and that her mother owns a plant nursery. When Christine’s parents find out that Moon and her mother are having financial problems, they offer their spare unit to them.

Christine is worried after hearing that Moon can be violent and immediately tries to protect her younger sister, Vivian, from Moon. Moon’s mother, Mrs. Lin, is friendly and thankful and agrees to watch Christine and Vivian for an evening. She serves a vegetarian dish, and Moon announces that she and her mother are Buddhist. She takes Christine to her room after dinner, and they discuss their favorite pop artists. Moon likes a K-pop star named Chara because she isn’t afraid to be herself. When Moon starts dancing and singing, she gets an idea to perform a dance routine for the school talent show. She encourages the shy Christine to try dancing. When Christine’s father comes to pick her up, she is embarrassed that he sees her dancing with Moon. 

On Moon’s first day at the new elementary school, she is excited to learn and loves her new teacher, Mr. Pennypacker. Christine’s friends accept Moon into their group, and Moon and Christine sign up for the talent show. After school, Christine and several other kids from the neighborhood attend a Chinese language lesson taught by her mother. Moon is invited as well but leaves after she is asked to recite a poem and can’t pronounce the words.

Later that night, Moon shows Christine her drawings of Mr. Pennypacker and the celestial people that she sees when she looks into the sky. She tells Christine to paint her toenails, even though Christine’s parents would disapprove. The next day, the class takes a field trip to the planetarium, and Moon is enthralled by the tesla coil on display. She stares at it with totally blank, wide eyes, confusing Christine. During the planet show, Moon tells Christine that her home is in the stars, and she is only waiting to return there. Later that day, Moon comes for a visit after supper. Vivian breaks down in tears doing her math homework, proclaiming that a boy at school called her stupid and that she doesn’t want to end up without a home like Moon.

The next day, Moon attacks the boy who insulted Vivian, beating him to the ground. As she walks away, she gives Vivian a tooth from the boy’s mouth. Moon is taken to the office and told she must attend mandatory counselling sessions. Christine wonders if she can trust Moon but approaches her in the yard that night with understanding in mind. Moon tells Christine about her father, who passed away, and about the beings she sees in the stars—the place she considers home. Moon thinks of herself as a celestial and hopes to join her family again soon. Christine plays her violin for Moon while reciting the poem that Moon struggled with the other day.

Over the next few days, the girls practice their dance steps. When Christine’s father sees her painted toenails, he warns Christine not to copy Moon and to stay on her own path. Christine and Moon watch a movie instead of studying as planned. When Christine gets a C on her math test, she works twice as hard while subtly avoiding Moon for a few days. Moon reacts by spending more time with a classmate named Madison. At Madison’s birthday party, Moon gives Madison a ticket to a K-pop convention, making Christine jealous. Christine intentionally embarrasses Moon by leaving her drawings of Mr. Pennypacker exposed on the table. When Moon is mocked for the drawings, she attacks one of the girls who was mocking her. Moments later, Moon becomes vacant and faints on the ground.

Christine’s father takes Moon and Mrs. Lin to the hospital. Moon is diagnosed with a brain tumor that is pressing on her visual cortex, causing her hallucinations and seizures. Moon is going to have an operation to have the tumor removed. Christine doesn’t know how to react when she hears this information. She avoids going to see Moon before the surgery out of fear and guilt for embarrassing Moon at the party.

The night of Moon’s surgery, Christine’s father takes her out for shaved ice. He gets a text from Mrs. Lin that the surgery was successful. When Christine asks if Moon will be a changed person, Mr. Hong admits he doesn’t know. He makes an offhand joke about Moon waking up knowing how to speak Chinese, which upsets Christine. Christine leaves the restaurant, and her father follows her. He apologizes for the joke and tells Christine that her guilt over the past cannot be changed, but it can become a lesson for the future. They decide to go see Moon when she wakes up.

Christine and Moon sit alone in the hospital room together. Moon laments that her visions are gone, and she asks Christine why she didn’t visit before the surgery. Christine admits she left the sketchbook out on purpose and was jealous of Moon being such a natural socialite. Moon regrets that she can no longer participate in the dance group for the talent show. Christine urges her to come watch, and the girls hug. The talent show turns out to be a surprise fundraiser for Moon’s hospital bills, stunning Mrs. Lin. Moon arrives with a brand-new buzz cut that she wears with pride and is gifted a custom jacket for the dance group with her name on it. Moon watches as the group performs the Chara song. When it ends, she runs up on stage to hug all of her friends in thanks.