Customer Reviews

Shining On: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I love compilation books, and this one is another good read. Because most of the authors are British, I am not familiar with a lot of their writings, but I plan on reading quite a few of them now that I have gotten a taste. And isn't that what compilations are for--I mean besides supporting whatever charity the proceeds of the books are supporting, that is?

All of the stories in Shining On: 11 Star Authors' Illuminating Stories center on teens overcoming whatever challenges life throws at them, and the proceeds of this particular book benefit children's cancer research and treatment.

There are a couple of standouts that illustrate this theme very poignantly. "Humming Through My Fingers" by Malorie Blackman is about a blind girl who teaches a boy to "taste shapes and hear colors," and "Skin Deep" by Rosie Rushton is about a girl who loses her self-identity along with her boyfriend after a bomb disfigures her face.

Two humorous anecdotes made me laugh out loud. The never-failing Meg Cabot's "Allie Funklestein's Rules for Boyfriends" tells the email story of a girl whose pain over her boyfriend's infidelities is eased when she admits to having a crush on her geeky tutor, and Cathy Hopkins' "John Lennon Said..." describe the panicked thoughts of a girl who has no clue what she wants to be when she grows up.

I wasn't a big fan of Celia Rees' "Calling the Cats," and I also couldn't figure out why Lois Lowry, who edited the book, included an excerpt from her novel that was published years ago (A Summer to Die) rather than writing a new story or submitting something from a book in progress.

Overall, the stories were heartfelt, inspiring and easy to read. It's a great book for any summer reading list and provides some deep though on tough issues while still keeping a fairly light tone.