Stargazing

Wang is immersed in the culture of comics, graphic novels, and visual art. She writes stories for middle grade readers which deal with difficult topics. In Stargazing, she explores the possibility of death, and in The Prince and the Dressmaker (2018) she portrays arranged marriage and secret identities. Along with being an author, Wang cofounded and helps organize an annual comic festival in Los Angeles called Comic Arts Los Angeles.

Although Stargazing is a work of fiction, its examination of Moon’s mysterious visions, brain tumor, and resulting surgery are closely inspired by Wang’s own life. When she was six, Wang was diagnosed with a brain tumor that put pressure on her visual cortex and required surgery. Wang was in recovery for weeks, the experience made easier by the support and comfort of her family. Wang never experienced the hallucinations that Moon had, but considered them a viable way to demonstrate Moon’s symptoms to a younger audience. Wang also identifies with Moon, having always felt different from others. Moon’s sense of being an alien represents how she—like Wang—feels as if she is on her own path.