A Handful Of Stars
Read Free Books and Download eBooks

This powerful middle-grade novel from the Newbery Honor author of RULES explores a friendship between a small-town girl and the daughter of migrant workers.When Lily's blind dog, Lucky, slips his collar and runs away across the wide-open blueberry barrens of eastern Maine, it's Salma Santiago who manages to catch him. Salma, the daughter of migrant workers, is in the small town with her family for the blueberry-picking season.After their initial chance meeting, Salma and Lily bond over painting bee boxes for Lily's grandfather, and Salma's friendship transforms Lily's summer. But when Salma decides to run in the upcoming Blueberry Queen pageant, they'll have to face some tough truths about friendship and belonging. Should an outsider like Salma really participate in the pageant-and possibly win?Set amongst the blueberry barrens and by the sea, this is a gorgeous new novel by Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord that tackles themes of prejudice and friendship, loss and love.

Hardcover: 192 pages

Publisher: Scholastic Press (May 26, 2015)

Language: English

ISBN-10: 0545700272

ISBN-13: 978-0545700276

Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 0.7 x 8.6 inches

Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)

Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)

Best Sellers Rank: #5,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #4 in Books > Children's Books > Geography & Cultures > Multicultural Stories > Hispanic & Latino #6 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Multicultural #10 in Books > Children's Books > Growing Up & Facts of Life > Difficult Discussions > Prejudice & Racism

Age Range: 8 - 12 years

Grade Level: 3 - 7

In A HANDFUL OF STARS by Cynthia Lord, 12-year-old Lily (short for Tigerlily) is having kind of a lonely summer. Her best friend Hannah is so obsessed with a boy that she doesn't have any time for the kinds of activities the two of them once enjoyed. Lily's grandma and grandpa are busy running the general store in their small Maine seacoast town, and of course, Lily's never known her father and her mom's been gone since Lily was two. That's why Lily spends so much time with her dog Lucky; he's old and has gone blind, but he's Lily's last remaining connection to her mother, since she bought him when he was just a puppy. Lucky's an older dog now, but Lily's convinced that if she can just make enough money painting bee houses this summer, she can pay for an operation that might return his sight.One summer day, Lucky gets away from Lily and runs right into the fields where migrant workers are harvesting wild blueberries. A girl Lily’s age named Salma helps rein Lucky in, and it turns out that Salma likes painting, too, but her paintings are real works of art, not just stencils like Lily paints. Salma agrees to help Lily raise money for Lucky's operation, and Lily agrees to help Salma compete for the title of Blueberry Queen. Even if each girl thinks the other's dream is a long shot, they support each other --- and that's what friendship is for, right?Lord, whose previous books have dealt with dementia and autism, could be easy to pigeonhole as an author of so-called issues-driven books.

A Handful of Stars Handful of Keys: Conversations with 30 Jazz Pianists A Handful of Dirt You Can't Judge a Cookie by Its Cutter: Make 100 Cookie Designs with Only a Handful of Cookie Cutters A Handful of Quiet: Happiness in Four Pebbles The Possibility Dogs: What a Handful of 'Unadoptables' Taught Me about Service, Hope, and Healing A Handful of Hard Men: The SAS and the Battle for Rhodesia A Handful of Flowers: A Christian Romance (The Callaghans & McFaddens Book 0) Eminem (Hip-Hop Stars) (Hip-Hop Stars (Hardcover)) Stars and Planets: The Most Complete Guide to the Stars, Planets, Galaxies, and the Solar System (Princeton Field Guides) Full Speed Ahead - Home Run Edition (Future Stars) (Future Stars Series) Celestial Love Song: a coloring book with romance, the sun, the moon, planets, and stars From Cradle to Stage: Stories from the Mothers Who Rocked and Raised Rock Stars Stars of Soul and Rhythm & Blues: Top Recording Artists and Showstopping Performers, from Memphis and Motown to Now (Billboard Hitmakers) Dancing with the Stars: Jive, Samba, and Tango Your Way into the Best Shape of Your Life Wait: A Bleeding Stars Stand-Alone Novel Stars of Fortune: Guardians Trilogy, Book 1 Listen to the Stars Five Billion Years of Solitude: The Search for Life Among the Stars 2016 Stars of NASCAR Wall Calendar