From School Library Journal
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Gr 4–7—Silly's family is in distress. Moving to their New
Hampshire summer house, which was supposed to help, has only
exacerbated her mother's drinking problem. Silly's her finds
refuge in his academic study of fairy tales, leaving 11-year-old
Silly and her three sisters to fend for themselves. Silly resents
the fact that her siblings view her as the baby, and exclude her
from the secrets they hide behind their bedroom doors. But the
day their mother finally turns her wrath on Silly, the bedroom
door cracks open and Astrid pulls Silly into the room to share
their secret: the bedroom closet is a magic portal that allows
the girls to escape to worlds of their creating. "We let the
closet take care of us" Astrid explains, "and it always does."
Silly soon discovers other closets are magical as well, feeding
what each girl needs. Not all the girls' desires are benevolent,
however, and as the summer wears on, the seductive alternative
worlds begin to separate the sisters. Silly realizes the siren
call of the closets may soon cause irreparable damage. Haydu
masterfully portrays the stress of living with an alcoholic
parent. While narrator Silly is most fully voiced, all four
sisters are well developed and readers share their pain as they
search to fill the void left by their mother, creating a pattern
of ever-shifting alliances as they seek balance. But when one of
the sisters gets trapped in a closet, the sisters must find the
strength to break down doors, both literal and metaphorical.
VERDICT A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy. Give to fans
of Holly Goldberg Sloan's Counting By 7s (Dial, 2013) and Sarah
Weeks's So B It (Harper, 2004).—Nancy Nadig, Penn Manor School
District, Lancaster, PA
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Review
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★ “A well-crafted blend of realism and fantasy.” (School
Library Journal (starred review))
★ “[A] lyrical story of love and loss... The way the sisters
fight and love in equal measure, as well as their basic need for
one another, rings poignantly true in this touching and
heartwarming story, which contains a ‘tiny bit of magic, right
here in the real world.’” (Booklist (starred review))
“Haydu makes skilled use of her story’s fantastical overlay to
create a haunting narrative about the ways family members can
fail-but also support-each other.” (Publishers Weekly)
“Tender, wise, and heartbreakingly lovely, this story is as
brilliant as a stolen star, and every bit as magical. Prepare to
be enchanted.” (Katherine Applegate, Newbery-award winning author
of The One and Only Ivan)
“A gorgeous, profound, deeply felt book that lovingly explores
intricate sibling relationships, the crushing weight of family
secrets, and the delicate magic of hope. Rules for Stealing Stars
is sublime.” (Anne Ursu, author of Breadcrumbs and The Real Boy)
“Silly and her sisters are -and- characters; they
gripped me by my very heart and pulled me into their tense and
mysterious family story. With beguiling moments of magical
realism and engaging turns of phrase, Corey Ann Haydu has crafted
a glowing middle grade debut.” (Leslie Connor, award-winning
author of Waiting for Normal and Crunch)
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From the Back Cover
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Silly is used to feeling left out. Her three older sisters think
she's too little for most things—especially when it comes to
dealing with their mother's unpredictable moods and outbursts.
But for Silly, that's normal. She hardly remembers a time when
Mom wasn't drinking.
This summer, Silly is more alone than ever, and it feels like
everyone around her is keeping secrets. Mom is all the time;
Dad acts like everything's fine when clearly it isn't; and
Silly's sisters keep whispering and sneaking away to their rooms
together, returning with signs that something mysteri-ous is
afoot and giggling about jokes that Silly doesn't understand.
When Silly is brought into her sisters' world, the truth is more
exciting than she ever imagined. The sisters have discovered a
magical place that gives them what they truly need: an escape
from the complications of their home life. But there are dark
truths there, too. Silly hopes the magic will be the secret to
saving their family, but she's soon forced to wonder if it might
tear them apart.
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About the Author
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Corey Ann Haydu is the author of Eventown, The Someday Suitcase,
and Rules for Stealing Stars and four accled books for teens.
She grew up in the Boston area, earned her MFA at the New School,
and now lives in Brooklyn, New York, with her dog O. Find out
more at www.coreyannhaydu.com.
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