Every Soul A Star

Every Soul A Star

Juvenile fiction
Having recently enjoyed three books by Wendy Mass, I picked up
one of her earlier works. Good move! I found her Every Soul A Star
enthralling. It follows the lives of three teens who in ordinairy
life would never have met. Their destinies converge as they await an
extremely rare event.
*Ally's folks run the Moon Shadow campground where hundreds of people
will gather to experience a total eclipse of the sun. She loves
everything about her home and its remote location. So she is not a
happy camper when she learns that her folks are turning over running
the place and moving to civilization. She'll have to deal with the
intricacies of the public school system and peer group immersion.
*Bree is upset for the exact opposite reason. Her family will be
taking over the campground. A future model, she is doing all she can
to pursue her career from brushing her hair a hundred times every
morning to doing fifty sit-ups before bed. She works equally hard at
maintaining her popularity. Her science focussed family embarasses
her. How will she survive isolated with them, away from friends and
malls?
*Jack spends a lot of time in his treehouse. At school he tries to be
as invisible as a clumsy, overweight it can be. He enjoys science
fiction and drawing...a little too much it seems. Not concentrating
has caused him to flunk science. Much to his surprise, his teacher
calls with a proposition he can't refuse. If he helps him run a two
week excursion culminating in the viewing of the eclipse he won't have
to go to summer school.
It would seem they have nothing in common. However, as they come
together in the intricate web of Mass' creation they start to
transform. If you like realism served up with just a touch of
enchantment you will find Every Soul A Star to be a must read.
On a personal note, I really identify with the despair Ally and Bree
felt at the beginning of the book. Not that I'm going anywhere. In a
little over a year the beings who bring magic and enchantent to my
life, my children, will be gone. How will I survive the joyless quiet
and predictability of a childless house in a town where I just don't
fit in and never will?
A great big shout goes out to eclipse enthusiasts and other folks
fascinated by the beauty and mystery of the universe.
Julia Emily Hathaway


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