A HANDFUL OF STARS

Narrator Maria Cabezas captures the sweetness of a summer friendship in downeast Maine amid the blueberry barrens. Lily lives with her Franco-American grandparents above the general store; Salma is the daughter of migrant workers from Florida who longs to live in one place permanently. The two girls bond over dogs and art. They spend the summer painting mason bee houses and training Salma to enter the Blueberry Queen Pageant. As Lily and Salma teach each other about family and the courage to try new things, Cabezas strikes just the right youthful tone for the young protagonists. She evokes the feeling of sun, long summer days, and the smell of blueberry pies, and it all comes with a lovely dollop of warmth and sincerity. What a pity the Maine place names are mispronounced. A.B. © AudioFile 2015, Portland, Maine [Published: OCTOBER 2015]