Many suprises await the reader in this fourth book of the award-winning Starlight Series. Miranda is in sixth grade and disappointed in her new, fresh-out-of-college teacher, but forms new friendships with both adults and children. Even with being lost in a cave, coping with her grandfather's farm accident andinjury, visiting her mother in California, and dealing with the prospect of a new family, Miranda has plenty of time for horse adventures, mishaps and victories. When life's circumstances all seem to be taking a wrong turn, Miranda finds unexpected solutions.
Author Hill brings a heart full of love to these books, conveying her deep affection and concern for children and her experience and connection with horses. Letters from young readers continue to express the difference a heartfelt story can make in their lives, like this one from Katherine Wade, age 11, of Dallas, Texas: "Before I read Miranda and Starlight, I hated reading. Your books have changed my life. Last night I read Starlight’s Shooting Star for three hours and it felt like five minutes. You have a gift, never stop writing books."
"All horse lover's will relate to this joyful story of a spunky girl's journey with the horse of her dreams." -- Western Horseman, International Show Issue
"I read all horse stories but yours were better than most, more sophisticated both in the writing and character development." -- Celeste Maisel, Age 13, Saratoga, CA
"Miranda really has current issues to deal with, a nice change for kids. Loved how the characters evolved, including Starlight." -- Fairfax Arnold, author of To Dance with Horses
"Really relate to Miranda. I'm going through the same things that she has with friends. Can hardly wait for more!" -- Brooke Keeler, Age 13, Plain City, UT
An exciting and magical addition...beautiful illustrations by Pat Lehmkuhl enhance this charming and highly recommended story for young readers. -- Children's Bookwatch
From the Publisher
Best Books 2004 Awarded to the Starlight Series ~Author captures hearts of America’s youth, relating to today’s real-life moral dilemmas: heartache, triumph, losses and joy combine to illustrate that through perseverance one can make dreams come true.
Growing up in America today is not easy. Children face life-changing issues and are required to adjust to constant changes. Single and displaced parenting. New marriages. New families. Adoption. Peer-pressure. Teenage angst. Racism. Heartache. Triumph. Loss. Joy. Love. Suspense for what life will bring them. The desire to persevere to see their own dreams come true. Weaving it’s story into this fabric of daily life comes the highly acclaimed Starlight Series that young teens and those that care about them directly relate to and identify with. Proclaimed by readers of all ages as stories they cannot put down, these books have a positive impact, cultivating a love for reading and instilling important ideals.
Although set in the world of horse lore, Miranda and Starlight, the first of the series, was touted by Writer’s Notes Awards panelists as "more than a mere horse story. It is a journey of courage and consequences." The reviewer added, "My own children will read this story." Starlight Shines for Miranda, which is book five of the series, was honoured with Best Books 2004 for Young Adults award, by USA Book News, to the delight of our young readers.
Miranda Stevens, age ten in the first book, encounters a number of adventures, quandaries and conflicts, most brought on by her impulsive and compassionate nature. As a teenager in book six, Miranda faces many of the conflicts that confront adolescents today. She forms lasting friendships, endures pain and sorrow, experiences triumph and joy, learns valuable life lessons, and faces a promising future, illustrating that through perseverance one can make dreams come true.
Raven Publishing, Inc. is graced by Janet Muirhead Hill's heartfelt dedication to children's literature. To echo the sentiments of distinguished review source, Children's Bookwatch, we are fortunate to have "one of the truly skilled storytellers writing for young readers today."
In 1994, Riding the ski lift at Bridger Bowl, just north of Bozeman, MT, "Miranda and Starlight" was conceived. My then eight-year-old granddaughter, Jayme insisted she ride up the mountain with me and that I tell her a story on the way.
"And what would you like the story to be about?"
"A horse."
"Of, course. A horse and a girl?"
"Yes, a girl like me."
"What shall we name this girl?"
"Ummm, how about Miranda?"
"Okay. Miranda, a girl who wants a horse more than anything in the world?"
"Yes! Just like me."
The story unfolded out of my imagination, lift ride after lift ride and while warming our toes in the lodge until by the end of the day, I decided it was worth writing down. Five more books followed about Miranda's adventures with Starlight, the young, black stallion she loves.
I write stories based on situations I see in life, and the people who encounter them. The result is, though wholly made up, the books are honest -- honest because I ask my characters how they think, what they would say, and how they feel in the dilemmas presented to them. I write what they show me.
Jayme's situation, and thus Miranda's, involved living with her grandparents away from her mother, attending a small rural school in which she felt left out, and believing that having a horse would solve all of her problems...or at least make them matter less. Miranda is impulsive, quick-tempered, and sometimes disobedient. She is also loving, loyal, and learns from her mistakes.
I wrote Danny's Dragon based on the experiences of kids I heard about in the news and our neighborhood; kids whose parent or parents went off to fight a war, leaving them behind. I put myself in the child's heart and mind. A bit of homesickness I experienced at age nine helped me understand. The death of my parents gave me an inkling of what a child that age would go through. Research on the stages of grief for a child helped me better understand the impact and the stages of grief he would suffer. So I made up Danny and his horse Dragon and put them on a cattle ranch in Montana. Danny's dad goes to war and is killed. Dragon, the horse his dad bought for him, becomes the object of Danny's anger, guilt, denial, and escape. For a time he loses Dragon, too. His relationships with his mother and his teenage sister fall apart as each cope with their grief in their own ways. Life changes make Danny's life even harder, but gradually open his mind to new ideas and realities. End the end, relationships mend, Danny and Dragon are reunited, and Danny has grown from a lost little boy to a stronger, wiser, youth.
Kyleah's Tree is based loosely on my own run-away-from-home fantasies as a preteen. It's also a twin story. I see the closeness of twins and ask, :"what would it be like if they were tragically separated?" Kyleah ends up in a foster home in Kansas after her mother dies. She was torn from the arms of her twin brother when her parents divorced years earlier. The biggest dilemma for Kyleah is a lack of self-esteem. She doesn't believe she's loveable so she doesn't let anyone close. "If only I were pretty," she thinks, "then people could love me." This lack of belief in herself contributes to her decision to run away with an older boy from the same foster home. They travel across Kansas, Colorado, Wyoming, Montana and into Saskatchewan with high adventure, narrow escapes, hardships, and loneliness along the way. Kyleah doesn't find her father and brother as she hopes, but she finds herself and what "home" really means.
Kendall's Storm explores the parallel life of Kyleah's twin as he flees one place after another with his errant father. He remembers his sister and wonders if she and his mother are alive, and if they ever think of him. A bedraggled puppy that he rescues from a storm becomes his friend and solace. Kendall is meek and fearful, wanting his father's love and acceptance, but often falling short of the mark. He must make decisions about his own life. Will he follow his father's footsteps? Will he conquer his fears? There is a foster home in his story, too, but a very different one from the one Kyleah fled and then returned to.
Not yet finished is the story of how the twins eventually unite. Several more stories are either written or in process. Homelessness, peer pressure, a two book series ritual abuse and escape to a fantasy world that turns out to be just as frightening, are a few of the subjects addressed.
I'm a grandmother, a wife, and a mother. Family is of primary importance to me. So is writing stories that reflect life and give readers heroic, yet human characters to relate to and learn from; books that not only engage the reader, but encourage and comfort them in the knowledge that they are neither bad nor alone.
This review is from: Starlight's Shooting Star (Starlight Books, 4) (Paperback)
Miranda Stevens was now in the sixth grade. Laurie and Chris were still her best friends. They rode their horses together as often as possible. It was becoming less and less due to Chris's horse, Queen, being pregnant and Mr. Taylor had decided it was time for Starlight to begin racing.
Colton Spencer was hired to be Starlight's trainer and jockey. Unlike the previous trainer, Adam, this one was kind. Colton actually listened to Miranda and took her advice on how to train Starlight.
Miranda's mother was still engaged to Adam and the wedding day was drawing near. Miranda went to visit them briefly and met Adam's daughter, Margot. A shaky friendship began between the two girls. Margot kept to herself, seldom spoke, and cried every night because she missed her mother. Margot had seldom seen her father before her mother died. Worse, Adam was showing his temper more often and Miranda's mom never noticed Adam's cruelness to anyone. When Miranda goes back to her grandparents, Margot goes with her. Slowly Margot begins to bloom.
**** I know a great series when I read one! They are hard to find, but here is one just waiting for young readers to discover!
I can not tell too much more without spoiling the story. So much happens in this book! Grandpa has an accident while with a calf, Miranda and a few classmates become lost while exploring some caves (during a school field trip), and a surprising new character throws everyone for a loop!
This is book four of six and, in my opinion, the best one yet! Apparently I am not the only reader who believes this to be an outstanding series. A recent article in "The Billings Gazette" reports that shooting has begun in Montana for the MOVIE "Miranda and Starlight"! Yes, you read that correctly. It is all about to become a movie. EXCELLENT! *****
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