Book Review: What Came from the Stars, by Gary D. Schmidt
What Came from the Stars
Gary D. Schmidt
It would it be too high of praise to say that Gary D. Schmidt’s What Came from the Stars is a solid block of crazy cool braised in awesome sauce. It would not be too high of praise, however, to say that this book is special.
In the town of Plymouth, 12-year-old Tommy Pepper is dealing with the death of his mother. His traumatized little sister has stopped speaking entirely, and their grieving father must now fight to keep their beloved, ramshackle house by the ocean before a realtor can tear it down for a condo project.
On the other side of the universe, an ancient civilization is under siege. In a desperate attempt to save their culture, they send a precious object through space and time. And it lands in Tommy Pepper’s lunchbox.
Soon, Tommy has memories of twin suns and can speak words no one else understands. His doodles shine with inner light, and he remembers things that never happened to him. But an evil force is also after the object that Tommy now possesses, and Plymouth falls prey to vicious storms, violent break-ins...and invaders who want what Tommy has.
What Came from the Stars pairs a simple story of a family moving through terrible grief with a mythic account of a distant planet...and mixes the two in a way that makes you question which problem is more important. The mundane world of school and home is treated with the same dignity as an epic battle. And why not? To a middle schooler, they’re the same thing. Tommy negotiates friendship and family while fighting off primal evil. Basically, he’s just trying to grow up right.
Schmidt doesn’t usually write speculative-style fiction, but the fantasy elements of this story are approachable and even elegant. (As a fan of Anglo Saxon/Viking era history, I really enjoyed the Valorim bits). But any kid who’s read the Hobbit will sink right into the world of the Valorim, and Schmidt’s clever way of dropping Valorim words and history into Tommy’s brain means that the reader can just sort of skip along with the text. There’s a neat glossary in the back if you feel the need to check a word out.
Recommendation:
I think this book is a worthy addition to the Gary Schmidt catalog. He not only balances a whack Superman-meets-Tolkien kind of fantasy narrative with a touching and not-too-twee story of love and loss, he manages the trick of making a 12-year-old boy into a noble and mature character to love. There’s something very classic about this story: think old Twilight Zone style, or the visionary Americana of Ray Bradbury. And as always, Schmidt’s writing is great, with wonderful descriptions of the town, the people, and in particular the natural world and weather, which is almost a character itself. Extremely well done, enjoyable to read, and highly recommended.
(Note that a sightly more pedantic version of this review is up at Reads 4 Tweens, an excellent source for checking out children's literature before you loose your kid into a bookstore/library/rummage sale.)