| Star in the Storm |  | Author: Joan Hiatt Harlow
Publisher: Perfection Learning Prebound
Category: Book
Buy New: $11.19
Avg. Customer Rating:  27 reviews
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
ISBN: 0756913659
EAN: 9780756913656
ASIN: 0756913659
Publication Date: September 2000
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
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Product Description
1912. Twelve-year-old Maggie Wells lives in the port village of Bonnie Bay in Newfoundland, where a statute has been passed outlawing all non-sheepherding dogs. Maggie swears she'll protect her beloved Newfoundland dog, Sirius, by hiding him if she must.Sirius is named after the brightest star in the sky, which is in the constellation of Canis Major, the Great Dog -- and he more than lives up to his name. He hauls firewood across the frozen bay to keep Maggie's family warm in the winter. He helps Pa fish in the cold Atlantic Ocean. And he saves Maggie when she's stranded near an iceberg. Sirius is an invaluable member of the Wells family, worth protecting at all costs. So when a terrific gale strikes the Newfoundland coast, forcing a steamer with one hundred people on board to founder, Maggie must make the hardest decision of her young life. She knows that her strong, brave dog can help the people on that steamer, but will bringing him out of hiding risk his life? Based on true stories about Newfoundland dogs, Star in the Storm is filled with drama, tension, and exciting rescues that will keep readers engrossed from start to finish. This heartwarming story of a lovable dog and his feisty mistress will find fans everywhere.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 22 more reviews...
 Taunted by the Number of Black Birds July 3, 2008
Set in Newfoundland in 1912, some months after the TITANIC disaster, this Girl-and-Dog story is an easy and pleasant read, with gradually-increasing literary tension. Twelve-year-old Maggie Wells adores her black Newfie, named Sirius because of one white "star" on his chest. Her family lives in peace with their Bonnie Bay neighbors who are mostly fisherman and sheep owners. When one pregnant ewe belonging to the irascible Rands is harried off a cliff by a stray dog, Tamar Rand immediately blames Sirius, though Maggie knew he was with her and would never harm a sheep. Tamar sets the plot in motion by appealing to her hot-tempered father, who has been campaigning for a law to ban all but sheepdogs on the island.
Terrified of losing her beloved pet Maggie must find a safe place to hide him or think of a creative but legal way to keep him openly. When her cousin, Vera, falls dangerously ill, Maggie attempts a cure beyond her power-revealing her moral courage in the face of serious danger.
The story climaxes as Maggie is forced to make a desperate decision when a steamer founders in storm-tossed, glacier-blocked Bonnie Bay, while the whole town watches in helpless terror. Will Maggie be guided by typical Island superstition or will she rely on prayer and hard work to find her inner, moral courage? Based on an actual incident and several unrelated canine anecdotes, this story is a must-read for any dog lover--delightfully sprinkled with unusual Newfoundland words. Why does the young protagonist keep counting the number of black birds she sees? Although the ending is satisfyingly "happy," many of the characters behave/reform in unrealistic manners. Still, a worthwhile read and an excellent introduction to a vanishing lifestyle in distant North America.
 Students LOVE this book! December 19, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I teach 3rd grade and my students were absolutely enthralled with this story. It also inspired students to take a closer look at the remote island of Newfoundland. I found the book with its accurate Newfie dialect and interesting historical details to be a great read-aloud. My students immediately wanted to follow this story with Hiatt-Harlow's next book "Thunder of the Sea".
Needs more--suspense. October 2, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
*Remember that I am not the target audience for this book, so younger adults will probably enjoy this novel.
"Star in the Storm" takes place in the historical events when Newfoundland had to outlaw dogs due to several unknown mongrels slaughtering livestock. That means many innocent dogs have to suffer, but not unless a certain person fights back. Thus is the story of Maggie Wells, a young girl who tries to hide her Newfoundland dog Sirius, a dog who is well-trained and will never harm a fly. With danger and possible eviscerating of her precious dog from his hiding place by a vicious girl named Tamar and her father, eventually, Maggie has to make the ultimate choice to bring her dog out of hiding when a ship sinks out into the distance, and Sirius, the only dog capable of saving lives.
Plot-wise, it was good, but the writing sucked. Even for a nine to twelve year old to which this book is targeted, it's not that good. I got this book when I was young, and I remember putting it down and picking it up, never really wanting to finish this because the suspense was never there, and I never felt that Sirius was in any danger, so bland the whole outlaw-dog law was. I wanted to feel that there are no more dogs in the houses of owners, something to make me fear for Sirius, but it was never there. The characters were bland, and there was no real threat. Everything was predictable from the get-go. And the wicked Tamar and her rich father end up seeing the error of their ways and embrace the dog for saving lives in the end. Still, some people might like this story. I just wish it gave us the `briskly paced' and `suspense' promised in the reviews.
If this is historical fiction... give me more like it! May 6, 2007
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Harlow, J. H. (2000). Star in the storm. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.
Synopsis: Twelve year old Maggie Wells has the biggest dog in her village. Sirius is an enormous black Newfoundland, with a white star upon his chest, named after the brightest star in the sky, which is in the constellation Canis Major-the Great Dog. Sirius is an invaluable family member who hauls wood, dives for fish and saves Maggie from a stranded iceberg. When non-sheepherding dogs are outlawed from the rocky coastal village on Bonnie Bay, Maggie has to hide her beloved Sirius from everyone. The spiteful Tamer Rand, daughter of the wealthiest and most powerful man in the village, hates Maggie and Sirius and is bound and determined to have Sirius put down. Sirius is worth saving at all costs! When one hundred lives are put at risk on an ill-fated steamship, Maggie must decide between allowing Sirius to save their lives and risking having him seen by the Rand family, who has been hunting him down. Will Sirius be able to prove his worth by risking his life in the frigid ocean water?
Evaluation: Harlow writes this eloquent novel for children ages 9-12. The picturesque descriptive text allows readers to immerse in the striking scenery. Harlow develops the characters of Maggie and Sirius very well. Readers find themselves gasping as each character puts their lives at risk. Set in 1912, just months after the disaster of the Titanic, Maggie and her family live in coastal village just off the shores of Bonnie Bay in Newfoundland. Throughout the story, Maggie struggles to save her beloved dog, Sirius. Harlow writes this novel based on actual events; however the characters and circumstances are fictional. There are stories of people rowing out to the huge icebergs floating in the ocean and bringing the pure cold water back to their villages to help family/village members that had fallen ill. The Newfoundland dogs abilities are factual as well. It is well known that Newfoundland dogs can save people from the ocean and perform hard manual labor. In addition, the author researched the language, superstitions and folklore from all over Newfoundland to add to the authenticity of her novel. This amazing story of rescue and love will resonate in the hearts of all those that read this text. Educators will find that the writing of this novel is an exemplar model of superb writing. Exposing students to such elegant writing with a strong story plot, well developed characters, set in a historical context, will likely motivate them to write strong stories themselves. Teachers will likely use this text as a read aloud in grades 2-6. This heartwarming story of a hero and heroine keeps readers engrossed from start to finish and is worth reading again and again.
This book is awesome! January 19, 2006
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Maggie and her friend get in a fight.Maggie's best friend thinks
that Maggie's dog Sirius caused her best friends lamb to fall off the cliff and die.But later in the book Maggie's best friend and her dad are standing outside waiting on the boat,
which the dads other daughter is on with her new born baby.But the boat see's an iceburg blocking the harbor.They could wreak
and it would kill evrybody.But something else happens.Read it and find out.I liked the part where Maggie's best friend and her dad decide not to hurt Sirius.I did not like the part where they were going to hurt Sirius.
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