In Kyro's world, the stars hang from hooks in the sky, placed there long ago as wards against the ever-threatening creatures of darkness. Kyro and his neglectful father are Star Shepherds, sworn to monitor the heavens and, when a star falls, to return it to its place in the sky. When stars begin to fall in clusters, Kyro's father departs in search of the cause and doesn't return. Thus, Kyro embarks on a journey to alert the world, avert catastrophe, and find his father. This is a story that lives somewhere between fairy tale and epic fantasy, never quite satisfying either category. The world is colored with touches of steampunk and a healthy dose of lore addition to interior illustrations t Haring and Connolly craft with broad strokes; too much detail would dispel the beautiful magic they've invoked, and as a result, depth is lost. Still, the lighter touch, plus the fact that this makes a satisfying stand-alone as well as a promising series starter, will work for younger readers making their first forays into fantasy.

Stars are falling, and the people who usually send them back up aren't able.Kyro's father, Tirin, works as a Star Shepherd. He watches the skies all night. When a star falls to Earth nearby, Kyro and Tirin run outdoors, scoop it up, and catapult it back to the sky before dawn. Each star is different: One's a "strange, molten thing, with light leaking out over its curves"; another "shimmer[s] like liquid silver but [i]s as light as a handful of feathers." But something's wrong: Stars are falling in daylight and in clusters, the gaps they leave in the dark sky allowing ancient, evil creatures into the world. When Tirin disappears, Kyro, with pal Andra (a girl who's more supportiveness trope than person), embarks on a desperate journey to find his father. The plot begins as a wondrous celestial fable with some steampunk elements—cogs and gears; clockwork; star cases of "glass and metal with hooks built into the design and angled just right to catch on the edges of the sky." But it morphs surprisingly and disappointingly into a story of combat featuring sentient, mechanical giants and fire-breathing spiders with slimy black webbing. The final battle slogs, and the plot's reveals are reported listlessly. However, the star premise shines throughout. Kyro, Tirin, and Andra seem white or light-skinned.A mixed bag: Fights and reveals are lackluster, but the stars and steampunk glow. (map) (Fantasy. 8-12)

Gr 4-6 Kyro, 11, and his father have never recovered from the death of Kyro's mother, who had been a Star Shepherdsomeone tasked with finding stars that fall out of the sky, fixing them, and putting them back. Then Kyro's father disappears on his way to warn the Star Shepherd's Council about the excessive number of falling stars and the monsters that are attacking. This starts Kyro's epic quest to find his father and solve the mysteries. Accompanied by his dog Cypher and later his best friend Andra, Kyro has many adventures and meets interesting, sometimes scary creatures, including spider-like monsters, iron giants, a mysteriously kind sea captain, and Pelag, the last remaining Elder who originally set the stars in the sky (along with a piece of his heart) and now searches for a way to finally die. The folkloric origin of the stars and their place in this world may be a little confusing (how do you attach stars in burlap bags to hooks in the sky? What holds up the hooks?), but the concept is intriguing, and the plot moves quickly. The twist ending suggests there may be other adventures to come. VERDICT A pleasant steampunk-esque fantasy that should do well in larger collections. Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library