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All the Blues in the Sky
A School Library Journal Best Book of the Year | A Chicago Public Library Best Kids' Book of the Year
# 1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor author Renée Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.
Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.
In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.
# 1 New York Times bestselling and Newbery Honor author Renée Watson explores friendship, loss, and life with grief in this poignant novel in verse and vignettes.
Sage's thirteenth birthday was supposed to be about movies and treats, staying up late with her best friend and watching the sunrise together. Instead, it was the day her best friend died. Without the person she had to hold her secrets and dream with, Sage is lost. In a counseling group with other girls who have lost someone close to them, she learns that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. There is sadness, loneliness, anxiety, guilt, pain, love. And even as Sage grieves, new, good things enter her life-and she just may find a way to know that she can feel it all.
In accessible, engaging verse and prose, this is a story of a girl's journey to heal, grow, and forgive herself. To read it is to see how many shades there are in grief, and to know that someone understands.
186 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 4, 2025
60 people are currently reading
1444 people want to read
About the author
Renée Watson
36 books1,651 followersRenée Watson is the author of the children’s picture book, A Place Where Hurricanes Happen (Random House, June 2010), which was featured on NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. Her middle grade novel, What Momma Left Me debuted as the New Voice for 2010 in middle grade fiction by The Independent Children's Booksellers Association.
Renée’s one woman show, Roses are Red, Women are Blue, debuted at New York City's Lincoln Center at a showcase for emerging artists. Her poetry and articles have been published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.
When Renée is not writing and performing, she is teaching. Renée has worked in public schools and community organizations as an artist in residence for several years, teaching poetry, fiction, and theater in Oregon, Louisiana, and New York City. She also facilitates professional development workshops for teachers and artists.
One of Renée’s passions is using the arts to help youth cope with trauma. She has facilitated poetry and theatre workshops with young girls coping with sexual and physical abuse, children who have witnessed violence, children coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and children who relocated to New York City after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Renée graduated from The New School, where she studied Creative Writing and earned a certificate in Drama Therapy.
Renée currently lives in New York City.
Renée’s one woman show, Roses are Red, Women are Blue, debuted at New York City's Lincoln Center at a showcase for emerging artists. Her poetry and articles have been published in Rethinking Schools, Theatre of the Mind and With Hearts Ablaze.
When Renée is not writing and performing, she is teaching. Renée has worked in public schools and community organizations as an artist in residence for several years, teaching poetry, fiction, and theater in Oregon, Louisiana, and New York City. She also facilitates professional development workshops for teachers and artists.
One of Renée’s passions is using the arts to help youth cope with trauma. She has facilitated poetry and theatre workshops with young girls coping with sexual and physical abuse, children who have witnessed violence, children coping with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and children who relocated to New York City after the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. Renée graduated from The New School, where she studied Creative Writing and earned a certificate in Drama Therapy.
Renée currently lives in New York City.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews
February 17, 2025
Renee Watson can literally do no wrong. This book was AMAZING. I absolutely loved it. Please note that this book centers grief.
What Worked: EVERYTHING. I should have known that this book was going to have me crying simply based on the dedication; however, I still made the decision to pick it up. Granted I've been experiencing grief myself this year, but I think that this was written in a way that is perfect for any reader at any age. I LOVED Sage's voice as a main character. It hurts to be inside her head, but it's so real and raw. Watson perfectly captures the ups and downs that come with grief especially those that are experienced by a teenager. The conversations that Sage has with her family and her grief group, the hesitancy to make new friends were such pivotal moments to my enjoyment of the book. There is something about grief that I'm not sure I realized until hearing it through Sage's voice: grief never truly goes away. It's something that becomes a part of us. We learn to live with it, but we don't every part with it. To be honest, I'm close to tears while writing this. If you haven't read this book or it hasn't been added to your TBR, I strongly implore you to pick it up.
What Worked: EVERYTHING. I should have known that this book was going to have me crying simply based on the dedication; however, I still made the decision to pick it up. Granted I've been experiencing grief myself this year, but I think that this was written in a way that is perfect for any reader at any age. I LOVED Sage's voice as a main character. It hurts to be inside her head, but it's so real and raw. Watson perfectly captures the ups and downs that come with grief especially those that are experienced by a teenager. The conversations that Sage has with her family and her grief group, the hesitancy to make new friends were such pivotal moments to my enjoyment of the book. There is something about grief that I'm not sure I realized until hearing it through Sage's voice: grief never truly goes away. It's something that becomes a part of us. We learn to live with it, but we don't every part with it. To be honest, I'm close to tears while writing this. If you haven't read this book or it hasn't been added to your TBR, I strongly implore you to pick it up.
April 26, 2025
A lyrical, moving portrayal of grief and love and loss and healing. Beautifully narrated.
Thank you, Libro.fm for the ALC.
Thank you, Libro.fm for the ALC.
February 9, 2025
This was a beautiful and touching/moving book...
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle this (Lost my furry sister and my two beloved furbabies.. my best friends, all in a six month period last year) and it's been rough 😫.
Something told me to pick this up as I was eyeing warily, my intuition has been right since I've learned to listen and this was no exception.
Grief isn't a steady thing in a straight line.. it never truly goes away. It ebbs and flows like the tide and it'll hit you at random times like a tidal wave and other times it quietly sits beside you.
It can be happy memories that give you a pang in your chest and it hurts but doesn't drown you.. other times, it so present it physically hurts and you have a good cry that you needed.
Grief can affect people different ways and what comforts or helps one person won't help another.
There's an expectation sometimes and "rules" for how people "are supposed to grieve" and we need to let people do it in their own way, and be respectful and there to listen when it hits them harder even a long time after.
You could feel the love Ebony has for her friend and the Rollercoaster she goes on on her emotional journey ✨️.
Would highly recommend, this was one that came to me at the right time and I'm grateful.
I wasn't sure if I'd be able to handle this (Lost my furry sister and my two beloved furbabies.. my best friends, all in a six month period last year) and it's been rough 😫.
Something told me to pick this up as I was eyeing warily, my intuition has been right since I've learned to listen and this was no exception.
Grief isn't a steady thing in a straight line.. it never truly goes away. It ebbs and flows like the tide and it'll hit you at random times like a tidal wave and other times it quietly sits beside you.
It can be happy memories that give you a pang in your chest and it hurts but doesn't drown you.. other times, it so present it physically hurts and you have a good cry that you needed.
Grief can affect people different ways and what comforts or helps one person won't help another.
There's an expectation sometimes and "rules" for how people "are supposed to grieve" and we need to let people do it in their own way, and be respectful and there to listen when it hits them harder even a long time after.
You could feel the love Ebony has for her friend and the Rollercoaster she goes on on her emotional journey ✨️.
Would highly recommend, this was one that came to me at the right time and I'm grateful.
January 5, 2025
ARC gifted to our non-profit agency from a B&N employee.
As a grief therapist, this book was just what we needed. I find that middle schoolers are the most under served when it comes to grief and I adored how age appropriate this was written. It was blunt and beautiful, just like the middle school years.
I loved how Sage expressed her guilt and anger, especially at the other members of the group who she felt didn’t understand her experience. This is something we talk about lots in group with kids all having experienced death, but in all different ways.
I also value how powerful this book will be for our minority students who often do not have grief books written for them. We serve a large population of youth who have family members who have died in violent ways, and I think this book will speak to their soul.
This will most definitely be a book we purchase to keep in our resource library to give to kids and teens who could benefit from the story.
5/5⭐️
As a grief therapist, this book was just what we needed. I find that middle schoolers are the most under served when it comes to grief and I adored how age appropriate this was written. It was blunt and beautiful, just like the middle school years.
I loved how Sage expressed her guilt and anger, especially at the other members of the group who she felt didn’t understand her experience. This is something we talk about lots in group with kids all having experienced death, but in all different ways.
I also value how powerful this book will be for our minority students who often do not have grief books written for them. We serve a large population of youth who have family members who have died in violent ways, and I think this book will speak to their soul.
This will most definitely be a book we purchase to keep in our resource library to give to kids and teens who could benefit from the story.
5/5⭐️
September 9, 2025
This is an amazing book centering around grief for middle school students. It is a sad story that 13 year old Sage shares about the loss of her best friend in a horrendous car wreck. While stumbling through life, many people share their thoughts on healing and mending. She is angry that life goes on for so many and doesn't know how she can move forward without someone to share her secrets with. Written through verse, the story glides gracefully without flaw. It is a short audio and perfect for the age group it is written for. Everyone handles grief differently, even expressing anger and later resilience to the pain. I found myself thinking about the children this age that suffer and have no one to help them push through it. The narrator Bahni Turpin's voice was perfect for Sage's character. Be ready to cry and mourn with her not only for her friend, but anyone that has lost someone.
December 31, 2024
I am in tears. What an incredible, incredible novel in verse about grief. I relate way too hard to this book.
August 20, 2025
*still wiping my tears* yeah, it was great. that is exactly how grief do be like, and sometimes life will just keep throwing things one right after another. I need more tissues
February 4, 2025
ALC gifted by libro.fm
This book is amazing 🥹🥹🥹 It examines grief through a 13-year old girl who lost her best friend. While it’s labeled as “middle grade”, the way Watson writes about grief—how it intertwines with joy, how it creeps up on you, how you need to tend to it everyday, how we all process it differently—has so much wisdom that even adults would love the depth of the story.
At this point Watson can write a grocery list and I would still ugly sob 😭 beautiful
(This book pairs so well with HERE AFTER in terms of themes explored and writing styles)
This book is amazing 🥹🥹🥹 It examines grief through a 13-year old girl who lost her best friend. While it’s labeled as “middle grade”, the way Watson writes about grief—how it intertwines with joy, how it creeps up on you, how you need to tend to it everyday, how we all process it differently—has so much wisdom that even adults would love the depth of the story.
At this point Watson can write a grocery list and I would still ugly sob 😭 beautiful
(This book pairs so well with HERE AFTER in terms of themes explored and writing styles)
Read
March 14, 2025DNF. Not this books fault but I thought I was okay with reading a sad book right now and unfortunately I am not. I would like to pick this up again someday when I am in a better mental health state to read a sad book. Since I DNF I will not be rating.
November 18, 2024
Another huge rave for Watson, who writes beautifully. This novel in verse addresses themes of loss, grief, guilt, and resiliency. Thank you#NetGalley for the ARC!
August 1, 2025
“Pilots see many shades of blue in the sky — light blue, medium blue, vibrant, bright blue, white blue, blue violet, a blue deep and mysterious mixed with grey, a blue that melts and sheds and morphs into purples and pinks. Everyone likes those beautiful blue skies, but sometimes, sometimes the sky is dark blue, black blue, midnight blue. And sometimes life is blue too.
Blue is the empty chair at the desk in the classroom where my best friend used to sit. Blue is the ache in my heart when I pick up the phone to call her and remember she is gone. Blue is Aunt Emi’s warm hugs. Blue is a hot cup of coco on a cold, stormy day. Blue is all the calm, all the heartbreak, all the hope, all the tears, all the laughter. Maybe, just maybe, blue, not red is the colour of love, with all its mood and passion and emotion. For all the blues in the sky, there are as many blues in the heart.”
Blue is the empty chair at the desk in the classroom where my best friend used to sit. Blue is the ache in my heart when I pick up the phone to call her and remember she is gone. Blue is Aunt Emi’s warm hugs. Blue is a hot cup of coco on a cold, stormy day. Blue is all the calm, all the heartbreak, all the hope, all the tears, all the laughter. Maybe, just maybe, blue, not red is the colour of love, with all its mood and passion and emotion. For all the blues in the sky, there are as many blues in the heart.”
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 6, 2025
February 2025 : Book 3/28.
Grief shown in YA will always be beautiful.
Grief shown in YA will always be beautiful.
February 19, 2025
Well holy shit. Such a beautiful and deep short story!
April 1, 2025
4.5!
This book omg 😭
This book omg 😭
March 30, 2025
Special thanks to the author, @bloomsburybooksus #BloomsburyCreatorCircle for gifted copy & @librofm for my gifted ALC.
I don’t know how many times I have to say it but Renée Watson don’t miss‼️ I don’t care what she writes it always gives 5 stars to me. Sis could make a coloring book and I swear it would still be a 5 star experience.
This middle grade book was nothing short of amazing. Written with a mix of prose and free verse we journey alongside Sage as she deals with the loss of her bestfriend and learns to heal, grow, and forgive herself. Losing someone close to you is never easy and Sage learns firsthand from a counseling group that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. It was hard for Sage to cope with her emotions because she blamed herself for what happened to her friend. Keeping everything bottled up eventually she explodes then realizes letting it out was what she needed to do to heal.
Nobody can prepare you for what happens after you lose someone. I know firsthand how it feels losing my mom at 16. It’s something that breaks inside of you and you don’t know if anything will ever be able to fix it. You tend to question everything like why them? Or why now? I even participated in a counseling group same as Sage and hated every moment of it because I didn’t wanna talk about it but it was what I needed to do.
I really enjoyed this and felt the author perfectly captured the different stages we go through when dealing with grief. I understood and could relate to Sage’s pain and anger so maybe that’s why I loved it so much. But I think this book is perfect for any young adult dealing with the loss of someone.
I don’t know how many times I have to say it but Renée Watson don’t miss‼️ I don’t care what she writes it always gives 5 stars to me. Sis could make a coloring book and I swear it would still be a 5 star experience.
This middle grade book was nothing short of amazing. Written with a mix of prose and free verse we journey alongside Sage as she deals with the loss of her bestfriend and learns to heal, grow, and forgive herself. Losing someone close to you is never easy and Sage learns firsthand from a counseling group that not all losses are the same, and healing isn't predictable. It was hard for Sage to cope with her emotions because she blamed herself for what happened to her friend. Keeping everything bottled up eventually she explodes then realizes letting it out was what she needed to do to heal.
Nobody can prepare you for what happens after you lose someone. I know firsthand how it feels losing my mom at 16. It’s something that breaks inside of you and you don’t know if anything will ever be able to fix it. You tend to question everything like why them? Or why now? I even participated in a counseling group same as Sage and hated every moment of it because I didn’t wanna talk about it but it was what I needed to do.
I really enjoyed this and felt the author perfectly captured the different stages we go through when dealing with grief. I understood and could relate to Sage’s pain and anger so maybe that’s why I loved it so much. But I think this book is perfect for any young adult dealing with the loss of someone.
March 12, 2025
Every day I book talk a book to my 8th graders. This year, I have 10 students who have lost a parent in their 13 short years on earth. I saw this book and thought it would be a great addition to my class library.
I read it in one sitting and was deeply impacted. I lost three dear people between 2020-2022, none to Covid.
Reading this book, I felt utter relief. I could tell Renee wrote from a place of grief because the descriptions are so accurate, the emotions so raw. Not many people cover the guilt aspect of grieving, or the questions we continue to ask long after the loved one is gone.
I didn't feel helped or fixed reading this, I felt like I was sitting with a friend who heard me, hugged me.
Highly recommend 13+ years old to read.
I read it in one sitting and was deeply impacted. I lost three dear people between 2020-2022, none to Covid.
Reading this book, I felt utter relief. I could tell Renee wrote from a place of grief because the descriptions are so accurate, the emotions so raw. Not many people cover the guilt aspect of grieving, or the questions we continue to ask long after the loved one is gone.
I didn't feel helped or fixed reading this, I felt like I was sitting with a friend who heard me, hugged me.
Highly recommend 13+ years old to read.
April 30, 2025
Renée Watson's gorgeous novel in verse brought tears to my eyes as I read about Sage's journey through grief.
I don't know what is drawing me to stories about grief and dying, but it could be because my greatest fear is of suddenly dying and leaving my babies without a mother. It was interesting to me that one of Sage's biggest issues was that she felt like her grief was more intense and valid because she wasn't able to prepare for the death of her best friend. And the girls in her grief group were able to find closure before their grief even hit.
But can we ever truly know how we will grieve??
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Maybe, just maybe, blue, not red, is the color of love with all its mood and passion and emotion. For all the blues in the sky, there are as many blues in the heart."
"We never run out of love, unless we let our hearts dry out."
"There didn't need to be a last time to say it because we spent the time we had together showing it."
"Maybe people are like flowers. No matter how beautiful they are, no matter how much they are loved, they are not here to stay.
Maybe the saying seasons come and go is a promise that always more flowers bloom."
I don't know what is drawing me to stories about grief and dying, but it could be because my greatest fear is of suddenly dying and leaving my babies without a mother. It was interesting to me that one of Sage's biggest issues was that she felt like her grief was more intense and valid because she wasn't able to prepare for the death of her best friend. And the girls in her grief group were able to find closure before their grief even hit.
But can we ever truly know how we will grieve??
Some of my favorite quotes:
"Maybe, just maybe, blue, not red, is the color of love with all its mood and passion and emotion. For all the blues in the sky, there are as many blues in the heart."
"We never run out of love, unless we let our hearts dry out."
"There didn't need to be a last time to say it because we spent the time we had together showing it."
"Maybe people are like flowers. No matter how beautiful they are, no matter how much they are loved, they are not here to stay.
Maybe the saying seasons come and go is a promise that always more flowers bloom."
February 7, 2025
This was a gorgeous, emotional story about grief, friendship, first loves, coming of age, etc. I seriously need to read more books by Renée Watson because the last 2 I’ve read have been phenomenal! I’m glad I got an ALC from Libro.fm, but I wish I had the physical book to fully appreciate the poetry and to see how the book is structured.
February 26, 2025
Absolutely stunning.
My younger and older self felt so connected to this middle grades story about grief. This book is from the perspective of a 13 year old who unexpectedly loses her friend. It talks about love and forgiveness and friendship and loss. I adored that it was written in verse and I know this book will be treasured by so many young, Black girls who happen upon it.
My younger and older self felt so connected to this middle grades story about grief. This book is from the perspective of a 13 year old who unexpectedly loses her friend. It talks about love and forgiveness and friendship and loss. I adored that it was written in verse and I know this book will be treasured by so many young, Black girls who happen upon it.
April 8, 2025
I LOVED this book! It is a very quick read (can read in an hour) but it is wonderful. It is a middle level book but everyone can benefit from reading it. It is about grief, which everyone can relate to. I cried several times reading this quick short book. I highly recommend this book for everyone!
April 13, 2025
This book broke my heart and put it back together again 🖤 a beautiful look at complexities of grief. Learning to continue to live and love with grief that comes back like hunger - to love without regret and to know that it’s okay to feel it all.
April 26, 2025
Sage's best friend is hit by a car and killed on her 13th birthday. All the Blues in the Sky tells the story of their friendship and focuses heavily on her experiences with grief. It's a moving and beautiful novel, told in prose, that will make your heart ache - but also give you a sense of healing and a reminder that grief exists because we love and connect with others.
July 8, 2025
Thank you Bloomsbury for the gifted copy!
I think this a great book for younger audiences during grief, but still great as an adult! It’s a perfect reminder that while you are griefing, you can still have good things happen. It just depends on how you manage all of these emotions.
I think this a great book for younger audiences during grief, but still great as an adult! It’s a perfect reminder that while you are griefing, you can still have good things happen. It just depends on how you manage all of these emotions.
February 8, 2025
Thank you to Libro FM and Bloomsbury for the ALC.
Short but impactful. A perfect middle grade book that focuses on grief and friendship. This was beautiful.
Short but impactful. A perfect middle grade book that focuses on grief and friendship. This was beautiful.
February 22, 2025
Beautiful - like all of her books.
February 25, 2025
Such an intimate book about navigating grief at a young age. Superbly done.
March 2, 2025
First 5 star of the year
April 2, 2025
Warning: it will break your heart 😭😭
July 3, 2025
Beautiful and heart wrenching exploration of grief.
December 8, 2025
Read this in 45 minutes… I am both completely distraught and utterly impressed. Her ability to capture grief in such a real and relatable way has me crying.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 329 reviews