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endlessreader 's review for:
Rules for Stealing Stars
by Corey Ann Haydu
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.