Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
This story is magical and sad. It's about 4 sisters who learn that the house they live in is magical. What they aren't sure is how magical it is. They also know that sometimes the magic may not be good. The sisters must learn to trust each other and know that no matter what they are always there for one another.
I've read enough middle grade to have a pretty good idea that this book would wreck me. And it did. In the best possible ways. I adore the way middle grade novels approach and handle even more complicated and challenging things than YA (honestly, I think YA could learn some lessons from MG). This book is about magic and reality and dreams and heartbreak and sisters and family and feeling lost and feeling found and guilt and forgiveness and love and pain and big problems and little joys. Ugh. It's so good. Go read it.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
When it comes to Middle Grade books, it takes a lot to impress me. Most of the time I just don't click with the characters or the premise and it all ends up being a little bit too twee for me. However, I do have to say that despite some flaws, I still found Rules for Stealing Stars to be pretty damn impressive.
The Good: I'm not used to Middle Grade books being all twisty and dark and slightly depressing. But Rules for Stealing Stars was all of these things....and I liked that. That right there already gave it points for originality. I liked that it dealt with heavier issues such as abuse and alcoholism, as well as mental illness. Some might think that these issues are a little too deep for an 8-12 year old (which is the age range recommended for this book), but I think that it all depends on the child (though I would think this might be too depressing/confusing for those on the lower level of that age spectrum).
More Good: As someone who has four sisters, I could definitely relate to the angst of it all. The relationship that Silly had with her sisters just rang true. And if you have sisters, something tells me you'll get this book on a more visceral level seeing as how an only child might not get the misery and happiness that a sister can bring quite like people who already have tons of sisters. I also liked that Silly, Marla, Eleanor, and Spacey sister whose name currently escapes me, all had distinct personalities and every single one of them had flaws. Sure, they got a little annoying, but again, if you have sisters, you know annoyance already.
So, if I liked the characters and I liked the twisty premise, why am I rating this 3 stars? Well, the world-building left so much to be desired. The first thing that bothered me about it was that on one occasion, it was mentioned that the magical closets give the girls what they need, not what they want. However, after that, on two separate occasions, it was mentioned that the closets wouldn't let one sister out because she didn't want to get out, because it gave her what she wanted. So, which is it? Do the closets give you what you want or do they give you what you need? Sure, this might be a minuscule thing to obsess over, but when it comes to fantasy novels, those types of oversights take you right out of the magic, right out of the story, and ruthlessly plunge you into the real world. It just seems as though the author focused so much more on the contemporary aspects of Rules for Stealing Stars (which, admittedly, were extremely well done), that she ended up skimping on the world building and so we're left with way more questions as to how things work than answers.
So, overall, I really enjoyed Rules for Stealing Stars. However, lack of details and coherence in regards to the world-building really stopped me from giving this book the four stars that the contemporary aspect of this book really deserved. I was still highly impressed with that part of the story, though, and I still recommend this book.
The Good: I'm not used to Middle Grade books being all twisty and dark and slightly depressing. But Rules for Stealing Stars was all of these things....and I liked that. That right there already gave it points for originality. I liked that it dealt with heavier issues such as abuse and alcoholism, as well as mental illness. Some might think that these issues are a little too deep for an 8-12 year old (which is the age range recommended for this book), but I think that it all depends on the child (though I would think this might be too depressing/confusing for those on the lower level of that age spectrum).
More Good: As someone who has four sisters, I could definitely relate to the angst of it all. The relationship that Silly had with her sisters just rang true. And if you have sisters, something tells me you'll get this book on a more visceral level seeing as how an only child might not get the misery and happiness that a sister can bring quite like people who already have tons of sisters. I also liked that Silly, Marla, Eleanor, and Spacey sister whose name currently escapes me, all had distinct personalities and every single one of them had flaws. Sure, they got a little annoying, but again, if you have sisters, you know annoyance already.
So, if I liked the characters and I liked the twisty premise, why am I rating this 3 stars? Well, the world-building left so much to be desired. The first thing that bothered me about it was that on one occasion, it was mentioned that the magical closets give the girls what they need, not what they want. However, after that, on two separate occasions, it was mentioned that the closets wouldn't let one sister out because she didn't want to get out, because it gave her what she wanted. So, which is it? Do the closets give you what you want or do they give you what you need? Sure, this might be a minuscule thing to obsess over, but when it comes to fantasy novels, those types of oversights take you right out of the magic, right out of the story, and ruthlessly plunge you into the real world. It just seems as though the author focused so much more on the contemporary aspects of Rules for Stealing Stars (which, admittedly, were extremely well done), that she ended up skimping on the world building and so we're left with way more questions as to how things work than answers.
So, overall, I really enjoyed Rules for Stealing Stars. However, lack of details and coherence in regards to the world-building really stopped me from giving this book the four stars that the contemporary aspect of this book really deserved. I was still highly impressed with that part of the story, though, and I still recommend this book.
I haven’t read a ton of magical realism, and this book does it really well. It was unexpectedly dark but in a way I found really gripping. It pushed the boundaries of my imagination in a really good way.
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is an absolutely wonderful read. This is by far the best novel for children I have ever read, and I strongly recommend it to anybody who enjoys reading middle-grade or young adult literature. This book isn't everybody's cup of tea, but I thought it was perfect. This book blends realism and fantasy perfectly, and it deals with mental health issues, which is something not discussed in many middle-grade. When I finished this book, I immediately read it over again, and I have reread it countless times since then. This is my personal favourite book, and it was so heartbreaking and magical. Five out of five stars.
A lovely and hopeful book with a little magic and lot of heart.
FIRST THOUGHTS: I'm seriously blown away by Corey's middle grade debut novel. It just left me with a tremendous amount of warmth in my heart, hope in my soul, and so much love for these characters and their story. Make sure to keep this novel on your radar, folks!