The Same Stuff as Stars (Unabridged) [Unabridged, Audiobook] [Audio CD]

Katherine Paterson (Author), Alyssa Bresnahan (Narrator)

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Recorded Books; Unabridged edition (2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402580703
• ISBN-13: 978-1402580703
• Product Dimensions: 6.9 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (26 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,874,643 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Katherine Paterson has twice won both the Newbery Medal and the National Book Award. She received the 1998 Hans Christian Andersen Medal as well as the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award for the body of her work. An active promoter of reading and literacy, she lives with her husband, John, in Barre, Vermont. They have four children and seven grandchildren. Visit Katherine Paterson on her web site at www.terabithia.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Powerful Prose; Powerful Characters, July 20, 2003

By 

Timothy Haugh (New York, NY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Same Stuff as Stars (Hardcover)

Without a doubt, my two favorite writers for young adults are Madeleine L'Engle and Katherine Paterson. Ms. Paterson has written a number of novels (Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved, Lyddie, etc.) that are among the best I've every read. This novel may not reach the heights of some of her previous books but it is still a worthwhile read.

I have probably shed more tears over Katherine Paterson novels than any other writer except, perhaps, Dickens. They both have an incredible ability to create realistic characters that you can really feel for as well as a deep perception for the effect that death and abandonment can have on people. As I began reading The Same Stuff As Stars I didn't think this novel would have the same effect but I must admit that it did. In the character of Angel, continually abandoned by everyone around her but still a strong girl, Paterson has done it again.

It is her ability to create these realistic characters, however, that also turned me off to this book. I found the characters of Verna and, in particular, Bernie to be so unpleasant that the first half of this novel was nearly unreadable for me. Once these two characters disappear from the novel, I liked the book to be much better.

But is it really fair to dislike a book because the characters are created too well? It's a personal assessment but a fair one, I think. But this book still has many things to recommend it, not the least of which is the astronomy motif which appeals to me very much as a math and physics teacher. Another personal assessment, perhaps, but it works both ways. Ultimately, this is a book that still rates better than just about anything out there. I would highly recommend it.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Same Stuff as Stars, October 6, 2003

By 

Christy Eldridge (Somerset, KY. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Same Stuff as Stars (Hardcover)

I thoroughly enjoyed Katherine Paterson's book Same Stuff as Stars because it is an excellent example of realistic fiction. The themes that are present in this book are common to many children in today's society. Imagine being motherless and fatherless and having to rely mainly on yourself for support. Angel is eleven years old in this story and is trying to take care of her younger brother. She is desperate for a real home, unlike her current situation of living with her poor-grandmother. A stranger who is able to explain the night skies is truly all she has to make a difference in her life. Will this stranger's wisdom be enough to eliminate her loneliness and overcome her tragic circumstances she faces each day?

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome BOOK!!!!!!, December 2, 2004

A Kid's Review

This review is from: The Same Stuff as Stars (Paperback)

I belive that this book was very well written. You know it's a good book when you laugh and then you cry. This book has a VERY good ending if you want to write a sequal. (Is there one already?) I think that is was exciting.
I felt as though I was with angel or even that i WAS angel. It was a book i will remember for years to come. When she laughed i laughed and when she cried i cried.