Every Soul a Star, by Wendy Mass

[storybookmum]

Every Soul a Star
By Wendy Mass
Little, Brown and Company
ISBN: 978-0-316-00256-1
Hardcover, $17.99

I picked this one up first for an attractive cover that caught my eye - and then quickly realised that 2 of the kids in the story were homeschoolers. I had to read it, once I learned that, of course.

This novel is a shared 1st person narrative of three kids whose lives intersect before and during a total solar eclipse. Ally's family runs a campground set up years before in anticipating of this upcoming event. She and her brother, Kenny, are homeschooled, and it's definitely the sort of isolation homeschooling that is a bit atypical in the homeschooling world - but very positively portrayed by the author. The kids are loving and natural with one another, they have a freshness and an innocence, and an absolute eagerness to learn and excel.

Bree and her sister Melanie are the daughters of scientists who disrupt Bree's fashion-model plans by taking them into the backwoods of this campground (named Moon Shadow) to watch the eclipse - and, incidentally, to move there to manage for the next several years, as Ally's family will be leaving after the eclipse to resume life in a more mainstream environment - the suburbs of Chicago.

Bree's and Ally's worlds are deeply shaken by the complete unexpectedness of this change. They team together to try a "Parent Trap" style of attack on their parents to change their minds.

The third character in the main circle is Jack - on a bus tour trip to the campground with his science teacher in order to avoid summer school after failing science. Jack's got a few insecurities and social issues that he's battling, but with virtually nowhere to retreat, he comes out of his shell and begins to understand some of his own real-life strong suits.

There are minor characters as well circling around the three main characters - the younger siblings, fellow campers, parents and grandparents. There's a lot going on in this book. A hefty amount of astrology comes across as we learn about solar eclipses, as well. The story's engrossing, the enthusiasm is catching, and the book is a delight!