Beneath Wandering Stars

Cowles’s debut focuses on Gabriela “Gabi” Santiago, a half-Mexican Army brat living on a German military base where her father serves as chaplain. Soon after the book opens, Gabi’s older brother, Lucas, a private deployed in Afghanistan, is airlifted to the base’s hospital in a coma. Lucas’s friend Seth feels responsible and explains that Lucas wanted the family to make a pilgrimage along the famous Camino de Santiago in Spain. Seth and Gabi set out to honor Lucas’s wish—despite Gabi’s parents’ objections and the fact that Seth and Gabi don’t get along (though it’s no surprise when their mutual antagonism turns romantic). Cowles, a former Army brat, shows an intimate understanding of military life and uses her characters to examine its difficulties (“Budget cuts. Back-to-back deployments. Missed birthdays”), the toll combat takes on soldiers, and other complicated topics. Though Cowles avoids making Seth and Gabi’s camino overly faith-based, prayer and hope for a miracle regarding Lucas’s injuries are central to their pilgrimage. Teens for whom war hits close to home are a natural audience for this hopeful story of journeys internal and external. Ages 14–up. (Aug.)