SHE HOLDS UP THE STARS
SHE HOLDS UP THE STARS
FROM NOVEL TO STAGE
Originally published by Annick Press in 2023, Sandra Laronde's award-winning novel She Holds Up the Stars was later reimagined by the author as a large-scale theatrical production. In 2026, she made her playwriting debut with its world premiere at Toronto's Roy Thomson Hall, receiving two Dora Mavor Moore Awards for Outstanding New Play and Outstanding Direction. The production also received eight Dora Mavor Moore Award nominations—the most of any production in Toronto that year.
The story follows a young Indigenous girl searching for her mother's truth. Through an unexpected bond with a spirited horse, she discovers courage and resilience in a world shaped by beauty and cruelty, and the enduring pull of land, family, and belonging.
Inspired by Laronde's own experiences growing up, the story has resonated with readers and audiences alike through its themes of courage, identity, belonging, and a profound connection to land.
"I wrote She Holds Up the Stars because I wanted young people to have the stories that I never had growing up."
— Sandra Laronde
TESTIMONIALS
“This heartfelt story of self-discovery and personal strength is told in language filled with evocative imagery and Anishinaabemowin sprinkled throughout. Readers will find themselves rooting for Misko in a situation where so much seems stacked against her.”
– Kirkus Star Review [The Kirkus Star marks books of exceptional merit]. Read full review.
“Sandra Laronde’s highly anticipated debut novel, She Holds Up the Stars, is an instant classic. I love this book.”
- Richard Van Camp, author of The Lesser Blessed, Little You, and When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!
“She Holds Up the Stars is about an endearing and compelling character navigating her many challenges with tremendous heart. This wonderful novel will introduce young readers to the complexities of modern indigeneity and resilience.”
– Eden Robinson, author of Monkey Beach and Son of a Trickster.
“Sandra Laronde has deftly woven so much into this inspiring journey to reconnect to family, history, homeland, and heart.”
– Duncan McCue, host of CBC Radio & CBC Podcasts
AWARDS & RECOGNITION
Book Recognition
- Kirkus Star
- CBC Books Best Canadian Books for Young Adults
- Horace Mann Upstander Award
- CCBC Best Books for Kids & Teens
- Manitoba Young People's Choice Award nomination
Stage Adaptation Recognition
- 3 Dora Mavor Moore Awards
- Outstanding New Play
- Outstanding Direction
- Outstanding Achievement in Design
- 8 Dora Mavor Moore nominations
- The most nominations of any production in Toronto that year
ABOUT SANDRA LARONDE
Sandra Laronde is from the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe (People of the Deep Water) in Temagami, Northern Ontario. An award-winning author, director, choreographer, and arts leader, she is the founder of Red Sky Performance, one of Canada's leading Indigenous performance companies.
Laronde is the recipient of two 2026 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, 2025 Governor General's Performing Arts Award for Lifetime Artistic Achievement in Dance, the 2023 Indspire Award for the Arts, the 2023 Indigenous Artist Award from the Toronto Arts Foundation, the 2021 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize, and the Order of Ontario.
Her debut novel, She Holds Up the Stars, has received national acclaim and was later reimagined by Laronde into a three-time Dora Award-winning stage production featuring theatre, life-sized puppetry, and live orchestral music.