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A Handful of Stars

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By DeeDee
 Cover image for A handful of stars
A Handful of Stars
By Cynthia Lord
Scholastic, 2015. Fiction. 184 p.

Lily lives in a small town in Maine that is famous for its wild blueberries.  She doesn't usually get to know the migrant workers who come each summer to pick the blueberries, but this summer she meets one of them, a girl, Salma, who saves Lily's blind dog from running into danger.  The two girls become fast friends, and together make a bold plan to earn money for eye surgery for Lily's dog.  When Salma hears about the annual Blueberry Queen competition, she decides to enter, hoping to win money for college. As both girls make solid plans to obtain their goals, they help each other to overcome the town's prejudice and their own fears. Lord has created a short, sweet story of friendship that gives readers a glimpse of the challenges facing kids of migrant workers. Lily and Selma's story will appeal to readers who liked Bridge to Terabithia or Esperanza Rising, though this story is not as heavy as either of those offerings.  This book is available from the Library in print, on CD, as an ebook, and as an audiobook download.
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