Eyes Like Stars

Beatrice Shakespeare Smith spent her entire life in Théâtre Illuminata, a magical theatre where characters from every single play ever written stay and play their parts. Her friends are the four fairies from A Midsummer's Night Dream, and they do various mischief together. Since Bertie is not a player (and because of her mischievous way), eventually the Theatre Manager asked her to leave. Unless she can prove herself valuable by making a contribution to the theatre.

As Bertie tries to direct her own play for the theatre, disasters involving Ariel — the air spirit from The Tempest — happen one after another. Bertie knows that if she doesn't do something, she will lose her only home. That's when pieces of Bertie's unknown past start to surface.. and a surprising secret is waiting to be revealed.

This is a great book with a very charming story and characters. I have to admit that I bought the book because of the pretty cover, but the magical world inside is even better. The plot is pretty straightforward and the keep-changing scenes could be confusing at times, but Lisa Mantchev manages to write a fun and enchanting story. The overall feel of the book is absolutely lovely.

Bertie is a great heroine. She's the type that I'd love to be best friends with: spunky and fun with a mischievous streak. It's really fun reading a book with a very likeable heroine like Bertie. Near her are Ariel and Nate, a pirate from The Little Mermaid. Both have strong characters and distinctive style. Bertie's fairies give a lot of fun elements into the book too, and their obsession towards cupcakes and pies is adorable.

Overall, Eyes Like Stars is a fantastic book. I have the sequel here in my hands and can't hardly wait to start reading. Oh, and don't worry if you don't know much about Shakespeare. You'll still be able to enjoy it as much as I do. :)