Rachel is finally away from the family farm. At only 12 she had longed for more than the daily drudgery of cooking and cleaning and helping out on the farm when she could. Her younger twin brothers Noah and Toby, and older brother Caleb are with her – all surprised at the sudden change in their lives. With their father in hospital, family they never knew they had, had come to their rescue.

These family members are from their Mum’s side and they assure Rachel and her brothers they’ll be safe and happy with them until their father is well. They are flown to a tropical island where French is the main language and there is a school for gifted children.

It is everything they have dreamed of. The twins are happy snorkling and swimming in the warm waters, Caleb can focus on his interest of Astronomy and Rachel has a place to extend her musical talents. She even makes friends – something else she’d missed on the farm.

It’s not all sunshine and golden sand however. Rachel and Caleb know they are different, so different that their father had hidden them on their farm in the middle of nowhere. Now they learn how different they are from other children and why. Family connections and their history is explained and the more they learn, the more Rachel becomes uncomfortable.

They are part of a plan that has been mapped out for decades – and there is no way out. The boys have embraced their new lives quickly and happily, but Rachel feels trapped. Is her future set in stone? Can she escape what lays ahead?

This episode is told in Rachel’s point of view and we discover her hopes and dreams and ultimately her fears, the more she learns about her new family. Even though she has all that she dreamed of away from the mundane life at the farm, she is uncomfortable where her new life will take her.

She has no one to confide in, as even her rock/older brother Caleb is enamored with their new life. Besides, it’s now impossible to hide anything on the island – even thoughts. Her anger and frustration builds, until she maps out her own plans.

Star Bright is the 2nd part of the Starlight series by this award winning New Zealand author. This episode is set far from the first, now on a tropical island in the South Pacific. As with the first book (Star Light), apprehension rises, action intensifies and the end leaves the reader with a need to grab the next in the series – The First Star.

Author – Maureen Crisp

Age – 10+

Read a review for the first book in the series (Click on the cover)

(2021, Marmac Media, NZ, New Zealand, Kiwi Author, Award winning author, Hotel, Mind readers, Voices, Aliens, Special abilities, Family, Siblings, Tropical Island, School for gifted, Lies, Astronomy, Stars, Music, Memories, Escape, Sci Fi, Mystery, Series, Secrets)