We Light Up the Sky

In a timely, genre-bending YA perfect for fans of Stranger Things, acclaimed author Lilliam Rivera explores the social and racial ramifications of a War of the Worlds-type alien invasion from the perspective of three diverse teens.

Pedro, Luna, and Gilbert may attend Fairfax High School together in Los Angeles, but they are not friends. They each live in separate spheres, outcasts in their own way. Pedro is too loud, loves the singer Melanie Martinez, and sometimes takes refuge in a drag bar when he's not working part time at Hollywood's In & Out. Luna is an overachieving straight A's student who is grieving the unexpected passing of her beloved cousin Tasha. Then there's Gilbert, the quiet one who is new to the school and has a secret — he lives in MacArthur Park with his parents and kid sister.

But Pedro, Luna, and Gilbert find themselves thrown together when an extraterrestrial visitor lands in their city and takes the form of Luna's cousin Tasha. They soon learn that The Visitor is the first of many, as worldwide news reports come in of various UFO sightings. As chaos ensues and the local authorities work to protect only the privileged, the three start to question who the true enemy is — the visitors, or their fellow humans?

ISBN: 9781547603763 | Published: 30 November 2021 | Hard cover | 208 pages