Hope Is a Ferris Wheel

Star Mackie, nicknamed Star Trashy because she lives in a trailer park next to the dump, doesn’t have any friends. She gets the idea of starting a club to help inform people about the truth of trailer parks. However, when only two other people join and the club is shut down, Star gets the idea of making a club about Emily Dickenson. There Star, Denny who sits next to Star in class, and Genny (Denny’s sister) are joined with Eddie, who tries to steal her club from her from time to time, and his friend Langston who calls her Mullet Girl, due to her blue, layered hairstyle.

With help from Emily Dickenson, Star is able to understand and accept the world and people around her. I really liked the idea of a poetry club. That’s what drew me to the book in the first place. I also like how she uses the vocabulary sentences—how she uses things going on in her life in her homework assignments. The use of metaphors and discussions about hopes and dreams was also really interesting. It added a lot to the story and gave me lots to think about, too.