In Glendy Vanderah's Where the Forest Meets the Stars, Jo is a grad student studying birds in the woods of Illinois. All alone in a cabin for the summer, she spends her days searching for nests and tracking the development of eggs and baby birds. She is up before the dawn and out until after dark trudging through the forest, returning to the cabin dirty and exhausted only to eat and finally sleep. One night she is surprised by a little girl who shows up barefoot by her campfire. The little girl has quite the sci-fi story for where she came from and Jo isn't buying it, but whenever she tries to call the authorities to report the found child, she runs off into the woods again. The girl claims her name is Ursa and that she is from a planet in another galaxy. Together, the two meet Gabe, a neighbor who sells eggs on the side of the road, cares for his elderly mother, and runs his small family farm, but is reluctant to visit the grocery store or anywhere else with many people. The three of them form an unlikely bond, but there are still too many questions for it to last.
This book had a great concept: a little girl from the stars falls to Earth to seek the help of a couple of humans. I liked the first quarter of the book, the middle 50% was frustrating to me and a little weak, but the last quarter kept me up far past my bedtime turning the pages. I couldn't stop reading until I had the answers. This book wasn't at all what I was expecting and perhaps that colors the way I feel about it in the end, but I was sadly a little disappointed.
*This Advanced Reader Copy was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review.*
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