Nora Nightsky
Rebecca Lewis-Oakes, illustrated by Becka Moor
Scholastic

When I say Nora Nightsky is a star, I don’t mean a celebrity but an actual star in the sky. All her family members are part of the constellation Ursa Minor and they love to grant humans, wishes from afar. Not so Nora; all she wants to do is stay in the shadows: after all humans ought to solve their own problems.
However having received several letters from a girl named Olivia wishing for a pet, she decides to take action and sets out to Earth accompanied by Leap her best friend, a hare-shaped constellation, eventually crash-landing in a muddy field.

Her intention is to give Olivia a ‘piece of her mind’ but that’s not what happens. She does though have a plan to obtain a pet for the girl, destination the zoo where a surprise awaits and it’s not a good surprise. Nora’s time on Earth is limited though and she must return from whence she came before her stardust is all used up and her magic fades. Can she obtain the pet for Olivia or will she be stuck forever as a mortal on Earth?

Nora’s character is a delightful mix of rebelliousness and determination that results in her getting into some hugely funny situations with the cheery Olivia, making this a really fun story. It’s made even more so thanks to Becka Moor’s black-and-white illustrations that portray the protagonist brilliantly. Readers will assuredly have their fingers crossed that Nora achieves her goals and can appear in a new adventure soon.