A Handful of Stars

Touching story. I enjoyed reading it. I really like Lily and Salma--they are sweet, thoughtful, creative, and fun girls. Lucky, Lily's dog, is also terrific. Lily's grandparents are special and I felt like I got to know them more in the second half of the book. Salma's mom, Mrs. Santiago, is a very kind, inclusive, and loving person--this is clear the few times we encounter her. It's nice to read about genuine connection and friendship. Each girl experienced loss and feels the loneliness and pain that accompany it. Lily and Salma gave of themselves for the other. It's rewarding for the reader!The scenery is described in detail and I can visualize wild Maine blueberry bushes.Chapter 15 made this adult cry. An overall great tween read, especially because it has the potential to broaden a tween's perspective. This book will make a tween think and ask questions. I believe girls will enjoy this book more than boys.Each time I eat blueberries, I will stop to wonder whose hands and how many hands touched them so that I can enjoy them.

My daughter was assigned this book for her book club at school. She loved it she is 8 going into the 3rd grade but she reads at an end of 3rd grade level and she loves to read. This is a chapter book about two girls who meet.. one is a migrant worker who moves around a lot . So make sure your child is mature enough to understand some social complexities. A great read for those who would like to know more about the world around them.

What a wonderful book!!! I loved everything and everyone in this book, especially Lucky! Cynthia Lord's characters, setting, and oh those blueberries make for such a great read. Lily and her blind dog, Lucky live in Maine and meet Salma, a migrant worker. Salma becomes a very special friend to Lily and helps her as she tries new things. I loved growing close to Lily, Lucky, and her family and her intense wish to help Lucky regain his sight. I also enjoyed learning about the hardship of being a migrant worker, but Salma's love of art, family, and wishing for a better life were just a few things I wanted for Salma. I highly recommend this book to dog lovers, too; it will be a great read aloud to a class and also a great book to curl up with too!

I enjoyed this story of girls and friendship. The girls are coming of age but not quite ready for boys. They find themselves living in the same town but in very different worlds. The setting is Maine's blueberry region. The main character is the granddaughter of the owners of the general store. She finds herself drifting away from her oldest best friend. And then she meets a girl from the migrant workers camp. Each girl has separate dreams. Will their dreams bring them together or keep them apart? Suitable for young readers but entertaining for all.

Cynthia Lord has such a way of bringing such authenticity to her characters. This is a great story of friendship between a young girl from a small town in Maine and the other a migrant worker from Florida. A realistic fiction story that accurately weaves in some factual information about the lives of migrant workers. The one thing that really rang out with me as I finished this book was how both characters learned so much from the other signifying that diversity amongst friends is a valuable gift.

One of my favorite books, this summer. I will be reading this to my students this fall. One of my favorite things about this book, is that the childrens' dialog sound real. In many books written by adults the children in the story have amazing vocabulary and intelligence. As I read this book, I kept thinking that sounds just like one of my students.I also can't wait to have an uncomfortable conversation with my students about immigration and racism. Because I find 10 year olds have a different and interesting prospective compared to my peers.

This is a nice story with some worthwhile lessons. A little simple for adult reading, but still pleasurable.

The childrens' librarian recommended this book & author for advanced 9 year old reader. I though it was great.