The Same Stuff as Stars

Angel Morgan needs help. Daddy is in jail, and Mama has abandoned her and her little brother, leaving them with their great-grandmother. Grandma is aged and poor, and doesn't make any attempt to care for the children--that's left up to Angel, even though she is not yet twelve. The only bright spot in Angel's existence is the Star Man, a mysterious stranger who appears on clear nights and teaches her all about the stars and planets and constellations. "We're made out of the same stuff as the stars," he tells her.

Eventually, Grandma warms to the children and the three begin to cobble together a makeshift family. Then events in Angel's life take yet another downturn, and she must once again find a way to persevere.

Katherine Paterson has the distinct honor of receiving two Newbery medals, one in 1981 for Jacob I Have Loved and another in 1978 for Bridge to Terabithia. In 1979 she received a Newbery honor for The Great Gilly Hopkins.

This is a writer who creates unique characters. Paterson brings clarity of emotion and poignancy to each page. The Same Stuff as Stars deals with the heartbreaking topic of child neglect.

Angel is twelve and spent most of her young life shouldering the burden in the role parents should perform. With a father in jail and a mother who slaps instead of hugs, who shouts instead of whispers, who cares only about herself instead of others, and who flits from man to man, Angel is left to care for her mother, herself and her show more little brother Bernie.

Overwhelmed with even the most simple task, dysfunctional Mamma Verna decides it is time to unburden herself of two unwanted children. She abandons them with their great grandmother. Leaving them with a feeble and frail older woman, Verna speeds away from the trailer park faster than her broken down truck can spin its tires.

Paterson gracefully shows the range of emotions Angel experiences. Blaming herself for her parent's abuse, Angel justifies the abandonment. Gradually Angel realizes that she should not be the adult and the cards dealt her are not a full deck.

Odds stacked against her, Angel moves forward, finding a friend in the local librarian and an unlikely friend whom her grandmother refers to as Santa Clause.

"Santa Clause" shows her the beauty of the night sky and provides a steady reference of encouragement.

The librarian opens a world of knowledge and love of books. Her Great Grandmother is spunky and does the best she can to provide for Angel and Bernie.

Realistically portraying the strength and fortitude of Angel and her ability to survive despite all odds, I'm guessing this author has personal knowledge of abandonment and neglect.

Highly recommended.

Five Stars show less

The synopsis is incredibly misleading as to what the book actually delivers. I read this, thinking it would be about a teen with an incarcerated parent who was worried about how to keep her life together, and was interested in astronomy. The introduction to the book by the author, who works with incarcerated folk, backs this up. That is not what I got, and I was befuddled. The incarcerated father is mentioned in chapters one, seven, and twelve I think, in the edition I read. Stars and astronomy are delivered like entire pages of textbooks throughout starting in chapter five or so. This book is terribly structured. It's not about the effects of having an incarcerated parent at all! It's about her younger brother, who is in their show more great-grandmother's words, "spoiled like last years apples," and the great-grandmother herself. I hated them both. Angel shouldn't have had to be their mother, but she had to. The whole book SHOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABOUT THAT. If it was going to, change the synopsis so I could have skipped it! I have no interest in reading about the hardships of a twelve-year-old forced to raise her brat of a brother, or attempt to, because all he does is repeat words and scream when he doesn't get his sugar and UGH. The great-grandmother was utterly useless as a character. Various plot points were so implausible. The mom was realistic; I've known people with mothers like that. Everything she did was predictable and infuriating. Angel's loyalty to her was predictable and heartbreaking. I wanted Social Services to swoop in and put them in a different situation so things could change, and this is selfish to admit, but it would have made the book far more interesting. The book ends weakly, and it reads like the middle of so many chapters that have already been presented. This wasn't what I wanted, so I feel like I wasted my own time waiting for the book to be about what it said it would.. show less

Angel has always had a bad life. Her father has been in jail since she was young, and her mother is not consistent at all. In fact, the first few pages of the book are almost breathtaking in their cruelty. Verna (Angel's mom) leaves Angel and Bernie, her younger brother, with their great-grandmother, who is so old she can barely get up out of the rocker. Their great-grandmother cannot care for them, and once again Angel is put in the position of being the mother. This book is painful to read, but in the same instant, it is beautiful to read how Angel, a girl used to a hard life, creates a life for herself out of what little she has. One of the best things she has is a relationship with the small town librarian who always finds her books show more on stars. There is a lot of pain in this book, but there is some hope, too, to balance it out. This is definitely for older readers, but worth the effort. show less

Angel Morgan knows that she has to be careful. She has to look out for her younger brother because she can't count on her mom to do it. She has to make sure that they eat balanced meals and that Bernie always wears his seatbelt. Their mom is unpredictable and little things set her off, so Angel is not very surprised when her mom tells her that they're moving. They have an hour or so to pack one suitcase apiece and then they're off to Angel's great-grandma's house in the country. But when Angel's mom leaves them there and doesn't come back, Angel has to face the fact that she's all Bernie has. She has to learn to live with a crotchety great-grandma who's barely able to care for herself. And she realizes that she's stronger than she ever show more thought she was.

The audiobook of this novel was really great. Narrator Alyssa Bresnahan does a great job with different voices and it was really interesting to listen to. It's a great story, a bit sad sometimes, but ultimately uplifting, with great characters that I came to love. show less

Angel isn't even 12 yet, and she has had to be the adult in her family for years. Her father is in jail, and her mother drinks. One day her mother abandoned Angel and her younger brother at their great-grandmother's house. Grandma is old, poor and bitter, barely taking care of herself. Angel learns to love the starry country sky, and to have faith in herself with the help of a stargazing man and the town librarian.

The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Patterson
Publisher: Harper Trophy, 2004
Pages 270
Ages: MG
Source: My purchase
ISBN: 0-06-055172-5

Angel Morgan is tired of being the adult in her family. After all she is only twelve years old. Her father is in jail and her mother has just dumped her and her brother Bernie off at their great-grandmother’s house. Angel is trying to hold everything together. She meets the man her grandmother refers to as “Santy Claus”. He introduces her to astronomy and she later finds out he is her uncle. Her mother shows up at her brother’s school one day and kidnaps her leaving Angel behind. This book was about a dysfunctional family in every sense of the word. Throughout the book Angel acts beyond her years, show more wishing to only be a child. It was a good book but I gave it a four out of five rating. I felt the characters could have been better developed. There seemed to be gaps that I felt needed to be filled in. I would still recommend it to my students. It was very good. show less