Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman
For the next three days I’ll be participating in the Jimmy’s Stars tour, a wonderful middle grade fiction book by Mary Ann Rodman. Let me say first off, I LOVED this book. And I’m not saying that because I’m a tour host (trust me, I’ve never let that be a factor in my reviews). I really, really liked it.
I knew I would as soon as I opened my package from the mail. You know how sometimes you know you’ll like a book just from handling it, although you really don’t have much idea of what it’s about? That’s the way it was for me. But I have to be honest. Don’t you think that the girl on the front cover looks a bit Asian? I honestly, thought the book was about Japanese during WWII (one of my favorite topics) and was surprised when it wasn’t (but it’s still about WWII, and well, if you follow my blog, you know I love anything surrounding this era). Looking closer at her, I still think she has Asian features but I can see that she is white (which actually by the way, describes my two little boys who are a fourth Chinese, so maybe that’s why I think I can see it).
In Jimmy’s Stars, Ellie McKelvey is eleven years old in September 1943. And we all know what that means. The war is on. Ellie’s family and the entire community in her home of Pittsburgh all make the necessary sacrifices for the war effort. Everything is rationed, which makes for some interesting meals at home, Ellie’s given up her roller skates to the scrap-metal drive, and in most every window, a blue or gold star flag hangs. While Ellie sees each of her friends brothers enlist in the military, she feels some relative ease because her brother, Jimmy, is still at home.
To say that Ellie’s and Jimmy’s relationship is close, would be an understatement. Ellie adores Jimmy and to him, she’s his “Movie Star.” Jimmy is the type of brother that everybody would love to have. He makes Ellie feel as though she’s the most important thing in the world. Each day Ellie meets him at the trolley when he gets off work. If its payday, she knows that they’ll go see whatever is playing at the movie theater. At Christmas time, Ellie and Jimmy are the two who put up and decorate the Christmas tree. He’s funny, joyful, sweet and everything a big brother should be to his little sister.
Of course, Ellie’s fears soon come to pass and Jimmy is drafted as a medic. Jimmy promises to return home for Christmas while on leave and also promises to return home safely. Ellie hopes upon hope that her Jimmy will return home from the war, especially as she sees telegrams being delivered to her friends and neighbors all bearing bad news. But can Jimmy make a promise that he’s not sure he’ll be able to keep?
What made Jimmy’s Stars so great for me was the raw emotions that Ellie had. She really stepped right out of the pages of the book for me. I was also swept away into a different time and place as Mary Ann Rodman’s attention to historical accuracy and detail was superb. I’d recommend this book for middle graders and adults alike who want to step back into time and learn firsthand what it was like for families to send their loved ones off to war. It may be appropriate as well, for those military families today who are currently sending loved ones overseas.
Tomorrow and Wednesday I’ll be hosting Mary Ann Rodman in a two part interview. You won’t want to miss it, especially when she shares some recipes featured in the book. And since people had to get pretty creative making meals on rationed food, those recipes are rather interesting!
If you enjoyed my review, you may want to check out these fellow bloggers who are also all hosting the Jimmy’s Stars tour today:
01 Charger, A Childhood of Dreams, A Christian Worldview of Fiction
A Mom Speaks, All About Children’s Books, Becky’s Book Reviews, Book Review Maniac, By the Book Reviews, Dolce Bellezza, Fireside Musings, Home School Buzz, Looking Glass Reviews, Maggie Reads, Small World Reads, The Friendly Book Nook
Mary Ann Rodman has two previous books entitled Yankee Girl and My Best Friend. I’m definitely putting both of these on my TBR. She also has a picture book First Grade Stinks coming out next month and Surprise Soup coming out Spring 2009. Mary Ann Rodman also discusses a YA novel that she’s currently working on in my interview tomorrow. Stay tuned. 
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Category: Book Reviews, Fiction, Middle Readers
Tags: blog tour, I-L Title, published 2008, Q-T Author, review copy, World War II
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I thought exactly the same thing about the little girl looking Asian! I, too, wondered if it would be from a Japanese perspective. I wonder why the publishers chose such an “ambiguous” face: to say that we are all essentially the same?
My heart tore as yours did in reading this book. It was absolutely mesmerizing in its description of family, small town America, and universal loss.
on August 18th, 2008 at 6:47 amI also thought she had that Asian tilt to her eyes. Such an adorable girl.
And I also loved the book. Ellie was totally endearing and I ached for her, knowing she couldn’t, by the force of her will, stop the war and protect her loved ones.
I look forward to your interview!
on August 18th, 2008 at 11:13 ami haven’t read or even heard of it until now but it definitly sounds interesting. i’ll put it on my list. =]
on August 18th, 2008 at 12:47 pmI thought the same thing about the girl’s features. Interesting.
I have a similar interest in WWII era books, especially children’s books. I will have to check this one out!
on August 18th, 2008 at 4:21 pmHa ha–one of the things I like about your reviews is you are always honest (sometimes brutally).
Sounds like a good book–look forward to the Q&A.
on August 18th, 2008 at 7:33 pmThe girl on the cover looks astonishingly like my older sister! Who is not asian. But I can see how you thought she appeared that way. I see it, too.
on August 18th, 2008 at 7:38 pmI’d never heard of this before, but you’ve convinced me to seek it out and read it as soon as possible!
on August 18th, 2008 at 8:00 pm[...] Comments Claire Stout on Admit One: A Journey into Film by Emmett JamesMegan on Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann RodmanJeane on Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann RodmanTrish on Twilight and Harry Potter Both Change Movie [...]
on August 19th, 2008 at 4:11 am[...] Rodman, Author of Jimmy’s StarsInterview, Part 1 with Mary Ann Rodman, Author of Jimmy’s Stars on Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann RodmanMegan on Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann RodmanJeane on Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann [...]
on August 20th, 2008 at 4:01 amWow! That sounds like a great book. I’m going to add it to my already extremely long list.
on August 20th, 2008 at 10:12 amI was really intrigued with everyones’ comments about the “Asian” features of the girl on the cover. Actually this girl is a New York model, and was taken at a photo shoot, then digitized to make it look more like a painting. What struck ME about the picture, is not only did this model child look precisely the way I imagined Ellie….but more than a few people who know me thought it was a picture of my own fourteen-old-daughter (all except for said daughter, despite the fact that the coloring, eye shape and hairdo are all the same!)
on August 20th, 2008 at 5:48 pmThis sounds like a great book! I love books that take place during WWII.
on August 21st, 2008 at 12:30 pm[...] reading Jimmy’s Stars by Mary Ann Rodman (read my book review) and participating in an interview with the author, I knew that I had to read Yankee Girl. I [...]
on September 18th, 2008 at 5:03 pmJimmy’s Stars sounds like an interesting read. I’m going to have to add it to my Wish List.
I’ll still have to pass on the Tomato Aspic. =)
on June 4th, 2009 at 9:19 am[...] the characters in Mary Ann Rodman’s novel, Jimmy’s Stars, ate tomato aspic I asked Mary Ann for the recipe simply out of curiosity. When she gave it, I [...]
on August 21st, 2009 at 5:28 pm