Genre: Illustrated
Children’s Book
Description:
“The story of an eight-year-old boy who discovers he has cancer. The
author transforms an otherwise unpleasant topic into an uplifting and useful
resource for parents and children dealing with cancer. The boy’s triumph over
cancer leaves the reader feeling joyful and comforted and serves as a testimony
to the power of perseverance and love. The story promises to provide a positive
perspective on the many negatives of childhood cancer. The illustrations give
life to the boy’s courage and determination in a colourful and cheerful way!”
Author:
“Mary E. Fam, an Educator, has taught students of all ages locally and
abroad. She also serves her community as a Youth Mentor. In addition to her
Master's thesis/dissertation ‘The Social and Academic Effects of Bullying’
(Fam, 2006), Mary has published various articles on teaching tools that promote
student success and been involved in curriculum development at elementary and
secondary levels. She is a member of numerous educational organizations that
specialize in professional development for teachers and excellence in
Education.”
Appraisal:
I gave The Princess, my nine year-old granddaughter, several
children's books to read and then quizzed her about them afterwards. Two were
Mary Fam's books, The Idea Tree and The Stars Twinkle Brightly. As soon as I
mentioned the first of these in our Q&A session, she smiled and with
excitement in her voice said, "I really like this author."
When The Princess said, "I really like this author," she was
talking about both books. This one received an A++ from her, as well as getting
the nod when asked to pick her favorite of the two. When I asked her favorite
part, I was surprised that her answer was the beginning. She then quoted the
first line of the book from memory, "The stars twinkle brightly when the
night is quiet and calm." It makes sense that catching the attention of a
young reader from the beginning matters at least as much as with older readers
and there was something about this opening line that hooked her.
However, the story, about an eight year-old diagnosed with cancer,
obviously interested The Princess as well. She related to the challenges the
protagonist of this story went through to some she'd gone through, and she
commented in comparison to the girl with cancer in this story, her experience
hadn't been so bad.
When I read it, I agreed; it was a good story, and would be especially
well suited to a child of this age who is going through this experience or
knows someone who is. (The author went through this when a child, which lends
authenticity to the story.) If The Princess' reaction is a good indication, the
target audience is also capable of relating the story to their own lives and
experiences.
FYI:
Although I noticed at least one word using UK spelling conventions
(colour) and there might be others I missed, it didn’t seem to be an issue for
The Princess, which is how it should be. I’ve noticed that she, and I’m
guessing many young readers, who are still developing skills in spelling and
constantly increasing their vocabularies through their reading, don’t get hung
up on such trivial matters as they focus on the story and work out what words
they haven’t encountered before are and what they mean.
Added for
Reprise Review: The Stars
Twinkle Brightly by Mary Fam was a nominee in the Children’s Books category
for B&P 2013 Readers' Choice Awards. Original review ran October 25, 2012.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No significant issues
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl with input from The Princess
Approximate
word count: 2,100-2,200 words
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