Wish on All the Stars, written by Lisa Schroeder, reviewed by Stephanie Wilson

Summary:  Wish on All the Stars is the second book in Starry Beach Club series. The Starry Beach Club was formed by three close friends to grant wishes. When Emma, Juliet and Carmen learn their local bookmobile is in danger of closing forever, they are shocked. The girls quickly hatch a plan to save the bookmobile. They decide to host a craft show to raise awareness and donations. Emma will do the promotions. Carmen and her mom will sell their paper necklaces. Emma convinces Carmen it’s okay that her mom is doing something so public. Carmen’s mom is an undocumented immigrant, and she fears being deported.  Emma and Carmen team up to convince a reluctant Juliet to sell some of her paintings. Juliet has a lot of anxiety about sharing her art. She fears she will embarrass herself and wonders if her work is good enough. Her worst fear is that no one will want to buy her art. Juliet is also struggling to accept her parents' divorce and splitting time between their respective households in different California towns. She worries she is losing her former best friend in Bakersfield to the cool girls they formerly ignored.

Straight Talk for Librarians:  Wish on All the Stars is a sweet, sunny story about the power of friendship and facing your fears. It also does not shy away from more serious topics, including divorced parents and the plight of undocumented immigrants. The characters are well-rounded and authentic. Each girl has a distinct voice and none of them are perfect. Schroeder gets her message across without beating readers over the head with it. It is a refreshing change of pace from the usual preachy writing that is typically aimed at tweens. Even though this novel is part of a series, it works well as a standalone novel. I highly recommend this book upper elementary and younger middle school students.