Every Soul a Star

by Wendy Mass

Book Overview

The perfect read to know what it feels like to see a total eclipse

A compelling story about strangers coming together, unlikely friendships, and finding one's place in the universe from New York Times bestselling author Wendy Mass.

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,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0316002577
• ISBN13: 9780316002578
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
• Length: 336 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.1" x 7.5"
• Age Range: 8 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 3 to 7

Customer Reviews

Wendy Mass Strikes Again

I first came across this book as I was prowling through my sister's bookshelves in desperate search of something to read. (My own shelves' content had been thoroughly read several times over.) I had already read A Mango-Shaped Space, also by Wendy Mass, and I was eager to open this newest book and see what it had to offer me. Three hours later, I lifted my head dizzily and realized I had read through dinner, not paying any heed to my mother's calls, or my stomach's grumbles. Wonderingly, I got up and smiled. This book is a wonderful story of teenage angst, confusion, and love, both of romance and friendship. It got to my heart and made it sing. It is for any age, sex, religion, ethnicity, or sexuality, and recommend it for all of the above.

Courtesy of Teens Read Too

EVERY SOUL A STAR is the story of three teens and a total solar eclipse. They are three strangers brought together by a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Ally has lived at the Moon Shadow campground for as long as she can remember. Her parents, dedicated star watchers, bought the campground when they discovered that it would be ground zero for an upcoming total solar eclipse. Over the years, they created a stargazer-friendly atmosphere and now are expecting over a thousand people to spend time at their campsites. Ally can hardly wait to welcome the crowds and observe this amazing act of nature. Bree is into make-up, nail polish, and clothes. She keeps a scrapbook of clothes and pictures of models and studies it faithfully, since her life's dream is to become a runway model. She is incredibly popular at school and can't understand her younger sister, the science geek. Bree's life comes crashing down around her when her scientist parents announce that the family is moving to the Moon Shadow campground. They will be living there for at least the next several years, since the family currently running the place is relocating to the city. How can they be serious? Bree can't imagine life without the mall, tons of friends, and TV. Jack is pretty much an outcast at school. He's overweight and not at all interested in sports. He's smart enough, but he'd rather listen to his music than pay attention in class. When he is offered another option instead of summer school to make up his failing grade in science, he finds himself boarding a tour bus filled with science nerds all headed to the country to witness some crazy eclipse. Author Wendy Mass works her magic as she intertwines the lives of Ally, Bree, and Jack. Using alternating chapters, she tells the stories of the three teens as they become forever connected by an eclipse. She successfully captures the frustrations of her characters as they meet the challenges of their changing lives. Her descriptions as they experience the rare total solar eclipse will have readers Googling to see if they will ever be close enough to witness such a spectacle. Reviewed by: Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"

Great tale

Ally loves living at Moon Shadow, an isolated campground where thousands will gather to witness the total eclipse of the sun. Bree feels she must be adopted or something. She wants to be a model while her parents and younger sister are totally into scientific things. Jack is overweight and feels out of place. He loves to read science fiction books and draw. All three lives come together and will change during the time of the eclipse. I really enjoyed this book. All three characters came to life as they struggled with the challenges thrown at them. The info on eclispses is fascinating. I even learned a few facts I didn't know before. The author does a great job showing us the wonder of a rare event through the eyes of three teens who form an unlikely friendship.

Great characters and a fantastic science connection!

I often feel sorry for people who don't read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life. ~ Scott Corbett ~ When I think about why my favorite books are my favorites, Scott Corbett's sentiments ring true. So many of them involve real-life places I've never been or fantasy worlds that I long to visit. And some introduce me to worlds that I haven't known well but suddenly find myself wanting to explore. Every Soul a Star by Wendy Mass is one of those books. The book is set at the Moon Shadow Campground in the days surrounding a total solar eclipse, and three narrators tell the story of how their paths converge there, just as the moon's shadow crosses the sun. There's Ally, a self-confident, home-schooled kid who has grown up at the Moon Shadow, spending her time searching for alien signals and arranging rocks in the campground labyrinth. There's Bree, firmly entrenched in the life of an urban middle school social butterfly until her parents drop the bomb that she's moving to the middle of nowhere so they can work on a research project. And there's Jack, who flunked science class and is sentenced to a summer project at the Moon Shadow with his teacher. Often, when I read a novel with multiple narrators I end up liking one better than the others and wishing the whole book were written in that voice, but that wasn't the case here; every voice was distinct and every character so well-developed that I loved them as individuals and felt like I cared about each of their stories. As a middle school teacher, I always get extra excited about titles that connect to the curriculum and still maintain the rich characters, plot twists, humor, and tension that keep kids reading on their own. Every Soul a Star is loaded with astronomy, presented in a way that's accessible and compelling. It made me want to spend more time looking up at the night sky, and I found myself googling the time and location of the next total solar eclipse because this book convinced me this is something I need to see. Every Soul a Star is a perfect choice for middle school teams connecting English and Science classes, but it's also a terrific character-driven journey to the stars that kids will enjoy on their own.