A Handful of Stars
Cynthia Lord, Author
Scholastic Press, Fiction, May 26, 2015
Pages: 192
Suitable for Ages: 8-12, Grades 3-7
Themes: Blueberries, Migrant workers, Hispanic-American children, Prejudice, Blind dog, Friendship, Multicultural
Opening: The only reason I ever spoke to Salma Santiago was because my dog ate her lunch.
Synopsis: Two girls from different cultures meet when Lily’s blind dog, Lucky, takes off across the blueberry barrens of Maine. Salma, a migrant girl, grabs her peanut butter sandwich and lures Lucky before he runs onto a highway. Lucky is Lily’s last link to her mother who left them with her grandparents when she was two. Lily and her grandfather thank Salma at the migrant camp with a pork dinner pie. The girls bond over their love of dogs and painting. Salma helps Lily paint wooden bee hives to raise money for an operation to save Lucky’s eyesight. When Salma decides to enter the Blueberry Queen Pageant, something a bilingual Hispanic migrant girl has not done before, Lily becomes aware of the town’s biases. Through their enduring friendship, both girls find their own inner strengths .
What I love about A Handful of Stars:
Cynthia Lord delivers a magical and richly textured story about an unlikely friendship between Lily, a French Canadian, and Salma, a Hispanic-American. She draws her readers into the story with that great opening sentence (above) that begs the reader to want to know more.
I love that Lord continues to use her home state of Maine as the setting for many of her stories. She paints a vivid picture of the blueberry barrens of eastern Maine. Readers will learn a little history about the Mason bees that pollinate the blueberries and gardens, the raking of the wild Maine blueberries by migrant workers, and the top of a blueberry is shaped like a star. Readers will also gain insight into the lives of migrant children and how hard it is to be uprooted.
Lord is a master at developing memorable characters. Readers will easily connect with Lily and Salma’s struggles, longings and hopes. Lily and Lucky live with her grandparents. Lily feels the loss of her mother, who is deceased. Lucky is Lily’s last link to her mother, so she is determined to earn money and save his eyesight. Salma is imaginative and artistic, but secretly longs to belong and stay in one place. Their friendship will test and carry them to a new self-confidence and healing.
The plot is realistic with the right amount of tension that will keep readers turning pages. Lord seamlessly weaves many themes into this touching story: migrant families, cultural differences, biases, community, loss, letting go and accepting change. There is a wonderful twist in the plot of the story, so readers will be pleasantly surprised with the ending.
A Handful of Stars is a perfect summer read. The cultural themes will encourage many lively discussions. Visit Cynthia Lord at her website.
Cynthia Lord is the award-winning author of Rules, a Newbery Honor book and a Schneider Family Book Award winner. She is also the author Half a Chance, Touch Blue, and the Shelter Pet Squad chapter book series.
Children's Books Heal 
I posted my goodreads review on this last Friday. Absolutely loved the story full of layers and wonderful themes that young children will love. And the ending is magical. Great review, Pat!
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I loved this story too. It was layered with many themes. I was drawn to the migrant children, because of my interaction with migrants many years ago in NW Ohio. Will have to check out your GoodReads review.
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I teared up just reading your synopsis. I should probably read this where no one can disturb me and my bawling. :} It made me think of “Esperanza Rising”.
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It really is a beautiful story with so many themes throughout. You would enjoy Salma’s artistic flair. I loved, loved this story. Yes, I can see how it might remind you of Esperanza Rising. I also loved learning about the history in Cynthia’s home state.
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I look forward to reading it.
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This sounds absolutely wonderful! We’ll have to get some copies for our Summer reading recommendations.
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Craig, this is a perfect summer reading recommendations. It touches on so many themes and is beautifully written. I am a fan of Cynthia Lord’s work and look forward to her deeply moving stories.
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I have never met a Cynthia Lord book I didn’t LOVE. I just put the sample onto my Kindle, but I’m sure I’ll be ordering the book within the hour. Thanks, Pat!
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Me too! This one is another winner! She is such a beautiful writer. Glad you ordered it.
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You are right. It is a great opening line. This sounds full of Humanity. Great review, Patricia.
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Yes, the opening grabbed me from the start. I love to study openings. This book is full of humanity. The migrant aspect was of interest to me because in my early newspaper days, I used to write stories about the migrants in NW Ohio and frequently visited the Migrant Rest Center there. It is a hard life for children.
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Yes! I can imagine how hard it is for children. We were Irish migrants in the UK when “No Irish Need Apply” signs were all over The Labour Exchange. We were dirt poor and disliked. Perhaps this is what prompted me to go to work in Africa. We had it much better that those who live in refugee camps.
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I didn’t know that about you. You have an understanding and your work in Africa makes sense. Can’t imagine living in a refugee camp. Migrant housing isn’t always the best either, from my memories years ago.
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This sounds such a beautiful read. Your review is so moving Pat I just have to look for it. I so want to know what happens but also I love her writing. Thanks for sharing.
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This is a must read for you! You will love how beautifully written the story is.
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Beautiful review, Pat. And I’ll admit, the dog cover grabs me. 🙂 TBR…
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Yes, thank you for mentioning the cover! It is a grabber. You would especially enjoy the story! So would your kids.
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This book sounds like a great read and as you say “textured”. I must check it out. Super review, Pat.
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Thank you Cathy! It is such a special read with so much going on. I loved and learned from the story.
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Since my copy had just arrived from the library, I waited until I had finished reading it before reading your review. As you can see, I didn’t have to wait long! What a wonderful book. Cynthia’s books always take me to a higher plane when I’m reading them. What a talent she has.
I haven’t been able to visit blogs much lately — I hope to somehow do better in months to come. I’m very glad I came and read your review of this marvelous book. Thanks, Pat!
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I like your description of Cynthia’s talents. She does take you to a higher place and you don’t want to come back. Read the last few chapters over again because I wasn’t ready to let go of the story and the characters. Thank you for visiting!
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This sounds like a great book. I will check it out. 🙂
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Erik, you would enjoy this book. So would Josie.
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I particularly like that opening line!
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Yes, I really enjoy great hook sentences — and this one just drew you into the heartwarming story.
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Yes, the opening sentence really draws into the book immediately. Such a great story!
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I just finished this one last week and hope to get a review up sometime in the next month. You actually said everything about what makes this book special. It”s a great one for girls dealing with trying to combine old and new friendships. The diversity factor here adds to the layers of storytelling. It also has a great cover!
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It is a richly layered book with many themes. I’m glad you enjoyed it as much as I did. Will look forward to your review.
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