Stella By Starlight by; Sharon M. Draper

Recently, I have read a wonderful book entitled, Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. I really enjoyed this book for many reasons and would recommend it to almost anyone! It is a wonderful read for all young minds. It talks about history and it’s all about a young girl named Stella.

It all started one night when Stella’s younger brother Jojo went to the outhouse and saw the Ku Klux Klan, (An organization that used to exist against African-Americans) burning a cross across from their pond. After this, it only got worse with African-American men registering to vote, and the Ku Klux Klan destroying property of blacks, but not getting in trouble. All of this happens in just the first half of the book. Stella is trying really hard to be a better writer, because at the moment she thinks her writing is no good. All through the book it adds pieces of writing by Stella herself. In the end, there is a medical emergency and it gets intense so be aware of this. 

The characters crafted by Sharon Draper in this book are truly magnificent. They seem so incredibly vivid that they could really exist. Stella is the main character an 11-year-old African-American living in the small town of Bumblebee, North Carolina. She is a dreamer and would like to improve her writing by the time of the end of 5th grade. Stella has a younger brother named Jojo. Jojo is a wild little boy that is annoying to Stella. He attends the same school as Stella and they do a lot of things together. Stella’s parents, Mama and Papa, are trying to protect themselves and their family from the Ku Klux Klan running amuck in their town. They hope that one day their children will live in a world where racism is non-existent. There are many other characters, but these are the ones you will see the most. All of the characters in Stella By Starlight are really put together quite wonderfully.

When you get the book, if you got the original copy, you will see a sketch of the most influential scene. If you ordered the newest cover from Scholastic, you will see a young African-American girl, supposed to be Stella. I have the older copy and I really like it! The cover has a unique texture, just barely bumpy and rough. You will see Stella and Jojo’s silhouette with a cross burning in the background. It is drawn beautifully and really shows what the story is all about. When you open the book, near the beginning, you will see a poem by the author about whom the book is dedicated to. As far as the layout of the book, most chapters are fairly short but there are 50 chapters. Each chapter has a name and some chapters are just Stella’s writing.

If you are looking for a good read, I would definitely recommend Stella By Starlight by Sharon M. Draper. It is a great story that really sticks with you. The characters are truly wonderful, and the layout of the book is enticing. This book is very popular right now and was on the New York Times Bestselling List. This book is wonderful to read, and I hope you might just check it out!