Every Soul a Star
by Wendy Mass

    EVERY SOUL A STAR by Wendy Mass
    Category:  Contemporary
    Age Recommendation:  Grades 6+
    Release Date:  10/1/08
    Publisher:  Little, Brown
    Reviewed by:  Sally Kruger, aka "Readingjunky"
    Rating:  5 Stars


    EVERY SOUL A STAR is the story of three teens and a total solar eclipse.  They are three strangers brought
    together by a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

    Ally has lived at the Moon Shadow campground for as long as she can remember.  Her parents, dedicated star
    watchers, bought the campground when they discovered that it would be ground zero for an upcoming total solar
    eclipse.  Over the years, they created a stargazer-friendly atmosphere and now are expecting over a thousand
    people to spend time at their campsites.  Ally can hardly wait to welcome the crowds and observe this amazing act
    of nature.

    Bree is into make-up, nail polish, and clothes.  She keeps a scrapbook of clothes and pictures of models and
    studies it faithfully, since her life's dream is to become a runway model.  She is incredibly popular at school and can't
    understand her younger sister, the science geek.  Bree's life comes crashing down around her when her scientist
    parents announce that the family is moving to the Moon Shadow campground.  They will be living there for at least
    the next several years, since the family currently running the place is relocating to the city.  How can they be
    serious?  Bree can't imagine life without the mall, tons of friends, and TV.

    Jack is pretty much an outcast at school.  He's overweight and not at all interested in sports.  He's smart enough,
    but he'd rather listen to his music than pay attention in class. When he is offered another option instead of summer
    school to make up his failing grade in science, he finds himself boarding a tour bus filled with science nerds all
    headed to the country to witness some crazy eclipse.

    Author Wendy Mass works her magic as she intertwines the lives of Ally, Bree, and Jack.  Using alternating
    chapters, she tells the stories of the three teens as they become forever connected by an eclipse.  She successfully
    captures the frustrations of her characters as they meet the challenges of their changing lives.  Her descriptions as
    they experience the rare total solar eclipse will have readers Googling to see if they will ever be close enough to
    witness such a spectacle