Rules for Stealing Stars

by Corey Ann Haydu

Overview

“A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy.”  —School Library Journal (starred review)

“A lyrical story of love and loss. The way the sisters fight and love in equal measure, as well as their basic need for one another, rings poignantly true in this touching and heartwarming story, which contains a ‘tiny bit of magic, right here in the real world.’” —Booklist (starred review)

In the tradition of Sharon Creech and Wendy Mass, Corey Ann Haydu's sparkling middle grade debut is a sister story with a twist of magic, a swirl of darkness, and a whole lot of hope.

Silly is used to feeling left out. Her three older sisters think she's too little for most things—especially when it comes to dealing with their mother's unpredictable moods and outbursts. This summer, Silly feels more alone than ever when her sisters keep whispering and sneaking away to their rooms together, returning with signs that something mysterious is afoot: sporting sunburned cheeks smudged with glitter and gold hair that looks like tinsel.

When Silly is brought into her sisters' world, the truth is more exciting than she ever imagined. The sisters have discovered a magical place that gives them what they truly need: an escape from the complications of their home life. But there are dark truths there, too. Silly hopes the magic will be the secret to saving their family, but she's soon forced to wonder if it could tear them apart.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062352736
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/23/2017
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	352
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.50(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	720L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Corey Ann Haydu is the author of The Widely Unknown Myth of Apple & Dorothy, Eventown, Rules for Stealing Stars, One Jar of Magic, The Someday Suitcase, and the Hand-Me-Down-Magic chapter book series as well as six acclaimed books for teens. Currently she is a proud faculty member of the Vermont College of Fine Arts MFA in writing for children program. Corey grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School, and now lives in Brooklyn with her husband and daughters. Find out more at coreyannhaydu.com. 

Editorial Reviews

★ “A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy.” — School Library Journal (starred review)

★ “[A] lyrical story of love and loss... The way the sisters fight and love in equal measure, as well as their basic need for one another, rings poignantly true in this touching and heartwarming story, which contains a ‘tiny bit of magic, right here in the real world.’” — Booklist (starred review)

“Haydu makes skilled use of her story’s fantastical overlay to create a haunting narrative about the ways family members can fail-but also support-each other.” — Publishers Weekly

“Tender, wise, and heartbreakingly lovely, this story is as brilliant as a stolen star, and every bit as magical. Prepare to be enchanted.” — Katherine Applegate, Newbery-award winning author of The One and Only Ivan

“A gorgeous, profound, deeply felt book that lovingly explores intricate sibling relationships, the crushing weight of family secrets, and the delicate magic of hope. Rules for Stealing Stars is sublime.” — Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy

“Silly and her sisters are flesh-and-bone characters; they gripped me by my very heart and pulled me into their tense and mysterious family story. With beguiling moments of magical realism and engaging turns of phrase, Corey Ann Haydu has crafted a glowing middle grade debut.” — Leslie Connor, award-winning author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch

From the Publisher

★ “[A] lyrical story of love and loss... The way the sisters fight and love in equal measure, as well as their basic need for one another, rings poignantly true in this touching and heartwarming story, which contains a ‘tiny bit of magic, right here in the real world.’

Booklist (starred review)

Silly and her sisters are flesh-and-bone characters; they gripped me by my very heart and pulled me into their tense and mysterious family story. With beguiling moments of magical realism and engaging turns of phrase, Corey Ann Haydu has crafted a glowing middle grade debut.

Leslie Connor

A gorgeous, profound, deeply felt book that lovingly explores intricate sibling relationships, the crushing weight of family secrets, and the delicate magic of hope. Rules for Stealing Stars is sublime.

Anne Ursu

Tender, wise, and heartbreakingly lovely, this story is as brilliant as a stolen star, and every bit as magical. Prepare to be enchanted.

Katherine Applegate

★ 07/01/2015
Gr 4–7—Silly's family is in distress. Moving to their New Hampshire summer house, which was supposed to help, has only exacerbated her mother's drinking problem. Silly's father finds refuge in his academic study of fairy tales, leaving 11-year-old Silly and her three sisters to fend for themselves. Silly resents the fact that her siblings view her as the baby, and exclude her from the secrets they hide behind their bedroom doors. But the day their mother finally turns her wrath on Silly, the bedroom door cracks open and Astrid pulls Silly into the room to share their secret: the bedroom closet is a magic portal that allows the girls to escape to worlds of their creating. "We let the closet take care of us" Astrid explains, "and it always does." Silly soon discovers other closets are magical as well, feeding what each girl needs. Not all the girls' desires are benevolent, however, and as the summer wears on, the seductive alternative worlds begin to separate the sisters. Silly realizes the siren call of the closets may soon cause irreparable damage. Haydu masterfully portrays the stress of living with an alcoholic parent. While narrator Silly is most fully voiced, all four sisters are well developed and readers share their pain as they search to fill the void left by their mother, creating a pattern of ever-shifting alliances as they seek balance. But when one of the sisters gets trapped in a closet, the sisters must find the strength to break down doors, both literal and metaphorical. VERDICT A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy. Give to fans of Holly Goldberg Sloan's Counting By 7s (Dial, 2013) and Sarah Weeks's So B It (Harper, 2004).—Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor School District, Lancaster, PA

School Library Journal

2015-06-06
Four sisters escape a difficult home life by spending more and more time in their magical closets. Narrated in first person by 11-year-old Silly, this story is saturated with the deep sadness felt by four daughters whose mother is drinking, depressed, and unpredictably cruel to them. When the sisters discover that their closets are gateways to magical worlds, they begin to use them to seek solace and to try to learn about the source of their mother's problems. When one sister, Marla, becomes trapped inside a closet, her sisters save her by convincing her of the wonders she's missing in the real world beyond the closet door. There are many lessons here: that magic exists in both the mysterious and the mundane, that the same magic can heal or hurt, and that it is precisely when trouble and grief make us want to isolate ourselves that we most need to seek the comfort and the strength of those who care about us. The plot, while plagued by some loose ends, is compelling, and the sisters are distinctive and interesting characters. It is the sadness, though, that takes center stage. There is hope here as well, but it feels small and almost peripheral. A tough read, this story of tragedy, magic, and sisterhood does proffer some rewards for readers who stick with it. (Magical realism. 10-14)

Kirkus Reviews