Monday, October 12, 2009

Wendy Mass. EVERY SOUL A STAR

Wendy Mass is becoming one of my favorite authors. Her books are so original and memorable. Each one is special in its own way.
This one brings together 3 very different teens: *Ally lives on an isolated campground called Moon Shadow where people go for all types of stargazing events. Her family has been preparing for the biggest event of all, a total eclipse of the sun. Thousands of guests will be coming to her camp in a few weeks to witness this major event.
*Bree feels like she was adopted. Her family is really into science and she’s totally not. She’s gorgeous and planning her future as a model. Her idea of fun is NOT a campground.
*Jack is a loner who reads science fiction and draws aliens. He was not looking forward to summer school. Fortunately, he gets an opportunity to skip it, if he goes to Moon Shadow with a group of stargazers to help out his teacher.
All three teens meet at Moon Shadow, each under different circumstances. They are dealing with their own challenges and obstacles. Meeting one another becomes exactly what they need.
I loved this book for several reasons. First, I enjoyed that it was from three different points of view. Each character was distinct, interesting and realistic. I began to care for each of them. Second, the campground was a wonderfully unique setting. Wow, what a cool place to live or visit. There are special attractions around the camp called “Unusuals.” Some of them include a labyrinth, a star garden, a sun garden, and an art house. Last, I gained a whole new appreciation for astronomy.
I experienced something fresh and interesting – and that’s the best kind of book!

Here are some of the author’s other special books:
HEAVEN LOOKS A LOT LIKE THE MALL my review here


A MANGO SHAPED SPACE my review here
11 BIRTHDAYS is in my "to read" pile. Check out more about WENDY MASS at her website.



1 comment:

  1. Natural phenomenon lend themselves to children's literature. Picture books, for example, are filled with fireflies, rainbows, and shooting stars. Then the child readers get a little older and the phenomena get more complex. The death of the atom in "Smiles to Go" or the frozen lake of melted radioactive sand in "The Green Glass Sea" (okay, so maybe that one's not so natural). And I'm sure, I am sure, that a novel has been written with an eclipse at its climax. Odds are that such a book would be a fantasy novel. I've never heard of one, but it makes perfect sense for people to be racing against an eclipse so as to close the portal on another dimension, etc. etc. etc. Boring! You know what's exciting? Realistic eclipse fiction like "Every Soul a Star". Once again author Wendy Mass takes a crack at science and the idea of questioning a world that you may have taken for granted until now. Entirely engaging and oddly thrilling, this is one contemporary tween novel that's just begging for the right booktalk.

    ReplyDelete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...