Book Review For The Star That Always Stays and Interview With The Author
First of all, let me just say I am so very excited to be here!! This is my very first blog tour ever, and a blog tour with super cool, like-minded writing friends, which makes it that much better. (You can check out The Rainy Day Writer blog here!)
And, the author of The Star That Always Stays, which just released on Tuesday, is a young author like some of ya'll, and this is her debut novel, and. It's. Awesome.
This is a book by a young, homeschooled author, with a huge publishing company, that is skyrocketing through Amazon and Goodread's best seller lists, and it's good, to say the least.
But here's the thing that has me literally jumping out of my seat: I get to interview this amazing person!!! Let's get on with it, shall we?
Some Background
For a little bit of background, The Star The Always Stays released on Tuesday, was published by Holiday House, and is written by Anna Rose Johnson. I got to read it early - one of the perks of being a part of her street team - and would absolutely recommend it to any and everyone.
It's about a young girl of Ojibwe heritage, whose parents are recently divorced and she has to move to a new city and learn a whole lot about family and love and real life. Here's the official blurb from Amazon:
Growing up on Beaver Island, Grand-père told Norvia stories—stories about her ancestor Migizi, about Biboonke-o-nini the Wintermaker, about the Crane Clan and the Reindeer Clan. He sang her songs in the old language, and her grandmothers taught her to make story quilts and maple candy. On the island, Norvia was proud of her Ojibwe heritage.
Things are different in the city. Here, Norvia’s mother forces her to pretend she’s not Native at all—even to Mr. Ward, Ma’s new husband, and to Vernon, Norvia’s irritating new stepbrother. In fact, there are a lot of changes in the city: ten-cent movies, gleaming soda shops, speedy automobiles, ninth grade. It’s dizzying for a girl who grew up on the forested shores of Lake Michigan.
Despite the move, the upheaval, and the looming threat of world war, Norvia and her siblings—all five of them—are determined to make 1914 their best year ever. Norvia is certain that her future depends upon it... and upon her discretion.
But how can she have the best year ever if she has to hide who she truly is?
The Review
The instant I picked this up, I was hooked. From the character interactions, to Norvia's unique perspective and thought processes, to the special circumstances surrounding her family, I was most definitely interested.
But, it is a Middle-Grade novel. On Amazon, the reading age is set at 9 to 12 years old, and reading it, I could definitely tell it was geared towards, well, Middle-Grade readers. So I can not honestly say I loved it, because I'm used to reading and writing YA.
It was, however, a very well-done MG novel, and, unlike most of its fellows, had a refreshing amount of present parental figures. And that's just one of the ways it differed from the "usual" MG fiction, probably why it ended up being the only MG book I've actually finished in years.
One of the things Anna Rose did the best was the relationships. From the Marys, to Mr. Ward, to Vernon - they were all so well done and real. And mainstream Middle Grade novels hardly ever accomplish this, actually, they hardly ever even have parental relationships at all. One of my favorite characters was actually Mr. Ward, who Anna Rose depicted beautifully and so realistically.
All the different relationships and nuances of backstory and history that contributed to those relationships, with two mixed families and the clash of their heritages and traditions, were crafted very masterfully. They were what made the story come alive to me and actually matter to me.
Except for Ma. I never could really see things from her perspective, or really relate to her at all. She was uncaring and quite harsh in the beginning, and kept up that demeanor of wanting to just patch over everything and leave the past behind. And, what made me the most mad, was how she never thought about anyone else's feelings, or thoughts, or needs. She never took the time to step into anyone else's shoes and look through their perspective.
I also thought Vernon could have added a lot more to the story. He definitely added a lot and was a character I really cared about, but Anna Rose could have done so much more with him, in my opinion.
Actually, every character could have used a bit more development, and a bit more time, and the story could have been that much more stunning. That's the catch with MG novels - you don't really have time to do all that, or go that deep.
And here's the second big thing that stuck out to me from the book: it was very one-sided. We never get to see anything from Pa's perspective, and barely encounter him in the book at all, which kinda just rubbed me the wrong way, I guess.
I believe that there are two sides to every story, so I think a lot could have been added by including a bit more about Pa, and telling more of his story. Just my thoughts though.
In summary, I started the book warily, because of my distrust of MG novels, and was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the themes and characters. It definitely could have been deeper, could have been longer, but then it wouldn't be MG. So, giving grace for a few typos and grammatical slip-ups, I really, really enjoyed it.
The themes spoke to me, the humor actually made me laugh out loud, the heritage of the Native Americans was beautifully painted, and the characters were real. This really is a new book, a very refreshing new Middle-Grade novel, with an old soul. Somehow, Anna Rose managed to take Anne of Green Gables, give it Native American heritage and rich themes and a contemporary spin, and actually do it well.
The Interview
But, enough of my thoughts on The Star That Always Stays, let's hear what Anna Rose herself has to say!
So first of all, The Star That Always Stays is quite the unique book, very deep and thoughtful. What inspired you?
I got the idea when I was doing genealogy research, and I realized that my great-grandmother’s childhood might make an interesting middle grade novel.
Were there certain books that inspired you to write The Star That Always Stays, or just books that inspired you to start writing in the first place?
Oh, yes! The Betsy-Tacy books by Maud Hart Lovelace were definitely an influence, as well as L.M. Montgomery’s novels. I was also inspired by books like The Penderwicks, Elizabeth Enright’s Melendy Quartet, and Jacqueline Dembar Greene’s Rebecca (American Girl) series.
Ok, why did you write The Star That Always Stays?
It was my interest in my great-grandmother that initially made me want to write it, but beyond that first draft, I really just fell in love with the characters so much that I wanted to keep writing about them. The joy of writing about these characters sustained me through many rejections and rewrites!
Why did you start writing in the first place?
I can’t quite remember when I started writing stories; it was just something I always did. By the time I was seven, I knew I wanted to be an author, and I finished my first (very short) middle grade novel at age twelve.
Wow, you started with middle grade fiction, and you’ve kept at it. That’s dedication. And from my understanding, you’ve been working on this specific story for quite some time. It’s obviously something very important to you for you to spend so long on it. So, if you could sum up your mission for writing The Star That Always Stays in one phrase or sentence, what would it be?
I wanted to give families the chance to read a new book that feels like a familiar classic—a book that is sweet and gentle while still having emotional depth.
So, you’re writing middle grade fiction with the intent to give families a new book with an old feel, a book that is far different than many other middle-grade novels. But, what is your advice when children don’t even have that desire to read?
It’s important to try different books. If the books you’re reading aren’t appealing to you, maybe it’s time to try a new genre, or a shorter book to get into the groove of finishing stories and feeling that sense of accomplishment.
You obviously had a love for reading from the time you were young. Were there certain people in your life who helped you along in your journey from reading to writing for other people to raed? And what would be your advice to young writers who are wanting to seek support from friends and family, but don’t know how to?
I had so much support from my family, from the Young Writers’ Workshop and Author Conservatory, and from my literary agency. Having their support was really instrumental in my writing journey. My best advice to young writers is to ask for help from people who understand the publishing industry or who are avid readers and can pinpoint potential problems with your stories.
Were there ever times when you just wanted to give up? And what would be your advice to young writers who often feel like giving up?
I felt at times that perhaps my hard work wouldn’t pay off and that the book wouldn’t be published, but in the end I always kept going because I love the story and I didn’t want to quit.
What is your advice for receiving criticism? I know a lot of young writers are afraid of getting critiqued, or when they are, get really crushed by it. Have you ever felt that or been in that sort of situation? How did you handle it and what are some of your tips?
I’ve definitely received some criticism and rejections over the years. I eventually realized that it was important to see what I could learn from the criticism, and then to move on and keep writing. The best thing is to just keep working!
And finally, if you could go back five, or ten years, and tell your younger writing self one thing, what would you tell her? And why?
If I could go back ten years, I would tell myself to keep honing my characters and capturing those real feelings, but to stop writing contemporary stories and return to my first love of historical fiction.
The Tour
I am so very privileged to be part of The Rainy Day Writer Blog Tour to launch A. K. Cromwell's new blog, The Rain Day Writer, of which the next stop will be at Agnes' blog itself, where she will be reviewing the first and second books of the Wingfeather Saga!
The Wingfeather Saga being one of my most favorite-est series ever, I am so excited to see what she has to say, and it would be so awesome if you wanted to check it out with me! (And if you haven't read the Wingfeather Saga you have to - it's literally so good.)
And, if you still haven't subscribed to my blog (how dare you!! Jk ;) you should totally do that, and subscribe to Agnes' as well because she's awesome too!