Every Soul a Star

All of 13 years old, the three narrators each believe they understand the world. They know a world that changes very little day to day. They have already defined themselves—Ally is a science nerd, Bree a social butterfly, Jack a social misfit. They have already decided their future: Ally will discover a comet that will be named for her; Bree will be an internationally recognized supermodel; Jack will retreat to some island where he will create comic book superheroes who fight menacing, predatory alien creatures. For all three, their world is reliable and set, their days predictable and routine and their sense of themselves cased in absolutes.

The experience at the campground introduces each pre-teen to an insight that initially terrifies them but becomes, by the end of the experience, wisdom that will allow them to grow: The world changes, and nothing is certain except uncertainty. This is a major lesson in any coming-of-age narrative, as kids must learn the world cannot remain the same.

That lesson is potentially devastating. Here, however, the kids allow the night sky itself to teach them the power and wonder of change. As the three patiently gather data on the movement of the stars’ light in their efforts to confirm the existence of an exoplanet, collectively they come to realize that the universe is all about change.