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Star Girl
Mo falls from her father's spaceship as it hovers low over the Earth, and a group of children finds her in the forest. She tells them her father will pick her up after nightfall in a certain forest glade, and the children decide to help her.
But their troubles start when none of the grown-ups will believe Mo's story. Mo runs away, the children after her, to spend a bewildering day learning about the funny and sometimes frightening ways of Earth's inhabitants.
But their troubles start when none of the grown-ups will believe Mo's story. Mo runs away, the children after her, to spend a bewildering day learning about the funny and sometimes frightening ways of Earth's inhabitants.
191 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1956
10 people are currently reading
189 people want to read
About the author
Henry Winterfeld
13 books25 followersHenry Winterfeld (born April 9, 1901, in Hamburg, Germany; died January 27, 1990, in Machias, Maine), also published under the pseudonym Manfred Michael. He was a German writer and artist famous for his children's and young adult novels.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 24, 2011
I read this book as a child in the 4th grade, checking it out of the school library week after week to read and reread. It was, hands down, my favorite book. An alien girl gets separated from her Father on an expedition to Earth, gets discovered by some local children. The grown ups are cast as well-meaning, but essentially they don't believe the girl's story, so her new Earth friends help her escape from the grownups and take her to find the spot in the forest where her Father is supposed to return in his spaceship and take her back to her home. I swear, the person who wrote the screenplay for the movie ET must have read this book at some point and been inspired by it, as there are many parallels between the plot in Star Girl and ET! It's a GREAT book for young elementary school kids.
September 25, 2012
I've been searching for this book, wracking my 50+ yr-old brain for the title, and not finding it via Google... until I stumbled across Loganberry Books: Solved Mysteries in which people have either a great deal of information or very little regarding a book they've read. I waded through pages of books since all I could remember was the little girl was an alien and had a diamond necklace. Cannot believe the title was in my head but without the author's name, I couldn't find it.
I will have to re-read it if I ever find a copy -- but I wouldn't have searched high and low if I didn't love it as a kid!!
I will have to re-read it if I ever find a copy -- but I wouldn't have searched high and low if I didn't love it as a kid!!
September 28, 2014
For the under 12 SF, here is a wonderful SF book. I read it dozens of times when I was 9 and 10; it is out of print now---but a paperback was published in 1976---possibly easier to find that the original 1958 hardcover.
I highly recommend it. Mo is discovered by a group of children. She has violet eyes, claims to have fallen from a spaceship and is wearing a necklace. A REAL diamond necklace.
When the children take Mo into town, none of the adults will believe Mo's story. But the children are determined to get Mo back to the field by sunset so the spaceship can pick her up. Lots of interesting adventures that afternoon....
Here's is a summary of a favorite scene I recall: The kids hide out in the local library (on a sunny holiday afternoon!).Mo: I can't read your language---I just speak it. Children: When the librarian comes in she must THINK you are reading. The library lady asks Mo if she needs help. "I read well" Mo replies. "But you are reading upside down" Mo hastily turns the book sideways, blowing their cover story!
Really well done; lots of great scenes ---should be better known and would be if it were to be re-printed. Recommended for anyone of any age. I have re=read it as an adult and I still love it.
Read in 1958.
I highly recommend it. Mo is discovered by a group of children. She has violet eyes, claims to have fallen from a spaceship and is wearing a necklace. A REAL diamond necklace.
When the children take Mo into town, none of the adults will believe Mo's story. But the children are determined to get Mo back to the field by sunset so the spaceship can pick her up. Lots of interesting adventures that afternoon....
Here's is a summary of a favorite scene I recall: The kids hide out in the local library (on a sunny holiday afternoon!).Mo: I can't read your language---I just speak it. Children: When the librarian comes in she must THINK you are reading. The library lady asks Mo if she needs help. "I read well" Mo replies. "But you are reading upside down" Mo hastily turns the book sideways, blowing their cover story!
Really well done; lots of great scenes ---should be better known and would be if it were to be re-printed. Recommended for anyone of any age. I have re=read it as an adult and I still love it.
Read in 1958.
December 23, 2024
Jedna od obožavanih knjiga iz djetinjstva nije iznevjerila očekivanja ni nakon ponovnog čitanja više od 30 godina kasnije!
December 3, 2023
3.5
This was on my list for ages and ages and I've finaly got the book and read it. I wish it had found me sooner, I probably would have enjoyed it more when younger and more into children's adventure novels (I had an adult phase of this). Is it the best one? Not really, but it is endearing and has a benevolent librarian in it, so, a point more only for that! There were some really entertaining parts, some not so much. All in all, a decent one.
This was on my list for ages and ages and I've finaly got the book and read it. I wish it had found me sooner, I probably would have enjoyed it more when younger and more into children's adventure novels (I had an adult phase of this). Is it the best one? Not really, but it is endearing and has a benevolent librarian in it, so, a point more only for that! There were some really entertaining parts, some not so much. All in all, a decent one.
September 19, 2015
http://theliteratequilter.blogspot.co...
Before Encounters With a Third Kind, before E.T., Star Girl is about an alien from outer space who is stranded on the Earth, and is found and befriended by children. The kids have a lot of adventures, partly because the girl, Mo, may speak the language but she does not understand the culture. And partly because the naive kids proudly announce they have founded a girl who had fallen from a space ship, which of course gets the adults pretty worked up.
Mo is a beautiful girl with huge violet eyes and fine blond hair. At 87 years old, she appears to be 7 or 8 in human years. Her world is one of peace and plenty. The dissension among the children upsets her. She does not understand the concept that food must be purchased, or that bad behavior is punished. In Mo's world the children learn from glowing screens, and they love education! The only adult who treats them kindly is the librarian, a white haired lady who truly loves children.
The kids need to get Mo to an open field where he father is expected to pick her up that night. They travel though woods and swamp, and just make it. Mo's planet turns out to be Venus. The round spaceships gather over the open field, where the adults, searching for this missing children, also gather. Mo's father, a tall man dressed in a human suit, thanks the children for their assistance to his daughter. He offers Mo's diamond necklace to the boy who led the group and cared for Mo. It will raise his parents from their poverty.
The author was a Jew who left Nazi Germany for America. He wrote books for adults, and several for children. The illustrator was Fritz Wegner and the translator was Kyrill Schabert.
Before Encounters With a Third Kind, before E.T., Star Girl is about an alien from outer space who is stranded on the Earth, and is found and befriended by children. The kids have a lot of adventures, partly because the girl, Mo, may speak the language but she does not understand the culture. And partly because the naive kids proudly announce they have founded a girl who had fallen from a space ship, which of course gets the adults pretty worked up.
Mo is a beautiful girl with huge violet eyes and fine blond hair. At 87 years old, she appears to be 7 or 8 in human years. Her world is one of peace and plenty. The dissension among the children upsets her. She does not understand the concept that food must be purchased, or that bad behavior is punished. In Mo's world the children learn from glowing screens, and they love education! The only adult who treats them kindly is the librarian, a white haired lady who truly loves children.
The kids need to get Mo to an open field where he father is expected to pick her up that night. They travel though woods and swamp, and just make it. Mo's planet turns out to be Venus. The round spaceships gather over the open field, where the adults, searching for this missing children, also gather. Mo's father, a tall man dressed in a human suit, thanks the children for their assistance to his daughter. He offers Mo's diamond necklace to the boy who led the group and cared for Mo. It will raise his parents from their poverty.
The author was a Jew who left Nazi Germany for America. He wrote books for adults, and several for children. The illustrator was Fritz Wegner and the translator was Kyrill Schabert.
September 16, 2017
This is one of the very first sci-fi book I ever read, copyright 1957, I must have read it shortly after that. I got the book from our local elementary school library. I read it often and am still amazed. In 1957 they had the imagination to do this.
When I got old enough I bought the book for myself and still have it.
When I got old enough I bought the book for myself and still have it.
February 4, 2015
I read this book years and years ago. I really loved it as a child. Will have to find a copy to reread!
June 27, 2016
"Mo falls from her father's spaceship as it hovers low over the Earth, and a group of children finds her in the forest. She tells them her father will pick her up after nightfall in a certain forest glade, and the children decide to help her."
This is a 1950's story--I love the way the children were characterized in this book.
This is a 1950's story--I love the way the children were characterized in this book.
April 12, 2020
Still a wonderful adventure story
As others have written I read and reread this book in elementary school (1967-70). I didn't remember much of the story but have truly enjoyed the adventure of Mo, Walter and all the children. Woven within the adventure is info about our planet and space and human spirit.
As others have written I read and reread this book in elementary school (1967-70). I didn't remember much of the story but have truly enjoyed the adventure of Mo, Walter and all the children. Woven within the adventure is info about our planet and space and human spirit.
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November 24, 2015Mo falls from a spaceship into the woods. She finds friends there but some of the adults don't believe that she is what she says she is. This is a fun book for younger children with awesome vocabulary. You could use this when talking about science and space.
April 13, 2019
A sweet and wonderful tale!
This is a beautiful tale of wonder, friendship and courage. The children are well drawn and believable. Although it was written quite awhile ago, it is still fun to read today.
This is a beautiful tale of wonder, friendship and courage. The children are well drawn and believable. Although it was written quite awhile ago, it is still fun to read today.
May 17, 2019
Interesting book. It is not at all astronomically accurate, which is not surprising considering when it was written. I read it in translation, and I'm guessing some nuance and meaning could be lost in that process. And I wanted to love it as an example of early science fiction. But I did not love it. I found the characters' behavior weird and off-putting and the dialog almost painfully awkward.
The concept is that an alien girl of about age 10 showing up in the forest and being found by a group of children collecting mushrooms. Her father is coming back from the moon, where he has gone to make emergency repairs on his space ship, that evening to collect her. The children want to help, and, refusing to leave her in the woods, take her to their village. Of course the adults want to call the police, return her to the asylum, hospitalize her, or otherwise stop her (and the children helping her) from completing her mission of meeting her father. Chaos ensues.
My favorite parts were when the girl, Mo, would ask questions about things like the organ grinder's monkey (is that a person?) and when she would talk about her home (we don't have towns or countries). That's pretty much the only thing that kept me reading, even when her stories began to be repeated.
The concept is that an alien girl of about age 10 showing up in the forest and being found by a group of children collecting mushrooms. Her father is coming back from the moon, where he has gone to make emergency repairs on his space ship, that evening to collect her. The children want to help, and, refusing to leave her in the woods, take her to their village. Of course the adults want to call the police, return her to the asylum, hospitalize her, or otherwise stop her (and the children helping her) from completing her mission of meeting her father. Chaos ensues.
My favorite parts were when the girl, Mo, would ask questions about things like the organ grinder's monkey (is that a person?) and when she would talk about her home (we don't have towns or countries). That's pretty much the only thing that kept me reading, even when her stories began to be repeated.
August 1, 2023
I first read this book when I was 7 years old. I loved it so much I checked it out and read it over and over again. The story centers around a little alien girl who accidentally falls out of the window of her father’s small spacecraft while surveilling Earth. As she tumbles onto the limbs of a tall tree in the forest below, her dad calls out that he can’t land the ship and that she should climb down to the base of the tree and wait there until sunset. Once it is dark, she must follow the evening star which will lead her to a large open field. He will meet her there and together they will return to Earth’s moon to rendezvous with their fellow explorers on the mothership. However, while waiting for it to get dark, she is discovered by a group of kids searching for edible mushrooms. The kids are eager to help her meet up with her father but encounter many obstacles, threats, and challenges – the worst of which are skeptical adults. Over the years, I tried to find a copy of this book but sadly it was out of print. In 2015, it was republished, and I recently rediscovered it. I was so excited to reread it and found it absolutely delightful!
November 12, 2025
I much prefer the pink cover, with the child falling through the air. This is from 1957 and the text shows it, so the cover should, too. I don't know if there are different translations - this Dover was by Kyrill Schabert.
As to the story, well. As a child I would have nitpicked so much, such as the fact that nothing humanoid could live on Venus, and that one illustration shows Erna completely wrong, and there's so much squabbling, and fighting, and talk of spanking... and the adults are portrayed negatively in so many ways. Etc. But I still would have liked it, and (with a better cover) probably enjoyed it quite a bit.
I cannot recommend it, though, either to you, my friends, or to today's children. Read The Forgotten Door instead, if you're interested in what happens to a child from another world when he lands among humans.
As to the story, well. As a child I would have nitpicked so much, such as the fact that nothing humanoid could live on Venus, and that one illustration shows Erna completely wrong, and there's so much squabbling, and fighting, and talk of spanking... and the adults are portrayed negatively in so many ways. Etc. But I still would have liked it, and (with a better cover) probably enjoyed it quite a bit.
I cannot recommend it, though, either to you, my friends, or to today's children. Read The Forgotten Door instead, if you're interested in what happens to a child from another world when he lands among humans.
October 20, 2021
Fun story from 1957 about a girl from outer space who accidentally ends up on Earth, and who is trying to return to her own people. She befriends some children, who help her to elude the unbelieving grown-ups and overcome several other obstacles on the way to her reunion with her father. Henry Winterfeld also wrote Detectives in Togas, and like that book, this one also features a large cast of child characters, with plenty of humor as well as adventure. I enjoyed the story, and would have given it 4 stars if it hadn’t been for the amount of bickering that goes on between the children—realistic under their circumstances, it’s true, but it got tiresome. (Maybe as a mom who hears that kind of bickering all day, I’m a bit sensitive?) I’ll still allow my kids to read it, though. Good for ages 8-12.
October 6, 2022
This was a nostalgia reread, though I'm much fonder of the author's Detectives in Togas. I remembered this as being a book that you felt tired just reading, and that memory proved true -- an entire day of walking through woods and dealing with physical obstacles and recalcitrant adults. What I hadn't noticed so much as a child was the way the adults reacted to everything Mo said from their own point of view and totally discounting her viewpoint as a child's fantasy. Which is understandable but sad.
August 2, 2024
Re-reading books from my childhood collection. Book #30. Rating based on my past affection for the book and warm fuzziness of memory. I loved this book in 5th grade, but I loaned it to a classmate who never returned it, then I spent years trying to find it again....and it's not that great a re-read.
February 18, 2019
I was really confused because the Hoopla date was 2015, and everything felt so dated! Then, I realized it was first published in the 50s, and it all makes sense. I'm impressed by how far children's writing has come in that time. The story is fine, but nothing special IMO.
January 13, 2022
I liked this book because it has a lot of adventure. Also, it is very creative to be about a girl that comes from Ashra(Venus). I liked it because it was fun to read all 191 pages. The book was very cool and I recommend it!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 27, 2023
My favourite childhood book! I got it in English too for my kids to read! (Stargirl, had to order it from Europe)!
Shows how children are caring and have no fear of offering helping hand, where adults could learn a lot from their children. An absolute classic!
Shows how children are caring and have no fear of offering helping hand, where adults could learn a lot from their children. An absolute classic!
May 26, 2020
Mo, from planet Asra, spends a day on Earth, running with kids whose German phrasing is a give-away. Some things can be explained, some not.
Typos: 16.13 Fogs IS Frogs
Typos: 16.13 Fogs IS Frogs
October 23, 2023
Slatko
February 12, 2024
One of my favorite childhood books. I didn't own it but I ready my cousins copy, off and on, for years. I finally obtained my own copy off Ebay -- a beat up, raggedy thing but I still love the book. Recommend but it is out of print.
September 21, 2013
I'm sure this book was a yard sale find when I was a child but I must have raed it hundreds of times before I lost it in a move. Wonderful story with simple but not simplified writing...If you can get your hands on a copy I highly recommend it!
July 3, 2016
True rating: 4.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews