Shining on: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories

by Lois Lowry and Meg Cabot

Book Overview

In this thoughtful and engaging collection, 11 acclaimed authors explore the highs and lows of growing up and shining on in the face of obstacles. A parent's departure, a sister's illness, a... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385734727
• ISBN13: 9780385734721
• Release Date: May 2007
• Publisher: Delacorte Press
• Length: 159 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.3" x 8.0"
• Age Range: 12 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 7 and higher

Customer Reviews

Good theme, some great reads

I love compilation books, and this one is another good read. Because most of the authors are British, I am not familiar with a lot of their writings, but I plan on reading quite a few of them now that I have gotten a taste. And isn't that what compilations are for--I mean besides supporting whatever charity the proceeds of the books are supporting, that is? All of the stories in Shining On: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories center on teens overcoming whatever challenges life throws at them, and the proceeds of this particular book benefit children's cancer research and treatment. There are a couple of standouts that illustrate this theme very poignantly. "Humming Through My Fingers" by Malorie Blackman is about a blind girl who teaches a boy to "taste shapes and hear colors," and "Skin Deep" by Rosie Rushton is about a girl who loses her self-identity along with her boyfriend after a bomb disfigures her face. Two humorous anecdotes made me laugh out loud. The never-failing Meg Cabot's "Allie Funklestein's Rules for Boyfriends" tells the email story of a girl whose pain over her boyfriend's infidelities is eased when she admits to having a crush on her geeky tutor, and Cathy Hopkins' "John Lennon Said..." describe the panicked thoughts of a girl who has no clue what she wants to be when she grows up. I wasn't a big fan of Celia Rees' "Calling the Cats," and I also couldn't figure out why Lois Lowry, who edited the book, included an excerpt from her novel that was published years ago (A Summer to Die) rather than writing a new story or submitting something from a book in progress. Overall, the stories were heartfelt, inspiring and easy to read. It's a great book for any summer reading list and provides some deep though on tough issues while still keeping a fairly light tone.