Search This Blog








2023 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama (1)
- Alaska
- Arizona (1)
- Arkansas
- California (4)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas (1)
- Kentucky
- Louisiana (1)
- Maine (1)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (2)
- North Carolina (1)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina (1)
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia
- Washington (2)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (2)
- Canada (2)
- England (4)
- France (1)
- Ireland (1)
- Scotland (1)
- South Korea (1)
- The Netherlands (1)
-Vietnam (1)





2023 Build Your Library Reading Challenge







Saturday, February 06, 2016
Middle Grade Magical Realism Novel Fat With Wisdom
10:51 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
For Priscilla, Marla, Eleanor and Astrid, dealing with their mother's alcoholism and violent mood swings is just a way of life. They're used to it. But when the girls move with their parents into their mother's childhood home in New Hampshire, things grow even more difficult. The worst thing of all is that Priscilla's older sisters are hiding something from her. At eleven, they think she's too young to know what's going on around her. Which is ridiculous. "Silly" is just her nickname—Priscilla knows her mother is sick, knows her sisters are up to something, and knows she wants to be part of it.
When Silly is finally let in on the big secret, she's dumbfounded. The closets in the girls' new home are doorways that lead to fantastical worlds, beckoning them far away from the harsh realities of their real lives. Best of all, Silly is able to manipulate the closet magic in ways her sisters can't. Finally, she's getting the kind of attention she's always wanted from her older siblings. Silly could stay in her own magical world forever! When she discovers a scary truth about the closets, however, she begins to fear for herself and her family. Will the mind-boggling wizardry that's bringing the sisters together be the very thing that tears them apart? Can Silly save them all before it's too late?
Rules for Stealing Stars by Corey Ann Haydu is a tender story about a family that's falling apart at the seams. It's impossible not to sympathize with the girls at its center as they struggle to deal with their unpredictable mother. While the reader will cheer when the sisters find a happy escape from their unhappy lives, she will also realize the importance of their reemergence. After all, despite its actual thickness, this is a novel fat with wisdom. As sad as it is, Rules for Stealing Stars teaches some great lessons about facing problems, finding good in even the most difficult circumstances, and working together to create solutions that work, even if they're not perfect. Although it's a little depressing, this is a poignant gem that will touch readers old and young.
(Readalikes: Reminded me a little of Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for scary scenes and serious subjects (alcoholism, death, parental neglect/abuse, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
2 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)




Reading
Murder Off the Books by Tamara Berry

Listening
Heartland: A Memoir of Working Hard and Being Broke in the Richest Country in the World by Sarah Smarsh



Followin' with Bloglovin'



-
-
-
The In and Out Book Tag4 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
If You Like L. M. Montgomery…10 hours ago
-
The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James11 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
Isn’t It Romantic?1 day ago
-
-
-
Audio book: Pet1 day ago
-
Song of the Week1 day ago
-
-
A Mansion for Murder by Frances Brody2 days ago
-
Haiku reviews...2 days ago
-
-
FO Friday: Flax Light, Baby4 days ago
-
-
-
When No One Is Watching by Alyssa Cole6 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
Book Blogger Hop #62 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
-
Books Read in 20232 months ago
-
-
Nonfiction November 2022: New to My TBR3 months ago
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?5 months ago
-
-
HEARTS OF BRIARWALL by Krista Jensen7 months ago
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!



Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ▼ 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
This one sounds good too! Would you quit tempting me with all these books!
ReplyDeleteC'mon, these are middle grade books. You could read all of them in a day! Too bad this is adult month for you ...
Delete