Hello Stars (Faithgirlz / Lena in the Spotlight)|Book Review

Lena Daniels never thought she’d get the chance star in a movie. Headstrong and determined, she has her life planned out to the minute. But when her best friends, Savannah and Emma, tell her about an audition, she knows there’s nothing else in the world she’d rather do. And now that she’s gotten her wish, Lena finds that being in the spotlight is harder than it sounds. She got everything she never wanted! Her face turns up everywhere she goes, and everything in her life is flipped upside down. Lena wonders if this is a dream come true or a horrible nightmare. Even a visit from her best friends during filming turns into a disaster.

With her little sisters—Ansley, Ashton, and Amber—and her mischievous pup, Austin, constantly at her side, Lena must face the challenges of everyday life while chasing her dreams of being a model and actress on the big screen. Lena tackles tough choices, learns the value of perseverance, and keeps her hopes high. She knows her faith and family will keep her feet on the ground and her eyes on the stars.

Hello Stars (Lena in the Spotlight)  is a cute book written for young girls ages 8-12. It’s coauthored by mom/daughter duo, Alena and Wynter Pitts.

Since this is a kid’s book; I wanted to get my daughter’s thoughts to share with this review.

Me: So, Priya, what did you think about Lena in the Spotlight?
Priya: It was pretty good. I felt like Lena was a little whiny and that made me not like her very much.
Me: Do you think maybe the book is written so we can learn from her? Maybe she was whiny and having problems with faith so that young girls who struggle with those same things can learn from them and draw closer to God.
Priya: I can see that. But, she was still whiny.
Me: You had your own experience in the spotlight recently. I remember you were scared before your recital. Do you think the reminder to trust God would have helped before your big day?
Priya: Sure. But, I wasn’t whiny like that…was I?

Priya’s Thoughts:

The book was good. I liked that she had a lot of sisters, like me. I thought the puppy was fun too.  If Arie (baby sister) wasn’t allergic, it might be fun to have a puppy.  I didn’t like the part about the chicken’s sniffing butts. That seemed a little rude.  Animals do some gross stuff sometimes. It just seemed rude to put into a book.

Mom’s Thoughts:

I loved the emphasis on faith and prayer!  I loved how every aspect of this book pointed back to God and putting one’s faith in Him. Like Priya, I found the comments about a chick smelling butt to be a little awkward. It didn’t seem to lend anything to the story.  A friend of mine uses the term, “potty humor” and I think that sums up my feelings on that section. It felt an unnecessary addition to the story.

“I flicked on the light and there they were—two of our new class pets. One was pecking around aimlessly and the other was doing something that involved smelling or looking at his chick friend’s tail end.  Whatever he was doing seemed gross and I preferred not to stare.”

Overall, the story is cute.  I asked my daughter’s opinion on what she would rate it using my rating scale and she told me that she “liked it” which is a solid 3 out of 5.  When I asked if she would read more in the series, she said, “maybe.”  When I asked if she would recommend this to her friends she said, “Maybe. If it didn’t have the chicken butt stuff.”

Posted By: Kristin Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: Alena & Wynter Pitts