The Hidden Star

The Hidden Star is a book written by K. Sello Duiker. In the book, a girl named Nolitye finds part of a magical stone that brings its power of happiness and laughter to the people. She has to get the other five pieces of the stone back. This book does have little pictures, which I liked. Nolitye talks to dogs—her special power. I thought that was really interesting! She even knows a dog called “Mister.” Nolitye talks to Rex, the leader of the dogs. Her mama, Thembi, gives her advice. Nolitye has to fight to stop her enemy and grandma, MaMtonga. Bheki, Four Eyes, Xoli, Sara, Ntate Matthews, and Mbali are other characters help Nolitye. I also liked that Nolitye’s father calls her his “bubu.” I enjoyed a lot of this book but sometimes I thought Duiker made it very confusing. Boys and girls ages 8 – 18 who like fantasy will enjoy this book, The Hidden Star. Overall, I give this book a rating of five stars—no pun intended!