• Booklist Reviews : Booklist Reviews 2020 March #1
  Libby Monroe is a seventh grader who loves science and has a habit of conversing with notable people in her mind. She also has an optimistic disposition and Turner's syndrome, a chromosomal condition found only in girls. Turner's syndrome causes many complications in Libby's life: her body has characteristics associated with it, so she is sometimes bullied, and she struggles with some skills, including interpersonal ones. Her family life is warm and loving, however, with her sister, Nonny, providing a huge chunk of support. When Libby enters a competition from the Smithsonian, writing a letter to introduce an unrecognized woman in STEM, she works hard not only on her entry about astronomer Cecilia Payne, but also on developing a friendship with a new student at her school. Libby's sparkling first-person narrative is directed straight at the reader, and her optimism is infectious. Allen has Libby convey information about Turner's syndrome without sounding contrived, since it's part of Libby's somewhat filter-less personality. All the primary characters shine in this impressive debut. Grades 4-7. Copyright 2020 Booklist Reviews.

Sarah Allen has been published in The Evansville Review, Allegory, and on WritersDigest. She has an MFA from Brigham Young University. Like Libby, she was born with Turner Syndrome. What Stars are Made Of is her first novel.