The Star Shepherd

July 1, 2019
From Connolly (Shadow Weaver) and animator Haring, in his authorial debut, this middle grade fantasy follows a premise reminiscent of beloved titles such as Diana Wynne Jones’s Howl’s Moving Castle and Neil Gaiman’s Stardust. Once, the Seven Elders transmuted their hearts to the stars to protect humanity from dark creatures, such as the fire-breathing, spiderlike vritrax. Centuries later, though, their secrets have been lost, and Star Shepherds, who re-launch fallen stars back into the starlight net, are ridiculed. Tirin; his 11-year-old son, Kyro; and their terrier, Cypher, have lived on the fringes of Drenn society ever since Kyro’s mother died and Tirin began shepherding to honor her memory. After the Star Council disregards Tirin’s assertions that star clusters are falling and being stolen, he sets off alone to find the culprit. When he doesn’t come home, however, Kyro, Cypher, and Kyro’s friend Andra must separate truth from myth and shield civilization from coming horrors. Though nebulous worldbuilding, clunky prose, and a surfeit of telling slows the narration, young readers may find this an engaging entrée into fantasy, helped along by striking black-and-white illustrations and a satisfactory ending. Ages 8–14. Agent: (for Haring) Kathleen Ortiz, New Leaf Literary; (for Connolly) Suzie Townsend, New Leaf Literary.

July 15, 2019
Stars are falling, and the people who usually send them back up aren't able. Kyro's father, Tirin, works as a Star Shepherd. He watches the skies all night. When a star falls to Earth nearby, Kyro and Tirin run outdoors, scoop it up, and catapult it back to the sky before dawn. Each star is different: One's a "strange, molten thing, with light leaking out over its curves"; another "shimmer[s] like liquid silver but [i]s as light as a handful of feathers." But something's wrong: Stars are falling in daylight and in clusters, the gaps they leave in the dark sky allowing ancient, evil creatures into the world. When Tirin disappears, Kyro, with pal Andra (a girl who's more supportiveness trope than person), embarks on a desperate journey to find his father. The plot begins as a wondrous celestial fable with some steampunk elements--cogs and gears; clockwork; star cases of "glass and metal with hooks built into the design and angled just right to catch on the edges of the sky." But it morphs surprisingly and disappointingly into a story of combat featuring sentient, mechanical giants and fire-breathing spiders with slimy black webbing. The final battle slogs, and the plot's reveals are reported listlessly. However, the star premise shines throughout. Kyro, Tirin, and Andra seem white or light-skinned. A mixed bag: Fights and reveals are lackluster, but the stars and steampunk glow. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

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September 1, 2019

Gr 4-6-Kyro, 11, and his father have never recovered from the death of Kyro's mother, who had been a Star Shepherd-someone tasked with finding stars that fall out of the sky, fixing them, and putting them back. Then Kyro's father disappears on his way to warn the Star Shepherd's Council about the excessive number of falling stars and the monsters that are attacking. This starts Kyro's epic quest to find his father and solve the mysteries. Accompanied by his dog Cypher and later his best friend Andra, Kyro has many adventures and meets interesting, sometimes scary creatures, including spider-like monsters, iron giants, a mysteriously kind sea captain, and Pelag, the last remaining Elder who originally set the stars in the sky (along with a piece of his heart) and now searches for a way to finally die. The folkloric origin of the stars and their place in this world may be a little confusing (how do you attach stars in burlap bags to hooks in the sky? What holds up the hooks?), but the concept is intriguing, and the plot moves quickly. The twist ending suggests there may be other adventures to come. VERDICT A pleasant steampunk-esque fantasy that should do well in larger collections.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

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