Rules for Stealing Stars

When I think about magical books that talk about real-world stuff, my first thought is this incredible retelling of The Twelve Dancing Princesses that examines (through a magical lens) the toll of parental alcoholism.

Four sisters all have different ways of coping with the dysfunction caused by their mother’s alcoholism, but together they escape into magical worlds through their house’s closets. The youngest sister, Silly, has been left out for a long time, but she makes their magic stronger once her sisters finally let her join them.

The metaphors are so rich here—the escapism, the secrets and shadows hidden in… show more.

In Rules for Stealing Stars, the portal(s) are closets, tailored to suit each of the sisters. I picked this book because of these unique portals and because the “other worlds” created by the closets are irresistibly enchanting.

The author also handles with such sensitivity both the reason the sisters go into the closets in the first place (to escape the difficulties with their mother) and how they wrestle with staying in the fantastical worlds versus facing their very real problems at home. A beautiful read.

Haydu’s voice in Rules for Stealing Stars feels incredibly authentic to the middle-grade age group. The main character, Silly, walks a fine line between being childish enough to believe in magic, and old enough to begin to question her deeply dysfunctional family situation. Silly’s honest, first-person narrative beautifully expresses both the wonder of the escapist worlds to which she travels, as well as the trauma of living in a dysfunctional household. Haydu expertly weaves together this child-like voice and fantastical story with underlying themes of trauma and dysfunction to create a whimsical, yet meaningful story.