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joyceeeee_k's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to enjoy this book but it was overwhelmingly boring and repetitive + all in all a huge disappointment; DNF.
somnolentflower's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lizaroo71's review against another edition
3.0
Silly is the youngest of four sisters. Her father is a professor and her mother stays home. Silly and her sisters have recently moved into what is normally their summer home. This is done in hopes that the new environment will lift their mother's mood: it doesn't.
Silly's mother is dealing with depression and her coping mechanism is drinking. Sill y'all father likes to brush over his wife's mental state, but his attempts at making things normal for his girls isn't working.
The older sisters have found a way to get away from their reality, but they exclude Silly initially. Once she is shown this new form of escapism, Silly is reluctant to stay in the real world.
This is definitely one that makes you suspend your disbelief when reading it. I didn't take it literally, but rather as a metaphor. These girls are dealing with something that is unknown and frightening, so it makes sense that they create an imaginary place that is magical and peaceful and euphoric.
I was expecting a different story, but I liked what I got.
Silly's mother is dealing with depression and her coping mechanism is drinking. Sill y'all father likes to brush over his wife's mental state, but his attempts at making things normal for his girls isn't working.
The older sisters have found a way to get away from their reality, but they exclude Silly initially. Once she is shown this new form of escapism, Silly is reluctant to stay in the real world.
This is definitely one that makes you suspend your disbelief when reading it. I didn't take it literally, but rather as a metaphor. These girls are dealing with something that is unknown and frightening, so it makes sense that they create an imaginary place that is magical and peaceful and euphoric.
I was expecting a different story, but I liked what I got.
lindaunconventionalbookworms's review against another edition
4.0
*I received a free ARC of Rules for Stealing Stars from Katherine Tegen Books via Edelweiss in exchange of an honest and unbiased review*
Rules for Stealing Stars is a poetic story about four young sisters, and how they, and their family, deal with the difficulties life sometimes throw our way. Beautifully written, with a lot of imagery and a fairy-tale like feel, it was a solid story that left me satisfied.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
Rules for Stealing Stars is a poetic story about four young sisters, and how they, and their family, deal with the difficulties life sometimes throw our way. Beautifully written, with a lot of imagery and a fairy-tale like feel, it was a solid story that left me satisfied.
This and all my other reviews are originally posted on my blog (un)Conventional Bookviews
blakehalsey's review against another edition
5.0
This book is so, so beautiful. I absolutely loved Priscilla's voice, her struggle, her power, her journey. Magical and heartbreaking, I know this is a book that many kids need and I'm so glad it exists.
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
Four sisters are in a family vacation home in New Hampshire: two older twins busy with art projects and secret boyfriends and the two younger floundering and aching to be part of their elder siblings' closeness.
Dad is lost in a world where he can only see good things and where his scholarly pursuit of fairy tales gives him permission to not act upon what's really going on: the careful tiptoing around Mom, who sometimes has tea in her mugs and sometimes not, and who at any moment will fly off into a litany of recriminations and tears no matter how quiet or good the girls are.
Their lives revolve around managing Mom. Until the day the twins discover a secret about their closet-- and everything changes.
There's magic in this book, but its the kind of magic that almost blatantly at times creates a concrete reality out of the emotional inner landscape of each sister's coping mechanism for living with an abuser.
We live through this story in the POV of the youngest: Priscilla "Silly" and it is her yearning to be a part of the closeness of the twins, and to feel grown up and have the power to act (and the bravery to act) that is the crux of this story.
The Mom's issues are referred to by hints and oblique references and the action entirely revolves around the girls' interactions with each other and the closets. It's a sibling story, and a coming-of-age story, and its very beautiful. It's sensitive and complicated treatment of emotional ties between the Mom and the daughters means its appropriate for YA audiences as well as adults.
Dad is lost in a world where he can only see good things and where his scholarly pursuit of fairy tales gives him permission to not act upon what's really going on: the careful tiptoing around Mom, who sometimes has tea in her mugs and sometimes not, and who at any moment will fly off into a litany of recriminations and tears no matter how quiet or good the girls are.
Their lives revolve around managing Mom. Until the day the twins discover a secret about their closet-- and everything changes.
There's magic in this book, but its the kind of magic that almost blatantly at times creates a concrete reality out of the emotional inner landscape of each sister's coping mechanism for living with an abuser.
We live through this story in the POV of the youngest: Priscilla "Silly" and it is her yearning to be a part of the closeness of the twins, and to feel grown up and have the power to act (and the bravery to act) that is the crux of this story.
The Mom's issues are referred to by hints and oblique references and the action entirely revolves around the girls' interactions with each other and the closets. It's a sibling story, and a coming-of-age story, and its very beautiful. It's sensitive and complicated treatment of emotional ties between the Mom and the daughters means its appropriate for YA audiences as well as adults.
haia_929's review against another edition
5.0
This is a trimmed down version of my review, to view the full review visit The Book Ramble.
I received a copy of this book from Katherine Tegen Books on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Silly's mom is sick, and her sister's are keeping secrets, and her dad's always in his own head. But when Silly's mom turns violent with her, she's brought into the fold and her sister's reveal a magical place to her that gives them exactly what they need as they deal with the loss of their mother, their mother's loss, and the perils of growing up and growing apart. Silly and her sister's have to find a way to make this magic save them all.
Haydu captured the magic of childhood, the heartbreak of family tragedy, and the warmth of love and joy that these sisters all share. I couldn't put this book down it was so deeply enchanting and moving.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book because I'm so used to Haydu's contemporary, very realistic, YA books, and this book was promising magic. What Haydu gives to readers in Rules for Stealing Stars is a type of magic that fits so well into the reality of these girls' heartbreaking lives. The magical place they go to, their closets, is a place that fits their needs and their imaginations. To escape the pain of watching their mother's mental health deteriorate and their father fade into his work, the girls begin to hide in the closets of their new home. These closets take them away from their real lives, and into the places they wish they could be. Yes it's magic, but it's also the fantasy of 4 young girls who need an escape from their real lives. I absolutely loved how Haydu made this magical land for these girls and the way they used it to bond and learn about their family.
The characters in this book are so well developed and so charming. I loved Silly, she was so strong and courageous in the face of these problems so much bigger than her. She was so out of her depth throughout most of this book, she was facing not just her mother's health problems but also the loss of her sisters to young adulthood while she was still very much a child. You watch Silly grow up and become a match for her sisters throughout this book. Haydu presents a whole family unit, one that is damaged and scared, but one where everyone loves each other so fiercely that they would steal the stars to save each other.
I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it. I can't wait to see what Haydu writes in the future as she continues to be one of my favourite YA authors.
I received a copy of this book from Katherine Tegen Books on Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.
Silly's mom is sick, and her sister's are keeping secrets, and her dad's always in his own head. But when Silly's mom turns violent with her, she's brought into the fold and her sister's reveal a magical place to her that gives them exactly what they need as they deal with the loss of their mother, their mother's loss, and the perils of growing up and growing apart. Silly and her sister's have to find a way to make this magic save them all.
Haydu captured the magic of childhood, the heartbreak of family tragedy, and the warmth of love and joy that these sisters all share. I couldn't put this book down it was so deeply enchanting and moving.
I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from this book because I'm so used to Haydu's contemporary, very realistic, YA books, and this book was promising magic. What Haydu gives to readers in Rules for Stealing Stars is a type of magic that fits so well into the reality of these girls' heartbreaking lives. The magical place they go to, their closets, is a place that fits their needs and their imaginations. To escape the pain of watching their mother's mental health deteriorate and their father fade into his work, the girls begin to hide in the closets of their new home. These closets take them away from their real lives, and into the places they wish they could be. Yes it's magic, but it's also the fantasy of 4 young girls who need an escape from their real lives. I absolutely loved how Haydu made this magical land for these girls and the way they used it to bond and learn about their family.
The characters in this book are so well developed and so charming. I loved Silly, she was so strong and courageous in the face of these problems so much bigger than her. She was so out of her depth throughout most of this book, she was facing not just her mother's health problems but also the loss of her sisters to young adulthood while she was still very much a child. You watch Silly grow up and become a match for her sisters throughout this book. Haydu presents a whole family unit, one that is damaged and scared, but one where everyone loves each other so fiercely that they would steal the stars to save each other.
I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it. I can't wait to see what Haydu writes in the future as she continues to be one of my favourite YA authors.
darcianna5's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
ciaralo's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a really powerful and important read. I really think it's going to help kids in tough family situations. Corey Ann Haydu is a gem.