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Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Few authors explore the theme of what defines a family with more compassion and sensitivity than Paterson (The Great Gilly Hopkins; Flip-Flop Girl), as she demonstrates once again in this contemporary novel set in rural Vermont. Eleven-year-old Angel Morgan, despite her youth, is the head of her family. With a father in jail for robbery and murder, and Verna, her mother, too preoccupied with herself to care for anyone else (she once "forgot" her children in an all-night diner), Angel looks out for her seven-year-old brother. She keeps a house key around her neck and taxi money in her sock, "just in case." Before long, Verna proves Angel's fears well founded, when she drops the children off at their great-grandmother's house and leaves in the night. Paterson enters Angel's consciousness through a third-person narrative, revealing, for example, how the girl rationalizes Verna's erratic behavior ("How could anyone expect her to know about being a good mother? She couldn't remember having a mother of her own") as well as the way Grandma's (as they call her) ramshackle house transforms into a welcoming haven with a nearby library and a pasture with a view of the night sky. At the novel's center is Angel's blossoming friendship with a mysterious "star man" whom Grandma calls "Santy Claus." He leaves food and chopped wood at the door, and introduces the heroine to galaxies beyond their own. Angel's intelligence and abiding trust in the direst of situations will convince readers that, despite the unresolved ending, she will rise above her circumstances. Ages 10-13.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Paterson has once again crafted a beautifully written, wonderfully told story that exposes some of the most disturbing parts of our society while at the same time teaching the value of each and every person. She returns to rural Vermont in this tale of Angel who, in her nearly 12 years, has attended eight schools and twice been in foster care. She is more a parent to her seven-year-old brother, Bernie, than their frequently drunk and unreliable mother or their father, whom they visit weekly in jail. Their mother abandons Angel and Bernie at the ramshackle farmhouse of their great-grandmother, who is too aged and poor to care for children, and when she returns for just Bernie, Angel's loneliness is as immense as the night skies that a kind stranger teaches her about. The man turns out to be her Uncle Ray, a Vietnam vet whose life has been damaged by drugs and jail time, yet who convinces her that she is made of the same elements as the stars. The enchanted night sky gives Angel perspective on her life; it becomes a metaphor on many levels in the novel. As always, Paterson conveys great respect for the poor, and for preadolescents in tragic circumstances who have the resiliency to transform themselves. A new novel by Katherine Paterson is cause for great celebration and this one more than measures up. Angel Morgan will take her place in readers' hearts right next to Lyddie, Gilly, Lupe, and Jip.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Few authors explore the theme of what defines a family with more compassion and sensitivity than Paterson (The Great Gilly Hopkins; Flip-Flop Girl), as she demonstrates once again in this contemporary novel set in rural Vermont. Eleven-year-old Angel Morgan, despite her youth, is the head of her family. With a father in jail for robbery and murder, and Verna, her mother, too preoccupied with herself to care for anyone else (she once "forgot" her children in an all-night diner), Angel looks out for her seven-year-old brother. She keeps a house key around her neck and taxi money in her sock, "just in case." Before long, Verna proves Angel's fears well founded, when she drops the children off at their great-grandmother's house and leaves in the night. Paterson enters Angel's consciousness through a third-person narrative, revealing, for example, how the girl rationalizes Verna's erratic behavior ("How could anyone expect her to know about being a good mother? She couldn't remember having a mother of her own") as well as the way Grandma's (as they call her) ramshackle house transforms into a welcoming haven with a nearby library and a pasture with a view of the night sky. At the novel's center is Angel's blossoming friendship with a mysterious "star man" whom Grandma calls "Santy Claus." He leaves food and chopped wood at the door, and introduces the heroine to galaxies beyond their own. Angel's intelligence and abiding trust in the direst of situations will convince readers that, despite the unresolved ending, she will rise above her circumstances. Ages 10-13.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5-8-Paterson has once again crafted a beautifully written, wonderfully told story that exposes some of the most disturbing parts of our society while at the same time teaching the value of each and every person. She returns to rural Vermont in this tale of Angel who, in her nearly 12 years, has attended eight schools and twice been in foster care. She is more a parent to her seven-year-old brother, Bernie, than their frequently drunk and unreliable mother or their father, whom they visit weekly in jail. Their mother abandons Angel and Bernie at the ramshackle farmhouse of their great-grandmother, who is too aged and poor to care for children, and when she returns for just Bernie, Angel's loneliness is as immense as the night skies that a kind stranger teaches her about. The man turns out to be her Uncle Ray, a Vietnam vet whose life has been damaged by drugs and jail time, yet who convinces her that she is made of the same elements as the stars. The enchanted night sky gives Angel perspective on her life; it becomes a metaphor on many levels in the novel. As always, Paterson conveys great respect for the poor, and for preadolescents in tragic circumstances who have the resiliency to transform themselves. A new novel by Katherine Paterson is cause for great celebration and this one more than measures up. Angel Morgan will take her place in readers' hearts right next to Lyddie, Gilly, Lupe, and Jip.
Connie Tyrrell Burns, Mahoney Middle School, South Portland, ME
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
See all Editorial Reviews
Product Details
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Inside This Book
(learn more)
First Sentence:
When she heard the first yelp, Angel was at the sink washing the supper dishes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
taxi money, five major food groups, star man, angel girl, sugar shack, know the stars Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Liza, Liza Irwin, Sugar Pops, Ray Morgan, Santa Claus, Santy Claus, Wayne Morgan, Angel Morgan, Bernie Morgan, Galileo Galilei, Morgan Farm Road, Verna Morgan, Megan Armstrong, North Star, Starry Messenger, Social Security, The Other Side of the Mountain, Happy Meal, Rocky Road, Where's Bernie New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
When she heard the first yelp, Angel was at the sink washing the supper dishes. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
taxi money, five major food groups, star man, angel girl, sugar shack, know the stars Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Miss Liza, Liza Irwin, Sugar Pops, Ray Morgan, Santa Claus, Santy Claus, Wayne Morgan, Angel Morgan, Bernie Morgan, Galileo Galilei, Morgan Farm Road, Verna Morgan, Megan Armstrong, North Star, Starry Messenger, Social Security, The Other Side of the Mountain, Happy Meal, Rocky Road, Where's Bernie New!
Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Front Flap | Table of Contents | First Pages | Back Flap | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 26
books:
See all 26 books this book cites
11
books
cite this book:
See all 11 books citing this book
- Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- The Great Gilly Hopkins by Katherine Paterson in Front Matter, and Back Matter
- Flip-Flop Girl by Katherine Paterson in Front Matter
- Images of God by Katherine Paterson in Front Matter
- Starry Messenger: Galileo Galilei by Peter Sis in Back Matter
See all 26 books this book cites
- Stories NeverEnding: A Program Guide for Schools and Libraries (Peddler's Pack Series) by Jan Irving on page 109, and page 119
- A Parent/Teacher Guide to Children\'s Books on Peace and Tolerance by Bob Blumenthal on page 102, and page 172
- Fluency in Focus: Comprehension Strategies for All Young Readers by Mary Lee Prescott-Griffin on page 126, and Back Matter
- Bridge to Terabithia (Summer Reading Edition) by Katherine Paterson in Back Matter
- Open Your Eyes: Extraordinary Experiences in Faraway Places by various on page 121
See all 11 books citing this book
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