This book was a decent read but I just couldn't connect with it. I don't think it's really a good fit for my students.

Ms. Ferroulo has written a book which takes place in one of my favorite environs of childhood-- the shoreline towns and beaches of along the eastern coast of Rhode Island. The reader is introduced to the Sea Stars, Izzy, Zelda and Piper, who have been together throughout elementary school. Now they are beginning sixth grade at middle school, and for Izzy, it seems like she is loosing everything thing she has known. The once loyal dynamic among the Sea Stars is shifting according to new interests. Her Dad's PTSD from his war experiences in Afghanistan has changed the way he reacts. Her mom has gone to Block Island to help with the family restaurant. Adding to Izzy's confusion is the arrival her father's Afghan translator and his family, which includes Sitara, who will be in sixth grade, too. They have immigrated to the US from their war torn country but have found acceptance hard to come by. The events in the plot are the perfect way to bring the theme to life--learning to appreciate people outside your sphere will expand and enrich your horizons if you embrace what they have to offer. Highly recommend.

This awesome middle grade fiction book is about Izzy who is dreading the start of school when she starts middle school. Lots of things have changed in Izzy's life in a short time, her dad returned from fighting in Afghanistan is very different from the way he was before he left. In fact, he's so different that her mom has gone to spend some time living with her sisters. They've lost the house they used to share and have moved into an apartment above the marina where her dad works now. As a surprise, her dad invites the interpreter that saved his life in Afghanistan to come and live in the apartment above them, along with his family, that includes a girl the same age as Izzy-Sitara. On top of it, Izzy's best friends from kindergarten are acting strangely and Izzy isn't sure how things are going to work out. This is a terrific, complicated, messy story about life and how things happen unexpectedly and how you have to choose to deal with them. I thought it was great.

I had a little trouble sticking with this book, but as it progressed I enjoyed it more, and I finished the final third in just a day or two. I think I struggled because I found Zelda to be such a little pill, but I think a lot of young readers will really connect with Izzy's struggles to maintain her friendships, especially in the face of all the other upheavals in her life (her dad's health, her mom's absence, moving into a new home, and unexpected new neighbors). I will strongly consider purchasing this book for my library. Although it touches on some tough subjects (PTSD, 9/11, and the Taliban for starters) I think it's told in a way that's totally appropriate for elementary and might help those younger readers understand world events without being totally overwhelmed.

This is an amazing book! Izzy faces what so many of my students face today - standing up for what you believe yet at the same time not always standing up when you should. This will make a great read aloud for upper elementary and middle school students!

A Galaxy of Sea Stars is full of heart and love. After a summer of so much change, Izzy is nervous about middle school, but at least her two best friends will be with her. But when school starts, even more changes come, from the Afghani family that moves in upstairs, to her absent mother still not coming home, to a strange tension between Izzy and her friends. Izzy's plan to chart the bottom of the harbor seems to be her only constant. Izzy soon learns that change can be painful, but it also helps us to grow and stretch. As she and her new friend Sitara learn to adapt and still hold onto their dreams, Izzy begins to find the courage that she has had inside her all along.
This book is full of so many important topics- healthy friendships, trying new things, making our own choices, standing up to bullying and hate, speaking out, compassion and acceptance of immigrants and refugees, kindness, family relationships. Beautifully written and perfect for middle grade readers. I will definitely be adding this book to my class library!

This story and it’s characters will stay with me for a long time!! It’s a powerful story with themes that will resonate with most middle schoolers, such as finding out you may not have as much in common in with friends as you thought and standing up for what’s right but not always easy.

Izzy loves livign in Seaside, Rhode Island, but there are challenges. Her father has returned from military duty in Afghanistan with some injuries as well as PTSD, and the family has had to leave their home and are now trying to run the local marina. Her mother is living on a nearby island, helping her family run a diner. Izzy is angry that her mother is not at home, and it doesn't help that her two best friends, Zelda and Piper, are acting strangely. They've all managed to get into the same homeroom, since they are all doing the school video announcements, but something is off. Izzy starts to spend more time with Sitara, whose father was a doctor and an interpreter in Afghanistan and had to leave because of threats to the family. Sitara wears a hijab to school and is forthright about it, even mentioning on the school announcements that if anyone has questions, she would rather be asked them to her face. This doesn't stop some of the jerky students from giving her a hard time about it. When this includes Zelda, Izzy is distraught that her best friend is so mean. Combined with her father's difficulties and the absence of her mother, she becomes overwrought, but eventually learns to take to heart the idea that her courage should be bigger than her fear.

Strengths: Friend drama is one of the most requested type of books in my library, and I love that while this is central to Izzy's story, there are a lot of other things as well. Sitara is a great character who has a realistic reaction to the ill treatment she receives (she asks to study at home for a while), but eventually goes back to stand up to the bullies. Izzy's interactions with her parents are realistic and handled well. The small, seaside town is a great setting.
Weaknesses: This was hard to get into; I felt like I had missed something and wondered if it were the second book in a series. Once I got a couple of chapters in, it moved right along.
What I really think: I'll purchase this, since Warga's Other Words For Home, Yang's Front Desk, and other titles with immigrant children are circulating very well in my library.

As a fan of Jeanne Zulick Furruolo’s Ruby in the Sky, I had high expectations for this book. I was not disappointed. A Galaxy of Sea Stars is a moving story that showcases changing friendships and finding your voice- themes that resonate strongly with middle grade readers. I appreciated how Izzy is shown realistically for a character her age- she can be selfish and make unfair decisions but this only strengthens her portrayal as an adolescent character. Highly recommend this fantastic book!

A frustrating edition to the extensive pantheon of middle grade books featuring fearful late bloomers. I felt like there was too much trying to happen in this book, and all of it addressed in a whiny, overly emotive way. I was also less than thrilled by what I felt was the author's attempt to tell a diverse story by centering a white character.

I received this ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Having read Ruby in the Sky, I couldn't wait for A Galaxy of Sea Stars. This story follows Izzy, an aspiring marine cartographer, as she enters middle school. This new transition brings with it all sorts of changes that Izzy isn't sure she's ready for. Izzy's dad is a vet back from Afghanistan after being injured by an explosion, and her mom is taking some time away to help The Aunts on Block Island. Her friends, known collectively as the Sea Stars are about to have their bonds tested, and a new friend finds her way into the mix.

I loved Izzy and how honestly she came by her feelings. I loved too that the ending was a satisfying but realistic way to end, and I appreciated that when Izzy was challenged to stand up it didn't come easily or naturally. It was hard and it was work, and that's real life.

I can't wait for this book to find its way into the hands of young readers.