A Sliver of Stardust

by Marissa Burt

Overview

From Marissa Burt, author of Storybound, comes a richly imagined middle grade fantasy. Full of magic and mystery, A Sliver of Stardust is the perfect adventure for fans of A Wrinkle in Time or The Emerald Atlas.

Wren Matthews thought she’d outgrown nursery rhymes a long time ago. But that was before she knew that songs of twinkling little stars and four-and-twenty blackbirds were the key to an ancient, hidden magic.

Wren’s discovery catapults her into a world of buried secrets, strange dreams, and a mountain fortress under an aurora-filled sky. But just as she starts to master her unique abilities, her new world begins to crumble around her . . . and only she can save it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062291561
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	10/18/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	400
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Marissa Burt was forever getting notes sent home from teachers about reading novels during class. She grew up in Oregon and now lives in the Seattle area with her husband and three sons. Marissa is also the author of Storybound and Story's End.

Editorial Reviews

Burt employs highly descriptive world building and plenty of action.” — Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

PRAISE FOR STORY’S END: “Hits the ground running. There are a lot of compelling plotlines, and the book ends with an all-out bang.” — ALA Booklist

PRAISE FOR STORYBOUND: “An appealing fantasy. Strong writing and interesting characters make Una’s journey enjoyable, and the overall result will have readers on the lookout for the planned sequel.” — Publishers Weekly

“A richly imagined world. Readers will enjoy the mind-bending fun of puzzling together small details.” — ALA Booklist

“Readers who love fantasy may see an opportunity to snuggle up with a cup of cocoa and unravel the plot, which twists and turns in on itself, with happy surprises.” — Kirkus Reviews

“With its unique twist (her roommate, for example, is a snooty Snow White), Una’s adventures should charm those who enjoy fairy-tale reboots, and the cliff-hanger ending could ensure demand for a sequel.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Burt employs highly descriptive world building and plenty of action.

Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

PRAISE FOR STORY’S END: “Hits the ground running. There are a lot of compelling plotlines, and the book ends with an all-out bang.

ALA Booklist

Burt employs highly descriptive world building and plenty of action.

Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

2015-06-10
Smart, 11-year-old Wren has just tied academic rival Simon at the Science Olympiad Trivia Challenge when a huge, white bird begins the magical apprenticeship of both children to the Ancient and Honorable Guild of the Fiddlers. The Fiddlers are not violinists; they are, apparently, the sole, remaining workers of magic on Earth, revered in days of yore but now living anonymously. They use stardust to disguise their nearby workplace at a college campus from all but insiders, and snippets of old nursery rhymes are a part of their secret codes. There are creative descriptions of magical places and adventures—some strongly reminiscent of classics of children's fantasy—but the storytelling has an awkward, sometimes-patronizing quality. Often, change comes too easily for credibility: the children's parents allow Simon and Wren to spend a month away with strangers; the supposed rivals form a friendship all too quickly; Simon, Wren, and adult Fiddlers are strangely willing to accept odd apprentice Jack into their confidence; Wren's thespian mother uses Wren's idea of reworked Mother Goose rhymes for an annual play. Readers must make their ways through almost 100 pages of bits of hocus-pocus, hints of intrigue, and weak characterization to start to feel empathy with Wren and to spy the beginning of a tale that eventually includes the Voldemort-esque villain Boggen. The appealing premise is hamstrung by lengthy exposition and sluggish characterization. (Fantasy. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews