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Every Soul A Star
And as streams of light fan out behind the darkened sun like the wings of a butterfly, I realize that I never saw real beauty until now.
At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. It's also were three lives are about to be changed
Ally likes the simple things in life--labyrinths, star-gazing, and comet-hunting. Her home, the Moon Shadow campground, is a part of who she is, and she refuses to imagine it any other way.
Popular and gorgeous (everybody says so), Bree is a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide?
Overweight and awkward, jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined and making friends in the most unexpected situations.
Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.
At Moon Shadow, an isolated campground, thousands have gathered to catch a glimpse of a rare and extraordinary total eclipse of the sun. It's also were three lives are about to be changed
Ally likes the simple things in life--labyrinths, star-gazing, and comet-hunting. Her home, the Moon Shadow campground, is a part of who she is, and she refuses to imagine it any other way.
Popular and gorgeous (everybody says so), Bree is a future homecoming queen for sure. Bree wears her beauty like a suit of armor. But what is she trying to hide?
Overweight and awkward, jack is used to spending a lot of time alone. But when opportunity knocks, he finds himself in situations he never would have imagined and making friends in the most unexpected situations.
Told from three distinct voices and perspectives, Wendy Mass weaves an intricate and compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe.
336 pages, Paperback
First published October 1, 2008
776 people are currently reading
13406 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Mass
93 books3,695 followersWendy Mass is the author of thirty novels for young people, including A Mango-Shaped Space, which was awarded the Schneider Family Book Award, Leap Day, the Twice Upon a Time fairy tale series, Jeremy Fink and the Meaning of Life, Heaven Looks a Lot Like the Mall, the Willow Falls, Space Taxi and Candymakers series. Wendy wrote the storyline for an episode of the television show Monk, entitled "Mr. Monk Goes to the Theatre," which aired during the show's second season. She tells people her hobbies are hiking and photography, but really they're collecting candy bar wrappers and searching for buried treasure with her metal detector. Wendy lives with her family in New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,209 reviews
April 24, 2014
Wendy Mass has a particular style that I think people either get or not. I have to say some of the time I don't get into her books, but I can honestly say I was happy that I read this one.
Ally, Bree, and Jack are all very different and under noraml circumstances would never meet, but one event will bring them all together, the solar eclipse. This event will be witnessed at the Moon Shadow which is Ally's home. Bree is being dragged there by force, who wants to commune with the stars anyhow? Jack is going to fulfill his obligation of making up a class. They all come into the story with different backgrounds and perspectives, and have distinct voices but they all work well together. I think one of the hardest audiences to write for is the middle graders. You can't sound too preacy, gotta keep it interesting, keep it real, but most of all relate to them. It's a pretty trying time and here we get to see how they all come to grow up and learn from each other.
I've never taken an astronomy class in my life but I think I got my fill from this book. The author did an excellent job of describing the solar eclipse and I could imagine the thrill they must have had from witnessing one. It is pretty awesome.
The only thing I felt was overdone was Bree. I actually don't think there are girls who fit that stereotype, though I could be wrong. She is the character that shows the most dramatic transformation, but they all show growth. I hate to describe things as cute and I wanted to use that word, but that isn't quite it. Ok, I'll go with it was sweet story that spoke truly about how you find friends in the most unlikely situations and places.
Ally, Bree, and Jack are all very different and under noraml circumstances would never meet, but one event will bring them all together, the solar eclipse. This event will be witnessed at the Moon Shadow which is Ally's home. Bree is being dragged there by force, who wants to commune with the stars anyhow? Jack is going to fulfill his obligation of making up a class. They all come into the story with different backgrounds and perspectives, and have distinct voices but they all work well together. I think one of the hardest audiences to write for is the middle graders. You can't sound too preacy, gotta keep it interesting, keep it real, but most of all relate to them. It's a pretty trying time and here we get to see how they all come to grow up and learn from each other.
I've never taken an astronomy class in my life but I think I got my fill from this book. The author did an excellent job of describing the solar eclipse and I could imagine the thrill they must have had from witnessing one. It is pretty awesome.
The only thing I felt was overdone was Bree. I actually don't think there are girls who fit that stereotype, though I could be wrong. She is the character that shows the most dramatic transformation, but they all show growth. I hate to describe things as cute and I wanted to use that word, but that isn't quite it. Ok, I'll go with it was sweet story that spoke truly about how you find friends in the most unlikely situations and places.
May 15, 2009
"Every Soul a Star" is about three teenagers who are brought together by an eclipse during the summer. This eclipse changes each of their lives forever. The story begins with Ally, who is a homeschooled girl that has never truly experienced civilazation. Then the point of view switches to Bree, a true prep thats mantra is to be beautiful - she wants to be a model when she grows up. Then, it switches to Jack, who is a slightly overweight and somewhat awkward guy that failed his science class. It continues to switch point of view between these three lively and very different characters.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I'm not a big astronomy fan, but Wendy Mass creates a world where the sky and space is just as relateable as the three teens themselves. At first I had a hard time relating to Ally's and Jack's perspectives, but by a third of the way into the book it started to pick up. I related to Bree right at the beggining, even though I'm not a girl and I'm not into fashion. So overall it was an enjoyable read and the character's interactions with each other (escpecially at the end), were great and well thought-out.
This book was a pleasant surprise. I'm not a big astronomy fan, but Wendy Mass creates a world where the sky and space is just as relateable as the three teens themselves. At first I had a hard time relating to Ally's and Jack's perspectives, but by a third of the way into the book it started to pick up. I related to Bree right at the beggining, even though I'm not a girl and I'm not into fashion. So overall it was an enjoyable read and the character's interactions with each other (escpecially at the end), were great and well thought-out.
November 14, 2008
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.
The narrative is split between three kids as different as different can be. Two of them, however, have the exact same problem and that has to do with Moon Shadow Campground. For most of her natural born life Ally has lived on the campground far away from the rest of society, just the way she likes it. Now she's found out that her parents have sold the place to someone else and soon she'll have to move. That someone is Bree's family and as much as Ally doesn't want to leave, so too does Bree not want to stay. She's the queen bee of popularity at her school and the notion of spending a couple years surrounded by just rocks and natural beauty is horrifying, to say the least. In the midst of this problem arrives Jack, a self-conscious artistic type who has come for the total eclipse of the sun along with thousands of other tourists. Topping it all off is an event that changes how they see themselves when all the lights go out. Backmatter consists of an Author's Note and websites and books for further reading about the night sky.
I was curious to see that though four kids are hanging out in this book, only three were allowed a voice. Poor Ryan. He's a character that has been friends with Ally for years, but is suddenly far more interested in a girl as fashion conscious as Bree. One gets the vague sense that had he proved to be a more interesting person, maybe he could have earned himself a narrative. As it stands, he's just your normal everyday teenaged doofus. A nice guy, sure, but no one you'd feel the need to enter the head of. Ally talks to stars as if they were her friends, so that makes her interesting right there. Jack hasn't so much as a whisper of self-respect at the start, and that's a starting point. But it's Bree that turns out to be the surprise. I know that some girls are completely obsessed by Gossip Girl and Clique and those other books with their amusingly vapid heroines. Well if you ever see one of these readers, try convincing them that Bree is the same kind of creature. Her goal in life is to be discovered and to become a model, so to watch an otherwise missing brain slowly morph into a decent human being over the course of 322 pages . . . now that's a natural phenomena for you!
Mass does two important things with this novel. First off, she creates two entirely convincing opposite perspectives. Bree and Ally are both sympathetic, but for vastly different reasons. And as much as you'd like to continue to dislike Bree for most the book, she's a person who is easy to understand. I'm not entirely convinced that her conversion at the end of the book is anything but a pretty blatant example of deus ex machina (or, in this case, deus ex telescope) but I'm willing to let it go. The second difficult thing Mass does is to (I hate this phrase but I can't think of a better one) make science interesting. Because she really does. The part of the human brain that contains a capacity for a natural sense of wonder would have to be dead if the person finishing this book wasn't filled with a wholehearted desire to see a total eclipse of the sun. I've never wanted to see one before but after reading the description in this book I'd hop the next train if you told me one was in the general vicinity.
I always enjoy a kid's book that works against my natural expectations of what's going to happen next. I mean, look at this equation: Popular girl meets unpopular girl at campground. There are only a couple of different ways you can go with a storyline like that, so Mass gets points for taking the road less traveled. For one thing, the kids in this book get along. I sort of expected this to be a novel where people fought, bickered, and came to learn about themselves through conflict. But this is a little different. The kids have essentially been tossed out onto their own by the adults in their lives, or have left those adults voluntarily for the first time. Adrift they end up clinging to people in similar situations. And Mass toys with her canny readers, TOYS I say! You simply cannot have a boy reading the Ray Bradbury story All Summer in a Day (it's never named but you know that's what it is) in the first act without implying that something similar is going to happen to him in the third. I won't give anything away, but it's nerve wracking to say the last.
Ally is one of the few homeschooled heroines I've found in middle grade fiction lately. That's neat. It's nice to have a detail like that interwoven with a tale about the death of the sun and that equally awesome event, our entrance into teenagerhood. And I really do think that you could sell this book equally well to the kid who loves books about science and realism as to the kid who'll only touch titles that contain fashion forward females. I could be wrong, but I think it's worth trying. Give it a look yourself. It's a pretty neat juggling act.
Ages 8-14
The narrative is split between three kids as different as different can be. Two of them, however, have the exact same problem and that has to do with Moon Shadow Campground. For most of her natural born life Ally has lived on the campground far away from the rest of society, just the way she likes it. Now she's found out that her parents have sold the place to someone else and soon she'll have to move. That someone is Bree's family and as much as Ally doesn't want to leave, so too does Bree not want to stay. She's the queen bee of popularity at her school and the notion of spending a couple years surrounded by just rocks and natural beauty is horrifying, to say the least. In the midst of this problem arrives Jack, a self-conscious artistic type who has come for the total eclipse of the sun along with thousands of other tourists. Topping it all off is an event that changes how they see themselves when all the lights go out. Backmatter consists of an Author's Note and websites and books for further reading about the night sky.
I was curious to see that though four kids are hanging out in this book, only three were allowed a voice. Poor Ryan. He's a character that has been friends with Ally for years, but is suddenly far more interested in a girl as fashion conscious as Bree. One gets the vague sense that had he proved to be a more interesting person, maybe he could have earned himself a narrative. As it stands, he's just your normal everyday teenaged doofus. A nice guy, sure, but no one you'd feel the need to enter the head of. Ally talks to stars as if they were her friends, so that makes her interesting right there. Jack hasn't so much as a whisper of self-respect at the start, and that's a starting point. But it's Bree that turns out to be the surprise. I know that some girls are completely obsessed by Gossip Girl and Clique and those other books with their amusingly vapid heroines. Well if you ever see one of these readers, try convincing them that Bree is the same kind of creature. Her goal in life is to be discovered and to become a model, so to watch an otherwise missing brain slowly morph into a decent human being over the course of 322 pages . . . now that's a natural phenomena for you!
Mass does two important things with this novel. First off, she creates two entirely convincing opposite perspectives. Bree and Ally are both sympathetic, but for vastly different reasons. And as much as you'd like to continue to dislike Bree for most the book, she's a person who is easy to understand. I'm not entirely convinced that her conversion at the end of the book is anything but a pretty blatant example of deus ex machina (or, in this case, deus ex telescope) but I'm willing to let it go. The second difficult thing Mass does is to (I hate this phrase but I can't think of a better one) make science interesting. Because she really does. The part of the human brain that contains a capacity for a natural sense of wonder would have to be dead if the person finishing this book wasn't filled with a wholehearted desire to see a total eclipse of the sun. I've never wanted to see one before but after reading the description in this book I'd hop the next train if you told me one was in the general vicinity.
I always enjoy a kid's book that works against my natural expectations of what's going to happen next. I mean, look at this equation: Popular girl meets unpopular girl at campground. There are only a couple of different ways you can go with a storyline like that, so Mass gets points for taking the road less traveled. For one thing, the kids in this book get along. I sort of expected this to be a novel where people fought, bickered, and came to learn about themselves through conflict. But this is a little different. The kids have essentially been tossed out onto their own by the adults in their lives, or have left those adults voluntarily for the first time. Adrift they end up clinging to people in similar situations. And Mass toys with her canny readers, TOYS I say! You simply cannot have a boy reading the Ray Bradbury story All Summer in a Day (it's never named but you know that's what it is) in the first act without implying that something similar is going to happen to him in the third. I won't give anything away, but it's nerve wracking to say the last.
Ally is one of the few homeschooled heroines I've found in middle grade fiction lately. That's neat. It's nice to have a detail like that interwoven with a tale about the death of the sun and that equally awesome event, our entrance into teenagerhood. And I really do think that you could sell this book equally well to the kid who loves books about science and realism as to the kid who'll only touch titles that contain fashion forward females. I could be wrong, but I think it's worth trying. Give it a look yourself. It's a pretty neat juggling act.
Ages 8-14
March 9, 2009
Wow! This was a great book. On reflection, it was not a great book for the usual reasons. The plot was pretty typical for the young adult market. The characters, although varied and somewhat three dimensional, were still stereotypes. The theme was the usual, again especially for young adult books. The parent-child interactions were for the most part overbearing, and the teens were definitely lacking in power in their day-to-day lives. Family members were depicted working against each other instead of together, and things that should have been shared were kept secret. The setting was nice, but there were no vibrant descriptions bringing it all to life for me. Those are the reasons I gave this book four stars instead of five.
Why didn't I give it fewer? The book is about a total solar eclipse, and although the author failed in so many other ways, she does a wonderful job of imbuing the eclipse with a sense of magic and mystery that makes me want to go to China to witness the one in 2009! That only made the book a great read! I highly recommend it.
Why didn't I give it fewer? The book is about a total solar eclipse, and although the author failed in so many other ways, she does a wonderful job of imbuing the eclipse with a sense of magic and mystery that makes me want to go to China to witness the one in 2009! That only made the book a great read! I highly recommend it.
August 2, 2017
I enjoyed this book so much! The book's characters are mostly middle-school age(with a few younger siblings thrown in), which, as we all know, is a time fraught with many changes. How each character traverses this part of their journey is part of why the book is interesting. The real reason I picked this book up though is because the story centers on preparation for viewing a solar eclipse. The author has really done her homework. I learned many tantalizing tidbits about astronomy in general and about solar eclipses in particular. All of the characters (adults and kids) were likable folks. The parents seemed to have had a habit of making life-altering decisions without adequately preparing their kids, but they were loving and concerned parents and the changes were of the type that makes life more enriching. I think middle grade readers through early high school level may enjoy this story, and it seems an especially nice way to prepare for the upcoming solar eclipse.
June 16, 2018
Real Rating: 4.5
September 24, 2020
I'm not that much of a YA fan, but I really loved how it came together in the end. It was suddenly beautiful and it suddenly made sense - which I think matched the characters' experience too! I'm offering it to my 17 year old to read as he is taking Astronomy this semester. I hope he will get something out of it too. Hands down, favorite character - Stella....
May 3, 2012
(From mrbramesblog.org)
Look--don't ask me why I read Every Soul a Star, because I really don't know. I bought a copy of it at the Scholastic book fair back in December, simply because the cover was attractive, it was cheap, and it looked like something my students might want to read. I took it back to my classroom and put in my library.
Whenever kids would come back to pick out a book, I'd always steer them in the direction of this one, saying, "Hey, doesn't this one look good?" After it sat on my shelf for a few months, I finally chucked it into my briefcase and decided to take it home with me. It seemed an appropriate antidote to The Witches of Eastwick.
Every Soul a Star is a wonderful middle-grade novel. The narrative centers around a full solar eclipse and a small collection of stargazers who are drawn to a campground in the middle of the American west to witness it. Along the way come three teenagers, each with his or her eccentricities and secrets. In the end, as you might imagine, they mature and become irreplaceable friends.
I almost never read young adult literature, so it's hard for me to make good assessments of books like Every Soul a Star. But I will say that I was impressed most with the way Mass refused to talk down to her readers. The epigram from Plato's Timaeus established that this book was going to cover some serious material, and it did so without being condescending. I learned a thing or two about stargazing, the phenomenon of an eclipse, and what I might see in the night sky tonight. After finishing the book, I made plans to take my children to see the next full solar eclipse in the United States, in August of 2017. (The author has included a helpful appendix.)
So read this book! It's charming and informative, and you can share it with a young person in your life.
Look--don't ask me why I read Every Soul a Star, because I really don't know. I bought a copy of it at the Scholastic book fair back in December, simply because the cover was attractive, it was cheap, and it looked like something my students might want to read. I took it back to my classroom and put in my library.
Whenever kids would come back to pick out a book, I'd always steer them in the direction of this one, saying, "Hey, doesn't this one look good?" After it sat on my shelf for a few months, I finally chucked it into my briefcase and decided to take it home with me. It seemed an appropriate antidote to The Witches of Eastwick.
Every Soul a Star is a wonderful middle-grade novel. The narrative centers around a full solar eclipse and a small collection of stargazers who are drawn to a campground in the middle of the American west to witness it. Along the way come three teenagers, each with his or her eccentricities and secrets. In the end, as you might imagine, they mature and become irreplaceable friends.
I almost never read young adult literature, so it's hard for me to make good assessments of books like Every Soul a Star. But I will say that I was impressed most with the way Mass refused to talk down to her readers. The epigram from Plato's Timaeus established that this book was going to cover some serious material, and it did so without being condescending. I learned a thing or two about stargazing, the phenomenon of an eclipse, and what I might see in the night sky tonight. After finishing the book, I made plans to take my children to see the next full solar eclipse in the United States, in August of 2017. (The author has included a helpful appendix.)
So read this book! It's charming and informative, and you can share it with a young person in your life.
August 18, 2014
Every Soul A Star is a simple but profound book for teenagers. A simple story line, but I like it because I learned about stars gazing, moon shadows, etc. In a nut shell, if you ever been bored about astronomy, why don't you give this book a try?
I find the book, even somehow similar to other young adult novels, somehow, it feels some sort of coming of age for these three important characters - Ally, Bree and Jack.
Because in Moon Shadow campground, their life will be intertwined with each other.
And in the most unexpected way, I would like to quote what Bree thought, "My inner geek has been awakened."
I find the book, even somehow similar to other young adult novels, somehow, it feels some sort of coming of age for these three important characters - Ally, Bree and Jack.
Because in Moon Shadow campground, their life will be intertwined with each other.
And in the most unexpected way, I would like to quote what Bree thought, "My inner geek has been awakened."
February 21, 2016
Psych! I did not completely read this book. I stopped a long time ago because it was too boring. It might be catered to readers who enjoy slow-moving plots and boring, predictable characters, but it wasn't my fav. Maybe I'll read it again when I want something to immediately put me to sleep.
December 4, 2022
I can’t believe I’ve never heard of this book. It’s so good and so worth the read! I absolutely loved it. Took me a bit to fall for the characters, but by the end I didn’t want to read about anyone but them. Books like this always end too soon.
March 8, 2018
While I personally don't believe that any of Wendy Mass's books can capture the magic of 'The Candymakers', this one came close. <3
November 11, 2015
********ABUSE AND SEVERE NEGLECT ALERT!!!********
This book pushed so many of my own personal buttons, I struggled with near-chronic impulses to choke the negligent, self-centered, insensitive parents scattered throughout it, to death, while reading it! It's tough to know just how oblivious the author truly is on the topic of radical, childhood moves, especially as regards the health and positive impacts of the developmental stages of adolescence vs whether she already fully understands these concepts and wanted to pretend they are generally insignificant and benign (complete BS, as I've been there, done that, and have known many others who got drag unwittingly through those horrors, as well). Every single child in this book is being profoundly emotionally abused and generally neglected by their parents (parents of both intact marriages and divorces), though the author refuses to acknowledge those facts in any manner - merely glossing over the harm each child has suffered at the hands of incompetent, indifferent, insensitive, self-centered parents.
One set of parents completely isolates their children from any sort of contact with any other children, apart from those who very temporarily stay at their very isolated campground, during summers. These two kids never learn any socialization skills (apart from the barest necessities needed for very temporary contacts with people of all ages, during the summers), are home-schooled (but only on subjects their parents know/appreciate, thus music [vocal and instrumental], art, theater/drama/speech/debate skills, library skills, computer skills, travel skills, telephone skills (beyond the most rudimentary), hygiene/grooming skills, popular culture skills, spirituality/religion/politics/current events knowledge and skills, emergency and first aid skills, child care skills, second language skills, career-planning skills, athletic/PE skills, shopping skills and typical advertising ploys, standard medical and dental health routines and procedures, financial management skills, lifecycle event skills, (how to handle births, christenings, anniversaries, birthdays, major holidays, puberty management, graduations, hospitalizations, weddings, funerals, house-warmings, etc.), long-term friendship-building skills, and so much more are completely left out of the "curriculum". Instead, Ally and her brother are both severely socially, culturally, and educationally delayed (functioning many years younger than their chronological ages - though they don't realize this, at present - and neither would be safe to be out of direct supervision by an adult or much older adolescent, at every moment of every day, once placed within any American city).
Not only have Ally and her brother been restricted from learning how to safely function around strangers in both familiar and unfamiliar environments, they've been forced to work seven days/week, day and night, year-round, as unpaid laborers for their parents. They only know how to work and do their homeschooling tasks, leaving them fairly clueless about how to play, especially group games or athletic ones. These facts (along with their lack of knowledge regarding popular culture), will make them major social freaks/oddballs, regardless of wherever they are forced to move.
Their parents set them up to be hopelessly ignorant about so much of the world/standard American culture, that the only socialization "choice" they will have is within some sort of hiking club or star-gazing club and there are very few cities which have those kinds of clubs for kids their ages. The same inept/cruel parents never bothered to warn their children, at any time, that their campground lifestyle was merely a temporary one - despite the fact that their beloved, though now deceased, grandfather had been involved in the building of the campground, as had the entire family, for many years. So, they'll be leaving behind their grandfather's greatest creation (and their memories of him there), the stars which are the center of the family's intellectual interest, and years of personal hard labor and creations that they had been forced to build and care for, year-round - growing to love in the process but only so now someone else could take full advantage of them. Then, the news is abruptly "sprung" on the kids that they are moving far away, when the new owners arrive with their own kids and all their earthly possessions, ready to move in!
Amidst all this, the crazy first set of parents both expect their kids to take all the news in stride, keep up with their endless lists of chores, and be good friends to the new kids who will be taking possession of their rooms and most favorite, secret places. These stupid parents know nothing about grief and couldn't care less how well or poorly their offspring are dealing with the news. Instead, these parents are all too excited about the hundreds of new campers arriving and the fabulous show they are planning for them, to think about anything else. Their kids, as usual, are the lowest topics on their minds. I've never wanted to personally kill book characters before, until now, starting - but not ending - with these two bozos!
Then, we have the "delightfully dense marital duo #2" who have two daughters whom they have been ignoring, both physically and emotionally, for years, though they've lived in a stable, supportive community. Their eldest daughter, Bree, is never expected to fully relate to her parents where she is going, what she has been doing or is planning to do, who her friends are, what her school days and extra-curricular activities are like, what direction her relationships with boys and her own sexuality are going, who has been transporting her or who she has been transporting (or what they were imbibing, prior to driving events), what her academic and/or career interests are, what her personal values/beliefs and future life goals are, nor much of anything else that is important. She is allowed to wear virtually anything she feels like wearing (and/or has learned how to sneakily wear switch into in as many settings as possible), do anything she pleases with her hair, skin, and nails, eat as little as she wishes without regard for her nutrition/fluid status, obsess endlessly on her appearance and desire to be a future model, refrain from performing any sort of household chores or work for pay outside the home, fight endlessly with her younger sister (whom she despises as the younger daughter is viewed as highly intelligent, thus "geeky"), and show disdain toward all of her family members and most authority figures, unless she is attempting to manipulate them to get what she wants.
In a virtually identical copy of Ally's parent's grandly deplorable, thoughtless, and impulsive maneuver, Bree's parents inform her that in just a few days, their entire family will be moving thousands of miles away, for at least three years (perhaps longer), so that the parents can conduct a mutual research project they've been working on (the property and campground was purchased sight unseen - a clear sign of a majorly foolish decision. ***Bree's parents have conducted so little personal research on the campground and its surroundings*** that they have absolutely NO IDEA how blocked in they will become, once the winter snows arrive, nor do they have any idea what venomous animals/insects are in the area, how to identify them, or how to treat the injuries that may arise from them.
They don't have a clue about the carnivorous animals in the region, either. How will they handle those if their family or some campground guests become threatened by them??? Do they know how to track wild animals? Do they know how to search for lost campers? There's nothing in the book that in any manner indicates that either of Bree's parents knows anything about either wild animals or domestic ones - let alone how to cope with them should they become ill, injured, or threatening (think rabies).
Bree's parents know nothing about what kinds of vehicles they will need to transport in/out of the area with (4 WD vehicle, snowmobile, airflight), during snowstorms/bad weather/emergencies, nor how
to protect themselves or the campground during perilous weather. They seem to have no clue how far away the nearest MD and/or hospital is or whether there is any law enforcement/fire-fighting field office anywhere within the nearby vicinity to call, in case they, a camper, a lightening storm, and/or a stranger should become problematic. As there is no cell phone access, they will be completely dependent upon landline service and/or HAM radio communications. How many of those resources are available and do they know how to repair them, if they go down in a storm?
How do they get their mail and how often does it arrive? Must they do their grocery and other shopping by mail/internet or is there a grocery/hardware store within reasonable driving range?
This book pushed so many of my own personal buttons, I struggled with near-chronic impulses to choke the negligent, self-centered, insensitive parents scattered throughout it, to death, while reading it! It's tough to know just how oblivious the author truly is on the topic of radical, childhood moves, especially as regards the health and positive impacts of the developmental stages of adolescence vs whether she already fully understands these concepts and wanted to pretend they are generally insignificant and benign (complete BS, as I've been there, done that, and have known many others who got drag unwittingly through those horrors, as well). Every single child in this book is being profoundly emotionally abused and generally neglected by their parents (parents of both intact marriages and divorces), though the author refuses to acknowledge those facts in any manner - merely glossing over the harm each child has suffered at the hands of incompetent, indifferent, insensitive, self-centered parents.
One set of parents completely isolates their children from any sort of contact with any other children, apart from those who very temporarily stay at their very isolated campground, during summers. These two kids never learn any socialization skills (apart from the barest necessities needed for very temporary contacts with people of all ages, during the summers), are home-schooled (but only on subjects their parents know/appreciate, thus music [vocal and instrumental], art, theater/drama/speech/debate skills, library skills, computer skills, travel skills, telephone skills (beyond the most rudimentary), hygiene/grooming skills, popular culture skills, spirituality/religion/politics/current events knowledge and skills, emergency and first aid skills, child care skills, second language skills, career-planning skills, athletic/PE skills, shopping skills and typical advertising ploys, standard medical and dental health routines and procedures, financial management skills, lifecycle event skills, (how to handle births, christenings, anniversaries, birthdays, major holidays, puberty management, graduations, hospitalizations, weddings, funerals, house-warmings, etc.), long-term friendship-building skills, and so much more are completely left out of the "curriculum". Instead, Ally and her brother are both severely socially, culturally, and educationally delayed (functioning many years younger than their chronological ages - though they don't realize this, at present - and neither would be safe to be out of direct supervision by an adult or much older adolescent, at every moment of every day, once placed within any American city).
Not only have Ally and her brother been restricted from learning how to safely function around strangers in both familiar and unfamiliar environments, they've been forced to work seven days/week, day and night, year-round, as unpaid laborers for their parents. They only know how to work and do their homeschooling tasks, leaving them fairly clueless about how to play, especially group games or athletic ones. These facts (along with their lack of knowledge regarding popular culture), will make them major social freaks/oddballs, regardless of wherever they are forced to move.
Their parents set them up to be hopelessly ignorant about so much of the world/standard American culture, that the only socialization "choice" they will have is within some sort of hiking club or star-gazing club and there are very few cities which have those kinds of clubs for kids their ages. The same inept/cruel parents never bothered to warn their children, at any time, that their campground lifestyle was merely a temporary one - despite the fact that their beloved, though now deceased, grandfather had been involved in the building of the campground, as had the entire family, for many years. So, they'll be leaving behind their grandfather's greatest creation (and their memories of him there), the stars which are the center of the family's intellectual interest, and years of personal hard labor and creations that they had been forced to build and care for, year-round - growing to love in the process but only so now someone else could take full advantage of them. Then, the news is abruptly "sprung" on the kids that they are moving far away, when the new owners arrive with their own kids and all their earthly possessions, ready to move in!
Amidst all this, the crazy first set of parents both expect their kids to take all the news in stride, keep up with their endless lists of chores, and be good friends to the new kids who will be taking possession of their rooms and most favorite, secret places. These stupid parents know nothing about grief and couldn't care less how well or poorly their offspring are dealing with the news. Instead, these parents are all too excited about the hundreds of new campers arriving and the fabulous show they are planning for them, to think about anything else. Their kids, as usual, are the lowest topics on their minds. I've never wanted to personally kill book characters before, until now, starting - but not ending - with these two bozos!
Then, we have the "delightfully dense marital duo #2" who have two daughters whom they have been ignoring, both physically and emotionally, for years, though they've lived in a stable, supportive community. Their eldest daughter, Bree, is never expected to fully relate to her parents where she is going, what she has been doing or is planning to do, who her friends are, what her school days and extra-curricular activities are like, what direction her relationships with boys and her own sexuality are going, who has been transporting her or who she has been transporting (or what they were imbibing, prior to driving events), what her academic and/or career interests are, what her personal values/beliefs and future life goals are, nor much of anything else that is important. She is allowed to wear virtually anything she feels like wearing (and/or has learned how to sneakily wear switch into in as many settings as possible), do anything she pleases with her hair, skin, and nails, eat as little as she wishes without regard for her nutrition/fluid status, obsess endlessly on her appearance and desire to be a future model, refrain from performing any sort of household chores or work for pay outside the home, fight endlessly with her younger sister (whom she despises as the younger daughter is viewed as highly intelligent, thus "geeky"), and show disdain toward all of her family members and most authority figures, unless she is attempting to manipulate them to get what she wants.
In a virtually identical copy of Ally's parent's grandly deplorable, thoughtless, and impulsive maneuver, Bree's parents inform her that in just a few days, their entire family will be moving thousands of miles away, for at least three years (perhaps longer), so that the parents can conduct a mutual research project they've been working on (the property and campground was purchased sight unseen - a clear sign of a majorly foolish decision. ***Bree's parents have conducted so little personal research on the campground and its surroundings*** that they have absolutely NO IDEA how blocked in they will become, once the winter snows arrive, nor do they have any idea what venomous animals/insects are in the area, how to identify them, or how to treat the injuries that may arise from them.
They don't have a clue about the carnivorous animals in the region, either. How will they handle those if their family or some campground guests become threatened by them??? Do they know how to track wild animals? Do they know how to search for lost campers? There's nothing in the book that in any manner indicates that either of Bree's parents knows anything about either wild animals or domestic ones - let alone how to cope with them should they become ill, injured, or threatening (think rabies).
Bree's parents know nothing about what kinds of vehicles they will need to transport in/out of the area with (4 WD vehicle, snowmobile, airflight), during snowstorms/bad weather/emergencies, nor how
to protect themselves or the campground during perilous weather. They seem to have no clue how far away the nearest MD and/or hospital is or whether there is any law enforcement/fire-fighting field office anywhere within the nearby vicinity to call, in case they, a camper, a lightening storm, and/or a stranger should become problematic. As there is no cell phone access, they will be completely dependent upon landline service and/or HAM radio communications. How many of those resources are available and do they know how to repair them, if they go down in a storm?
How do they get their mail and how often does it arrive? Must they do their grocery and other shopping by mail/internet or is there a grocery/hardware store within reasonable driving range?
July 21, 2024
Man I wish I knew this had to deal with an eclipse sooner! Woulda read it closer to the one we had.
August 6, 2010
This story leads to an absolutely mesmerizing climax. I loved the multiple inversions of Bradbury's "All Summer in a Day", too -- a deft touch.
I suppose my only complaint -- and I'm stretching here -- is that if I were to recommend this book to a young woman like Bree (in an effort to get her to appreciate science or to encourage her to nurture her "inner geek") then my effort would seem very transparent to that young reader -- because Bree herself, insofar as she is a mouthpiece for the author's inner geek, is transparent.
In other words, Bree is a sympathetic, believable character except for those moments when the author seems to be trying directly to tell the reader that loving knowledge and science is a Good Thing. In those moments, Bree stops being a person (it seemed to me) and became the author's educational puppet.
But, like I said, I'm stretching. Really, I think in those moments Bree is still very believable. The effort just seems transparent to me, even though I agree that discovery and knowledge are Good Things and should Be Pursued.
Just as this is a Good Book which should Be Read.
I suppose my only complaint -- and I'm stretching here -- is that if I were to recommend this book to a young woman like Bree (in an effort to get her to appreciate science or to encourage her to nurture her "inner geek") then my effort would seem very transparent to that young reader -- because Bree herself, insofar as she is a mouthpiece for the author's inner geek, is transparent.
In other words, Bree is a sympathetic, believable character except for those moments when the author seems to be trying directly to tell the reader that loving knowledge and science is a Good Thing. In those moments, Bree stops being a person (it seemed to me) and became the author's educational puppet.
But, like I said, I'm stretching. Really, I think in those moments Bree is still very believable. The effort just seems transparent to me, even though I agree that discovery and knowledge are Good Things and should Be Pursued.
Just as this is a Good Book which should Be Read.
September 12, 2020
This book is how I learned about solar eclipses and sparked my desire to see one in totality. Years after reading this book for the first time, I got to watch a total solar eclipse in my grandpa's backyard. It was one of the most special experiences of my life.
January 13, 2024
"wherever you wind up, i wish you clear skies"
this is the kind of book that leaves you with a wide, stupid smile on your face and a hole in your heart. it's about three thirteen-year-olds who happen to meet up at a campground for a solar eclipse. they'll probably never see each other again. and that's one of the things that's so special about it.
i 100% recommend this; it's a quick little hearty, wholesome, warm-fuzzy-feeling middle-grade novel and i'm sure anyone who reads it will instantly fall in love with it.
this is the kind of book that leaves you with a wide, stupid smile on your face and a hole in your heart. it's about three thirteen-year-olds who happen to meet up at a campground for a solar eclipse. they'll probably never see each other again. and that's one of the things that's so special about it.
i 100% recommend this; it's a quick little hearty, wholesome, warm-fuzzy-feeling middle-grade novel and i'm sure anyone who reads it will instantly fall in love with it.
June 17, 2024
3.5 stars
December 11, 2024
This book is the reason I’ve now seen two total solar eclipses
September 12, 2020
randomly reread this for a bit of ~nostalgia~ and I got all the ~nostalgic~ feels
October 6, 2025
A very insightful YA story! I loved the different perspectives of each character and the character growth throughout the book.
September 23, 2019
In the book, Every Soul A Star, three characters from totally different backgrounds somehow meet each other just because of one eclipse. I liked this book because one of the three main characters, Ally, had figured out something shocking in the beginning and throughout her friendship, she had decided to change her mind. Instead of dreading for it to happen, she has decided to attempt to make the best out of her situation which inspires me to make the best out of every situation. I guess that from reading this book, you can say that Ally is a very openminded person who is willing to take risks. Although in the beginning, she wasn't willing to leave the home she has known for most of her life, throughout the plot she has learned to adapt and to ask her new friends on how to help her. She has been openminded during the whole book which I know because even in her disappointment, she still tries to make new friends who soon help her understand about her upcoming life better. The reason I like this book is because not only does it have inspiring characters, it is a story about an amazing friendship story.
July 8, 2011
I really liked this book. It was not that "edible" but it whetted my interest. Three lives changed because of one event that brought them together. This novel taught me that we should always put ourselves on the limelight because we would always be our own heroes.
Bree. Her transformation helped me understand that superficial beauty was really just that. I must not categorize people and base my dealings with them through their labels. (Life is a package deal). Thank you, Bree. I learned with you.
Jack. His character taught me that I am not an island. I had to be a social person. I had to welcome people in my life. The best lesson from his transformation was that I must be confident and inspire others through my talent. He taught me how to fly, too. (lucid dreaming)
Ally. I transformed with her. She was a constant being. She loved the universe and everything outside the earth including the space junk. She was so caught up with these things that she wasn't aware of the civilization within the Earth itself.
The sum of these three was acceptance to changes. They were like different breeds of hermits who were afraid to go out of their shell even just to peek. But, the eclipse changed their lives. When they witnessed the beauty of this much awaited event, it was like the moon that covered their light their whole lifetime slipped easily and the sun inside them shone again. (deep much :P)
This novel taught me that each of us are like stars, that we're like a vast universe shining on our own colors, living our own lives, giving off our own heat, and twinkling on our own rhythm and pace. Life's like these. Learnings aside, this novel made me watch documentaries about our solar system and the universe on youtube HEH! I missed my science classes when i was in grade school especially old times like eclipse watching on school fields while using my folks X-ray films and camera films, going to science centrum, and seeing the stars through telescopes on girl scout campings...Those were the expensive experiences I wont trade for anything.
Bree's realization: That we're on this piece of rock thing through space for this really tiny period of time and we better make the best of it? (touche)
CHeers!!!
Bree. Her transformation helped me understand that superficial beauty was really just that. I must not categorize people and base my dealings with them through their labels. (Life is a package deal). Thank you, Bree. I learned with you.
Jack. His character taught me that I am not an island. I had to be a social person. I had to welcome people in my life. The best lesson from his transformation was that I must be confident and inspire others through my talent. He taught me how to fly, too. (lucid dreaming)
Ally. I transformed with her. She was a constant being. She loved the universe and everything outside the earth including the space junk. She was so caught up with these things that she wasn't aware of the civilization within the Earth itself.
The sum of these three was acceptance to changes. They were like different breeds of hermits who were afraid to go out of their shell even just to peek. But, the eclipse changed their lives. When they witnessed the beauty of this much awaited event, it was like the moon that covered their light their whole lifetime slipped easily and the sun inside them shone again. (deep much :P)
This novel taught me that each of us are like stars, that we're like a vast universe shining on our own colors, living our own lives, giving off our own heat, and twinkling on our own rhythm and pace. Life's like these. Learnings aside, this novel made me watch documentaries about our solar system and the universe on youtube HEH! I missed my science classes when i was in grade school especially old times like eclipse watching on school fields while using my folks X-ray films and camera films, going to science centrum, and seeing the stars through telescopes on girl scout campings...Those were the expensive experiences I wont trade for anything.
Bree's realization: That we're on this piece of rock thing through space for this really tiny period of time and we better make the best of it? (touche)
CHeers!!!
December 9, 2017
I was forced to read this book over the summer for school, and every single time I opened the book I wanted to cry - not because it was sad, just because it was so awfully boring it made me hate reading. The characters are all stereotypical, boring teenagers who I didn't care a single ounce about. The plot was boring. Nothing really happened in the book at all.That being said I am a sophomore in high school, and it is a book for younger kids. So, maybe it is more appealing to children, but I seriously doubt it.
March 5, 2017
I read this book in 4th grade...I hated it. It was just too boring. It was the first book that I ever hated....
October 22, 2025
This book is something else. I love it
June 11, 2019
Ally, p 1: I also know how to find every constellation in the sky, and that the brightest star in any constellation is called the Alpha. I know all the constellations because my father taught them to me, and I know about the Alpha because it is also my name. But my family and friends call me Ally.
When the first page includes a statement such as this one, the author has my attention. Maybe most people know that the brightest star in a constellation is called the Alpha, but I didn't. Nor did I know there are only 88 constellations. (88. Is that correct?)
Facts about the night sky are interwoven in just about every chapter, making this book a wonderful introduction to Astronomy. The plot hinges around a total eclipse of the sun, with anticipation building, and the story pulling together quickly after the eclipse. Now I wish that I had made the trip north to Wyoming so I could have experienced a total eclipse. (But I was awed by the partial eclipse I could watch from my own yard.)
So, yes, I did enjoy this book and I did give it 4 stars, but I do have two criticisms.
1) The kids didn't act their age (my perception, of course). If we hadn't been told their ages, I would have guessed they were about two years older than their purported ages.
2) The point of view rotated with each chapter focusing on one of the three central characters; the transitions were as smooth as they could have been. I often had to remind myself which character was 'talking.' Maybe the characters' voices were too similar. Maybe there aren't enough prompts to help the reader make the transition.
When the first page includes a statement such as this one, the author has my attention. Maybe most people know that the brightest star in a constellation is called the Alpha, but I didn't. Nor did I know there are only 88 constellations. (88. Is that correct?)
Facts about the night sky are interwoven in just about every chapter, making this book a wonderful introduction to Astronomy. The plot hinges around a total eclipse of the sun, with anticipation building, and the story pulling together quickly after the eclipse. Now I wish that I had made the trip north to Wyoming so I could have experienced a total eclipse. (But I was awed by the partial eclipse I could watch from my own yard.)
So, yes, I did enjoy this book and I did give it 4 stars, but I do have two criticisms.
1) The kids didn't act their age (my perception, of course). If we hadn't been told their ages, I would have guessed they were about two years older than their purported ages.
2) The point of view rotated with each chapter focusing on one of the three central characters; the transitions were as smooth as they could have been. I often had to remind myself which character was 'talking.' Maybe the characters' voices were too similar. Maybe there aren't enough prompts to help the reader make the transition.
October 6, 2017
Every Soul a Star was split into 3 POV’s, Ally, Bree, and Jack. Ally’s family owns Moon Shadow, a isolated campground, she loves being outdoors and doesn't care about her appearance, but then the Holden's, Bree’s family came. Bree is popular and lives in the suburbs, she has to move to Moon Shadow and own the camp. She did want to be a model, but outdoors, fashion, and getting service to be popular do not mix. Jack has summer school but can go on a trip to see the eclipse instead. In class, he stays in the corner of the class and draws instead of paying attention. Then when opportunity knocks, and soon they find out a lot about each other.
I thought the book was very intricate and compelling, it kept me in the edge of my seat. I think this because each character changes or develops a different side of them. As I said before they all have different traits, but they slower found that they had a completely different side of them. All because they helped each other out. I would rate Every Soul a Star a 4 out of 5 because I didn't like the way it ending turned out the way it did. I thought it would of taken place a year later in the Epilogue.
Wendy Mass’s book is for young readers, about 3rd grade and up. The book takes place during the solar eclipse, there is a few scientific facts throughout the book. This book makes you want more. I do recommend Every Soul a Star.
I thought the book was very intricate and compelling, it kept me in the edge of my seat. I think this because each character changes or develops a different side of them. As I said before they all have different traits, but they slower found that they had a completely different side of them. All because they helped each other out. I would rate Every Soul a Star a 4 out of 5 because I didn't like the way it ending turned out the way it did. I thought it would of taken place a year later in the Epilogue.
Wendy Mass’s book is for young readers, about 3rd grade and up. The book takes place during the solar eclipse, there is a few scientific facts throughout the book. This book makes you want more. I do recommend Every Soul a Star.
March 6, 2022
JUVENILE VERDICT: I'll go with the mass GR rating of ~4 stars. Seems aimed at middle-school (maybe ages 10 to 14 or so).
ADULT VERDICT: N/A or Passing Grade
BONUS POINTS: lots of info about astronomy and solar eclipses (mostly in dialogue from Ally, one of the 3 main characters)--and it probably won't feel like a lesson.
SHORT REVIEW (may contain mild spoilers):
ALSO CONSIDER THESE JUVIE OR YA BOOKS:
ADULT VERDICT: N/A or Passing Grade
BONUS POINTS: lots of info about astronomy and solar eclipses (mostly in dialogue from Ally, one of the 3 main characters)--and it probably won't feel like a lesson.
SHORT REVIEW (may contain mild spoilers):
ALSO CONSIDER THESE JUVIE OR YA BOOKS:
May 10, 2023
عمیقاً خوشحالم که هنوز کتابهای نوجوان هستن تا بتونم هروقت نیاز داشتم به زیباییها و سادگیشون پناه ببرم.
کتاب "هر روح، یک ستاره" داستان سه تا نوجوانه که به طور تصادفی برای دیدن یه خورشیدگرفتگی دور هم جمع میشن؛ با همهی شخصیتها به راحتی ارتباط برقرار کردم و تمام شبهایی که این کتاب رو برمیداشتم و میخوندم، احساس میکردم منم با بچهها توی اردوگاه "سایهی ماه" برای خورشیدگرفتگی انتظار میکشم و همین باعث شد زمانی که به صفحات پایانی نزدیک میشدم، قلبم درد بگیره و حس کنم اتوبوسم رسیده تا منو برگردونه به شهر و تمام غم و حسرتهای زندگیِ شهری...
اینکه کتاب دربارهی نجوم هم صحبت میکرد برام بینهایت جذاب بود.
ادبیات نوجوان همیشه برای من آخرین پناهِ ناامیدیها بوده و از این کتاب ممنونم که باعث شد حس کنم به چندسال پیش برگشتم و همهی مشکلات و تلخیهای زندگی فقط یه خواب بوده.
«مسئله اینه که تا وقتی خودت بدونی کی هستی و چی خوشحالت میکنه، دیگه اهمیتی نداره بقیه چه دیدی بهت دارن.»
کتاب "هر روح، یک ستاره" داستان سه تا نوجوانه که به طور تصادفی برای دیدن یه خورشیدگرفتگی دور هم جمع میشن؛ با همهی شخصیتها به راحتی ارتباط برقرار کردم و تمام شبهایی که این کتاب رو برمیداشتم و میخوندم، احساس میکردم منم با بچهها توی اردوگاه "سایهی ماه" برای خورشیدگرفتگی انتظار میکشم و همین باعث شد زمانی که به صفحات پایانی نزدیک میشدم، قلبم درد بگیره و حس کنم اتوبوسم رسیده تا منو برگردونه به شهر و تمام غم و حسرتهای زندگیِ شهری...
اینکه کتاب دربارهی نجوم هم صحبت میکرد برام بینهایت جذاب بود.
ادبیات نوجوان همیشه برای من آخرین پناهِ ناامیدیها بوده و از این کتاب ممنونم که باعث شد حس کنم به چندسال پیش برگشتم و همهی مشکلات و تلخیهای زندگی فقط یه خواب بوده.
«مسئله اینه که تا وقتی خودت بدونی کی هستی و چی خوشحالت میکنه، دیگه اهمیتی نداره بقیه چه دیدی بهت دارن.»
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