The Same Stuff as Stars by Katherine Patterson
Publisher: Harper Trophy, 2004
Pages 270
Ages: MG
Source: My purchase
ISBN: 0-06-055172-5

Angel Morgan is tired of being the adult in her family. After all she is only twelve years old. Her father is in jail and her mother has just dumped her and her brother Bernie off at their great-grandmother’s house. Angel is trying to hold everything together. She meets the man her grandmother refers to as “Santy Claus”. He introduces her to astronomy and she later finds out he is her uncle. Her mother shows up at her brother’s school one day and kidnaps her leaving Angel behind. This book was about a dysfunctional family in every sense of the word. Throughout the book Angel acts beyond her years, wishing to only be a child. It was a good book but I gave it a four out of five rating. I felt the characters could have been better developed. There seemed to be gaps that I felt needed to be filled in. I would still recommend it to my students. It was very good. ( )

Angel has always had a bad life. Her father has been in jail since she was young, and her mother is not consistent at all. In fact, the first few pages of the book are almost breathtaking in their cruelty. Verna (Angel's mom) leaves Angel and Bernie, her younger brother, with their great-grandmother, who is so old she can barely get up out of the rocker. Their great-grandmother cannot care for them, and once again Angel is put in the position of being the mother. This book is painful to read, but in the same instant, it is beautiful to read how Angel, a girl used to a hard life, creates a life for herself out of what little she has. One of the best things she has is a relationship with the small town librarian who always finds her books on stars. There is a lot of pain in this book, but there is some hope, too, to balance it out. This is definitely for older readers, but worth the effort. ( )

I didn't realize she was still breathing, let alone still writing. I saw her in 2001 as the keynote speaker at the Children's Literature Conference sponsored by Ohio State University. She is a great speaker and a gifted writer. Reading through her website http://www.terabithia.com I realize that by not knowing her background before, I have missed out on deeper levels in her stories. I read Same Stuff as Stars a couple of days ago. Reading through Paterson's Thank yous at the back of the book, it seems as though the story is a tribute to children who go through the welfare system in the U.S. Paterson's characters tend to be very realistic and flawed, but still worthy of love and redemption. There were no easy answers in this story, just generations of heartbreak and disappointment with the hope that maybe these children will break the cycle. Really worth a read.
Originally posted April 6, 2005

Paterson, Katherine. The Same Stuff as Stars. Clarion books/Houghton Mifflin, Inc, NY: 2002.
• This book, best for a grades 4-7 audience, follows the life of 11-year-old Angel Morgan, who spends most of her time looking after her younger brother Bernie. After a visit to their father in jail, Angel’s mother abandons the two children at the country home of Angel’s great-grandmother. Angel and Bernie settle into country life with their great-grandmother with the help of the town librarian and a mysterious man who teaches Angel astronomy lessons at night. Soon after Angel finally gets her great-grandmother to start eating from all food groups and believe that the children are there to stay, Bernie disappears and the star man stops showing up for Angel’s nightly astronomy lesson. Readers will cheer for Angel as she draws her withdrawn great grandmother out of her shell, and as she makes tough decisions to protect her newly-formed family from splitting up.
• Possible extensions for this book could include an introduction to astronomy and constellations, discussions about the prison system, or a brainstorming session: If you were Angel or Bernie and had no television, what would you do with your free time?

Angel Morgan knows that she has to be careful. She has to look out for her younger brother because she can't count on her mom to do it. She has to make sure that they eat balanced meals and that Bernie always wears his seatbelt. Their mom is unpredictable and little things set her off, so Angel is not very surprised when her mom tells her that they're moving. They have an hour or so to pack one suitcase apiece and then they're off to Angel's great-grandma's house in the country. But when Angel's mom leaves them there and doesn't come back, Angel has to face the fact that she's all Bernie has. She has to learn to live with a crotchety great-grandma who's barely able to care for herself. And she realizes that she's stronger than she ever thought she was.

The audiobook of this novel was really great. Narrator Alyssa Bresnahan does a great job with different voices and it was really interesting to listen to. It's a great story, a bit sad sometimes, but ultimately uplifting, with great characters that I came to love. ( )