Rise to the Sun by Leah Johnson (author)

A stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark.Three days. Two girls. One life-changing music festival. Toni is grieving the loss of her roadie father and needing to figure out where her life will go from here – and she’s desperate to get back to loving music. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating (again) and is beginning to feel like she’ll always be a square peg in a round hole – but the Farmland Music and Arts Festival is a chance to find a place where she fits. The two collide and it feels like something like kismet when a bond begins to form. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Olivia and Toni will find that they need each other (and music) more than they ever imagined.

A joyous, Black girl rom-com about finding love and being true to yourself
Explores the power of communal joy to bring people together, even in the most uncertain of times
Leah Johnson’s You Should See Me in a Crown was the very first YA pick for Reese Witherspoon’s book club: ‘[A]super funny, joyful story that’ll have you reliving your high school prom days!’

Our August 2021 Teen Book of the Month

For my August Teen Book of the Month I have chosen Rise to the Sun by the incredible Leah Johnson. Toni is grieving the loss of her father and figuring out where her life will go from here. Olivia is a hopeless romantic whose heart has just taken a beating and is beginning to feel like she’ll always be a square peg in a round hole. The Farmland Music Festival is where they both feel at home, and when the two collide it feels like fate. But when something goes wrong and the festival is sent into a panic, Toni and Olivia will find that they need each other more than they ever imagined.

Rise to the Sun is a stunning novel about being brave enough to be true to yourself, and learning to find joy even when times are unimaginably dark. A joyous, LGTBQ+ comedy from an Own Voices author, perfect for fans of Simon James Green, Nicola Yoon and Patrice Lawrence. Johnson’s debut novel You Should See Me in a Crown was a phenomenal breakthrough of 2020 and received international acclaim.

Product Details

Catalogue number

1334 in Setanta SCB Offer April 2024

Format

Paperback

ISBN

9780702309502

Publisher

Scholastic

Date published

July 1st, 2021

Accelerated Reader

AR book level: 6.0; Upper years; 12.0 points

Other details

336 pages

Condition

New

Author/Illustrator

Leah Johnson

Leah Johnson is a writer, editor and eternal Midwesterner, currently moonlighting as a New Yorker. When she’s not writing, you can usually find her on Twitter, ranting about pop culture and politics. You Should See Me in a Crown is her first novel.