This Opening Sky - Paperback

by Kelly Hollman (Author), Charlotte Watson Sherman (Author)

Historical fiction at its finest! A sweet and sensitive, accessible middle grade novel in verse, following an unlikely friendship in the aftermath of the American Civil War.

A Junior Library Guild Selection

Finalist, 2024 CYBILS Awards for Poetry, Novels in Verse

2025 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Book Winner

"As Reconstruction begins, two 12-year-old girls join forces and head north to find their families....Elly's and Halle's distinct voices and strong personalities balance each other nicely as each in turn gives and receives help....A moving post-Civil War story of comradeship and self-discovery."--Kirkus Reviews

The Civil War is over.

Aurelia, the daughter of a destitute plantation owner, reelsfrom the aftermath of a war that has torn her life apart.

Halle, a newly freed slave, looks for a family she fears islost forever.

When fate brings the two girls together, they head north in ajoint quest for freedom: one from human shackles, the other from pride.

Differences and judgment soon give way to an unexpectedfriendship between two girls who have more in common than meets the eye, as dowe all. Heartwarming and life-changing, This Opening Sky is a tale ofhope that proves that when love overcomes prejudice, we're all set freetogether.

Excerpts from the This Opening Sky:

Aurelia

My hands are torn,

blistered and bleeding.

No longer the hands of a young lady.

I drop my hoe and unwrap my bandaged fingers.

Nails, once perfectly manicured,

now dirty and broken.

The hands of a field worker.

Sary

"Stay," Miss Ruby Lee say.

"Please don't go."

She all the mama

I know now.

What if Mama

come for me?

Pa say

he be back.

What if he come

and I be gone?

But if they come

and these folk

don't let me go,

like they do Cassie and Thad,

then what I'm gonna do?

Seem like stayin'

be wastin'

my free.

Author Biography

Kelly Hollman is the author of historical fiction for children and adults. When she's not exploring museums, historical sites, and cemeteries, she loves to travel, knit, and read, sometimes all at once. Kelly lives in Central California with her family, numerous dogs and cats, and a goat named Lucy.

Charlotte Watson Sherman was born and raised in Seattle, the Emerald City. She is a former librarian and the author of Brown Sugar Babe and Mermaid Kenzie: Protector of the Deeps (Boyds Mills & Kane/Astra Books for Young Readers). She lives in southern California.